newbie questions

I'd suggest you stick to cheap and common in the learning/relearning phase. I usually suggest a load of firewood, preferably green firewood, as a great turning tutorial. But it depends what you want - green firewood is not the best choice for table legs, usually. Burn or barbecue with your learning experiences that are not keepers.

Hardwoods are generally better, but softwoods can certainly be turned, and some are quite beautiful. All the woods you list are perfectly fine for turning, though they will behave (and look) somewhat differently and some will dictate different wall thicknesses for a successful, lasting result. Open grain, thin-walled, end-grain areas tend to break easily, for instance.

Smaller diameter = faster speed. I think somewhere I have a cabinet-making book that suggests particular ranges of speed (in surface feet per minute, from which you can calculate RPM for a diameter) but in general, having easily variable speed and finding what works is as effective. Below some size, you go as fast as your lathe will go. With large unbalanced pieces getting roughed, you go slowly enough that the lathe stays put, and the wood stays in the lathe.

On Wed, 5 Oct 2011 13:10:06 -0500, Vic Baron wrote (in message ):

As lawrencE said, all the woods you listed are good. The cheaper stuff is good for learning and practicing. You will notice that each kind of wood will have its own rules, too, regarding speeds, tool sharpness and technique. I have been amazed at the amount of turning videos I have seen on youtube. All you need is the right search terms, and you're good. One good turning video will lead to another, as well. tom koehler

"tom koehler" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.frontiernet.net...

You bet! I've been watching a bunch, including the one where the guy made a bowl from a cut off log using a foot powered lathe. Great!

Interesting in watching techniques - some use the roughing gouge like a scraper - point first, others angle it and use the edge to cut. Both seem to work just fine. Saw one guy catch the point of his skew in the work - I don't feel so bad now. Only did it once - scared the hell out of me but didn't really hurt anything.

So many different tool shapes all doing the same things. Different sharpening techniques - with a guide and freehand. Using the point of the skew or using the heel. Different grinding angles, etc. All informative and leading me to the conclusion that, after the basics, it's really a matter of individual style.

Hope to try a simple end grain hollowing out this weekend.

Vic

John Lucas has 10 pretty good videos that are great for newbies. search you tube for "john60lucas".

If you're going to do cups and boxes, and even knobs, you'll need a scroll chuck with several size jaw sets in order to hollow and to finish off the tops of pulls.

Boxes also require that you do things in a specific order or you can find yourself in a box canyon - no way to hold a part to do the next operation. This stuff may save you some grief

You didn't mention if you have a grinder and sharpening jigs. Turning with dull tools will make things so much harder than turning with sharp tools, especially if you're turning pine, douglas fir, redwood or other softwoods.

charlie b

Picked up a couple of chucks and jaw sets. Have a dry and wet grinder and some simple jigs. Looked at the Wolverine but will se how I do freehand or with some other home made jigs.

Great link on the Lidded Box! Have seen videos of that but not the step by step way he goes through it.

Thanx!

Vic

Darrel's site is a good one, especially in the line of home-made jigs and tools.

Once you get lidded boxes down and finialed lidded boxes down, try an inlayed rim finialed lidded box. Step by step here

I put this illustrated step by step together from my notes of a Cindy Drozda demo day.

ayup! down the road a piece for me, I fear! But - something to look forward to!!

As far as types of wood to use for turning, you want to stay away from Oak - the grain banding tends to turn it into projectiles. Both open grain and closed grain woods turn well, as long as the pores are diffuse. Generally, you want to stay with hardwoods because softwoods are, well, soft. The guide that I use is

5000/diameter. If you have a 2 inch block of wood, you can safely turn at 2500 rpm; at 5 inches, you go to ~1000, and so on.

As far as books, I have found that anything by Richard Raffan is very informative and he actually shows you technique! I think he does DVDs too.

Two things - buy yourself a face shield (you can get them cheap from Harbor Freight) and NEVER use a roughing gouge on a bowl - the lathe will throw chunks of wood at you.

Hope that helps.

MJ

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I have no trouble with oak, so long as I don't treat it like maple. The grain really makes a statement, appearance-wise. But you have to pay attention and leave it somewhat thicker to maintain good strength.

There are several lathe speed charts for different diameter pieces, but I think they're sort of dangerous as they assume each piece is round, balanced and solid..

My general rule is to turn each piece at as high a speed that you feel safe and the lathe is steady.. I feel that I get a much smoother cut at higher speeds and with less pressure..

Things that limit speed are unbalanced pieces, cracks in the wood, knots that might be loose, loose bark/dirt, etc..

Common sense will keep you safe, just as it does with your flat work..

That makes a lot of sense! I still have all my digits mainly because if I didn't feel comfortable doing a specific cut, I didn't do it. And I am the world's oldest chicken!

:)

an addendum if you please - as I was learning, there came a time when I was "too bold" and spun pieces too fast - probably not an issue with a one or two inch diameter item, but with an 8 or 12 or 24 inch diameter item, it makes a huge difference, it's easy to go too fast and you can explode the work due to centrifugal stress

When I stop being afraid of what my tools could do to me if/when I get stupid, I'll stop using them... Fine line between respect and fear ;)

One thing that I forgot to mention.. The "throw zone" on a lathe is usually pretty much where it is on a table saw blade.. Don't stand there... If I'm using a lathe that doesn't have a remote on/off, like my Nova, I'll stand next to the headstock, behind the bowl or whatever, when I turn the lathe on.. I've had pieces break up at pretty high speed but never had anything hit me.. Most pieces seem to go pretty much straight up or straight down..

Oh thou of little trust! I told you how to put on a remote off button, even sent pictures. Mine still works great though I had to replace the push switch. Wore it out.

I'd be interested in that remote switch. If you still have those pix, I'd like to see them.

Thanx,

Vic

They are about wiring a remote switch on a Nova DVR XP, which uses all electronic controls. Don't think they would work on a Rockler. Even if it had a circuit board it would doubtless be different.

Not always. I've had them hit me in the chest so hard it almost knocked the wind out of me. I had to just hold onto the stand for about 5 minutes to recover. Left a dinner plate size bruise. Almost posted a photo in a.b.p.w.

I have a quick way to turn off the lathe though that Mike Paulson (a pro turner in Colorado) turned me onto. See

for a short write-up and photo. Essentially I put a kick board at the foot of the the lathe so I can just tap it w/my foot and turn it off. I can be several feet away from the actual on/off switch. It's incredibly handy in addition to being a nice safety feature. Probably won't work on all lathes, but if one has a toggle switch it's great... ...Kevin

if you arrange that kick switch so it interrupts the primary power to the lathe, it will work with any lathe, just make sure that the switch rating can handle the full power of the lathe. Remember, no electricity in, no power out of the motor