i was looking for some help.i want to start woodturning and i am only
14 i have got bored with other aspects of woodworking like wood carving, cabnet making restoration. i was amased at how my teacher was able to turn a pice of square wood into a lovely lamp and was looking for help because my mom think a pice of wood spinning at 2500rpm is dangerous and could kill me . if this is true would i be aloud use it in school. please helpYou are a bit young, if you don't mind me saying so, to be bored with wood carving and cabinet making. However, I agree that working on a lathe is much more fun!!!
Your mother is not wrong. If a piece of wood comes off the lathe it can do you serious harm. Other shop tools can maim you, a lathe can kill you.
Everything in life has some element of risk in it but the idea is to work safely and smartly. Take precautions to prevent the dangerous things from happening. This means learning how to mount work securely to the lathe, how to cut safely and very importantly to wear the proper safety equipment.
Billh
I should have added that spindle turning where the wood is dry (usually lighter), smaller diameter and always mounted between the headstock and tailstock centers is generally safer than bowl turning. When I was your age this is the type of turning we were allowed to do at school. billh
You know, you could try pen turning.
From my experience, it is the safest form of turning that I have seen. There is a small element of risk but not so much from the lathe as the other tools used.
Plus, you can use *really* expensive (or rare) wood for a pen and only need a *small* amount (like pink ivory blanks for $8). And, when you are done, you have something that you can either use as a gift or use yourself. I started with pens to give away and now I have a box of them that I use.
My personal favorites are from Penn State Ind
That way, you get beautiful wood, nice 24k gold, the finish of your choice and if it explodes on the lathe, you can be hit (normally) with something like a thick potato chip. Not too dangerous in my book. Plus, you get the really cool pen to carry around and use at school.
Hell, you could probably even recover the cost of your pen materials by turning them for friends and having them buy you a kit. I do this with my sister... I tell her "if you want a pen, it will cost you a pen kit" and she loves it. That way, she gets a pen and I get an extra kit and blank. Winners all around.
for tools, I have (generally) used only a bowl gouge (acting as a small rougher) and a parting tool (cheap ones work nicely here) and sandpaper. Turn it gently, sand it lightly and finish it with your choice of finish. My personal favorite is BLO/Shelac/Alcohol in a 1-1-1 ratio. 3 ounces of this makes *A LOT* of pens. It normally goes bad before I can use it all up.
Did I mention safe?
Rob
My daughter was only 9. It didn't seem to stop her.
I was in a fairly similar spot to you a little while back(I'm 17 now) chances are the shop teacher has safe and reliable projects and tools, usually a very basic set of tools that are hard to screw up(its his head on the line should you hurt yourself so they usually have very safe to use set ups) I never really got into the lamps and drilling, but I did do several bowls, usually the teacher will have you stand at the end and show you slowly how to do it. you could maybe get your teacher to explain that to your mother, or maybe do a demonstration for her?(at a very nice and slow speed of course)
a few thing you could explain
-that you'll be wearing a full faceshield(and actually do that too, some schools only make you wear glasses, a faceshield is much nicer)
-that you will always run at a slower speed, often its just the big numbers that make parents worry.
600rpm sounds much safer then 2500, and its a reasonable speed to do bowls at.It can be dangerous but so long as you make sure to follow the safety rules carefully it usually isn't.(I've gotten hurt more then once, but I always ignored some rule such as: don't run the tool off the end of the rest while your hand is still supported underneath. or the sign about tying back long hair is there for a reason.
you can email me if you want or have your mom do so, I went on to do small turnings as a job for quite a while, and I've worked through all sorts of concerns from parents about it.
My daughter took woodturning at 14 last year in Grade 9. Now that she knows the basics I have no problem letting her use the lathe in my shop.
Talk to your teacher.
I think 14 is a good age to get started. It is a hobby that can turn into a lifetime passion and it is really fairly inexpensive (until you get completely hooked and start buying the bigger equipment). You can probably buy a quality used lathe, a decent set of chisels and sharpening equipment for a few hundred dollars. One ESSENTIAL ITEM is good face protection, and that takes us to mom's concern.
