Wednesday's Wisdom For Woodturners February 26, 2025

[lew]

Well, February is almost in the books! Felt more like April, today.

 

 

Our Patriot Turners-

We had a couple of items posted to our "What's OFF" this week.

Thanks to @kreisdorph for posting these beautiful turnings

 

 

More images and our members comments begin here-

 

 

What’s Coming Up-

Click on the images for links to registration and more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will be doing a couple of Easy Wood Tools Demonstrations in March, at two Woodcraft stores.

On March 1, 2025 I will be at the Harrisburg, PA Woodcraft store- 3831 Union Deposit Road Harrisburg, PA 17109 store from 11am to 2pm.

On March 8, 2025 I will be at the Woodcraft of Washington DC store- Ravensworth Shopping Center 5248 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22151, from 11am to 2pm

@Jordan Martindale

 

 

For The Newbies-

Protection from dust is critical for all turners. In this video, from John Lucas, he discusses some of the personal safety devices.

 

 

Mike Waldt covers the finer points of turning end grain vessels.

 

 

 

Expand Your Horizons-

Something from Sam Angelo. A great gift to give to the grandkids just before sending home to their parents 

 

 

An a short video tip, from Ron Brown, for the "Bowl From A Board" turners

 

 

 

 

New Turning Items-

A couple of things from Ron Brown.

If your turnings require indexing, then this might be something you can use-

 

https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=78&product_id=569

 

 

If you turn "Bowls From A Board", Ron Brown has added an additional device that helps reduce slippage. Here's the video demonstration-

 

The link to the product- https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=64&product_id=570

 

 

Tim Yoder does a video review of a sandpaper storage units for the turner. These units have some really neat features.

 

The link to the product-  https://www.turningwood.com/

 

 

 

While this isn't new, but it is a new product for me. The Easy Wood Tools Wire Burning Kit.

 

I took advantage of a social media sales event and ordered the kit.

 

This kit is much nicer that my shop made, old guitar string burner. 3 different diameters of wire plus 3 different lengths. Easily interchangeable. Wooden handles are large enough for comfortable gripping.

 

Check it out at-https://www.easywoodtools.com/wireburning 

 

 

Everything Else-

From Ron Brown's newsletter

 

 

Four Pillars Of Woodturning

 

There are Four Things Every New Turner Must Know

 

As we mentor new Turners, they need to know about the four pillars of woodturning.

 

They are:
1)    The lathe
     a.    Swing, Length, Spindle, Morse Taper, Voltage, Variable Speed or Manual.
2)    Work holding devices
     a.    Spur Centers
     b.    Scroll Chucks
     c.    Faceplates
     d.    Specialty faceplates, i.e., Longworth, Cole Jaws, Natural Edge Jam Chuck, etc.
3)    Lathe chisels
     a.    HSS
     b.    Carbide Tipped
4)    Sharpening station for High-Speed Steel Tools

 

These are the foundational pillars for all turners. There is so much to know; we sometimes forget how much we have already learned. Newbies often think all they need to turn wood is the lathe and a chunk of wood. Many of them got a real deal on a used lathe at a garage sale or from Uncle Fred when he passed and believe they are ready to turn. Just like a router, you will need router bits or a drill press; you will need drill bits and a way to keep everything sharp. There is much more to turning than just the lathe itself.

 

The Lathe 
There are three pieces of information about the lathe that they must memorize. 
1)    The Spindle specs, 1x8, 1.25x8, M33, or M30. Something else?
2)    The Morse Taper, #2 or #1
3)    The Swing, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, etc.

 

Work Holding
They must learn about work-holding devices like spur centers, faceplates, Scroll Chucks, etc. Over the years, I have learned that jaw sets are rarely interchangeable between brands and won’t usually fit a different-size chuck body of the same brand. They need to know about different jaws, why they are important, and why most of us have several chucks on hand.

Lathe Chisels
Lathe tools are varied and difficult to understand for most newbies. HSS or Carbide Tipped? The real answer is both, but many novice turners start off with Carbide and add HSS later. The reason is economics; you don’t need a sharpening station for carbide-tipped tools. You don’t need to learn how to properly sharpen HSS tools on the sharpening station using a jig. Carbide makes everything easier for the new turner and vastly increases the learning curve.

 

"Turners Reference Guide" A Free Download that explains most common HSS tools. You must be logged in to download.

https://longworthchuck.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=10&product_id=219

 

The sharpening station for HSS lathe tools
Most turners prefer a slow-speed grinder with 8-inch wheels: one medium coarse (80 Grit) and one fine (180 Grit or higher). When the budget allows, many will switch to the more expensive CBN wheels.

When the newbie is ready to jump into hollowing, another whole skill set must be mastered. I have found that the lathe accounts for only up to 60% of the total cost of becoming a woodturner. And it never seems to stop, like fishing poles, golf clubs, or hunting rifles. We are only one more item away from greatness!

 

I would encourage you to never forget that you were once a newbie yourself. Be humble while you help lead someone down the road to becoming an excellent, seasoned woodturner.

 

 

 

 

Safe turning

[HandyDan]

Thanks Lew.  I see a few videos I need to watch.

Kent's vase grabs my eye every time I see it.  It's an amazing piece.

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

One thing in Ron Brown's newsleter that caught my eye (and maybe should be capitalized) was the phrase "there is so much to know". It's sometimes a little intimidating, and while he covered most of the stuff you own another thing to consider is "how". I still struggle with tool presentation in many situations.

[Gerald]

THanks for the post Lew. Maybe it should be "so much to know and so little time to learn"

[Grandpadave52]

8 hours ago, Gerald said:

THanks for the post Lew. Maybe it should be "so much to know and so few donuts to go around"

Fix't it.

[lew]

@HandyDan Thank You!

 

@Fred W. Hargis Jr  Thanks!

 

@Gerald  Thank You! Saw you on Cindy's Sharing Session!

 

@Grandpadave52 Thanks!