Some think of the lathe as one of the more benign pieces of equipment in a full wood shop. That is not entirely true. While a wood lathe does not have the instant-amputation capability of a table saw or other cutting tools, it can hurt you-badly. I suspect most lathe injuries result from stock leaving the lathe and striking the user. You can also experience a catch that can jerk a tool from your hand and even throw it at you. I have been turning for about two years, have experienced some pretty good catches but a tool has never left my hand. Nevertheless, that is one reason you MUST wear face protection. The other hazards involve catching body parts, clothes or improperly held sandpaper (with fingers) in the spinning stock. Some also manage to catch fingers between the tool rest and work. Bowl turners also have to deal with stock that can come apart, with velocity, while turning. Again, good face and head protection will reduce the potential of serious injury
Should this be cause for concern. You bet! All of us who do woodwork must understand that the equipment we use is capable of hurting us. That is why we develop processes and a certain level of paranoia to avoid injury. However, at the end of the day I would much rather put my teenager in front of a lathe than behind the wheel of an automobile. The risk levels and benefits related to learning to turn aren't in the same category as learning to drive which you will likely be doing and a year or two.
Before you go further I would recommend a trip to the library. Look for books written by the likes of Richard Raffin, Ernie Conover, John Edwards and a host of other experts that have written excellent starter and advanced skills books. Cruise this newsgroup, rec.woodworking and alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking to gain insight into turning and other woodworking crafts. There is a HOST of expertise available here. Take a look at turner's websites offered by folks like Darrell Felmate, Ruth Niles and others, Also, if your woodshop teacher can help, tap him (or her) for advice; and check around for local woodturner's clubs or guilds.
I am not a dedicated turner. I own and use my lathe for general woodshop parts fabrication. Turning is, however, an interest that can allow you to stretch the limits of your imagination. Also, as you have already seen, it provides a certain degree of instant gratification. Do your turning homework, get involved with some local turners and take mom along. I think she will see the light.
For what it's worth, if you have been taking shop and doing cabinet making you have a far greater chance of getting hurt on the table saw than a small lathe. Even a hand saw can really chew up the skin if you get in the way. As others have said, pens are a great starting place. But you can also do many other safe projects on a small lathe, including small bowls, boxes, vases, etc. As a parent, it would help me a lot if I knew you were taking lessons from a pro, especially if I could sit in on a couple of the lessons and see for myself that it is safe and you are learning proper safety procedures. Earl
Well my grand daughter is only six years old and she turns some very nice stuff. Of course grandpa is only a few inches away at all times when she is using the lathe and she has to stand on a specially made platform. There is no minimum or maximum age, just go for it and enjoy.
Tom
As a seven year old I was only allow to use a coping saw and a hammer. The point is at that age can hair line cracks be detected in time to avoid physical damages. On a lathe the mounting set up is important. A child shall always be working in the presence of a senior woodworker/turner. Even at age fourtheen a teen age should be treated like an apprentice until his mentor is convince that he/she can the tools safely.
"Sheila Dougall" wrote: Well my grand daughter is only six years old and she turns some very nice stuff. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'd love to see her teacher's face when she takes her work to show and tell.
I started my 12 year old son with turning pens on my lathe. He did a nice job with a pen that he kept that he used it at school. It was so nice that apparently someone else needed it more than him :-(. That just made him want to turn more pens/pencils etc. for his friends. He doesn't turn except when I am near him. For your mother's concerns, they are valid. You have to be aware of what you are working with at all times. The smaller items are less damaging than some larger items, but that doesn't mean that they won't hurt. If you do it safely and under supervision with someone that has experience than it is just as safe as mowing the lawn or using any other power tool.
Mike
To work is human. To turn divine....
Rob McC>You know, you could try pen turning.
2500 rpms is way fast, there is no need for that kind of speed unless you are doing micro turnings like lace bobbins or smaller. Some of the best professional turners use relatively low speeds for nearly everything. Some amateurs crank the speed up because they don't know what they are doing and they hope it will help them get a better cut. Speed is not the answer. Learn to do it right and keep the rpms low.
Seek expert help to get started. Shop teachers are often not as skilled as they might be at lathe work. Find a turning club in your area (where are you located? I think the AAW site has a list of clubs
-mike paulson, fort collins, co
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