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My Lathe's new home!

After a long while my lathe has finally found a new home.

I started turning in the summer after learning from Eli Avisera which is a great teacher, after I finished the course and decided to buy a lathe, I decided on the JET Mini (1014) and went ahead and bought it along with a bunch of other stuff (chuck, tools and protection). I live in a very small house in a village, and did not have any place to put the lathe (my wife would not allow it in the house - after I admitted to the possible mess that is associated with working on the lathe :-)).

So it being summer and all, I just put it in the garden and put a cover on it while not working - that worked out fine for the summer. I didn't have the funds or the time to do anything else - I had hopes that some solution will apear (a shed someplace that I can rent for a low fee). Anyway, winter came and I was caught unprepared - rain showered upon my garden workshop...... I rushed outside and brought everything into the house (much to the SWMB's dismay - the house is small enough as it is).

Thus passed half the winter - no turning for me, until I went and purchased a plastic shed (2.5 X 2.5 meters). I just finished building it and stocking it with my equipment. Only have to set up the lighting.

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(I hope the link works) Finally I have where to turn in any weather (will probably have to do something about cooling in the summer, though). And also at night. Now all that is left is to make it presentable:

  1. Build a good stand for the lathe (so I don't break my back)
  2. Some shelving and hanging
  3. Tool rack
  4. Stand for grinder

No pictures yet as it is unpresentable, but I did some practice turning for the first time in months - I am so happy... Sorry about this sentimental post but I just had to tell someone :-)

Reply to
Moshe Eshel
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Congratulations! I know how difficult it is to do without shop space, so I feel your (ex) pain.

You can turn some pretty nice stuff on the Jet mini - it is a decent unit. I have turned segmented hollow vessels and green wood bowls right up to the limit of the lathe's swing. ~9 1/2" finished diameter.

Built my own heavy, cheap stand and although I could use better lighting, it's much more pleasant to use the lathe now.

Good luck and enjoy.

Greg G.

Reply to
Greg G

Thanks for the encouragement, sadly In Israel where I live, things that are cheap in the USA aren't so cheap, and things that are highly available in the USA aren't so available. But still, hope is not lost - I think I found a cheap (free) source of wood for my stand, my neighbor has just finished serious re-construction of his house (tear-down, build again from scratch) and added a nice deck and pergola - I saw a lot of left over very thick and heavy wood - I have no idea of what type - but it should do.

For turning unless I have a specific need and get wood specially, I usually use commercial woodshop throwaways when I find them (apparently the remains of the wood from building a closet or bed have no use for them :-) I can use it...). And I get some green wood from pruning - I still have to learn how to dry it properly (and I need more storage room...).

Reply to
Moshe Eshel

Moshe:

Good to hear from you. And congrats on the new outbuilding; now you can hide all the other stuff that you will "need" to make this hobby even more fun.

You can get a very servicable light when a hardware store or someone else has the builder's halogen lights on sale. They are pretty adjustable for height and angle, and throw plenty of light. The only problem is they also generate a lot of heat. In the winter, one set will likely warm your building. In the summer, they will burn you out. I switched some of bulbs to 250 watt (they come with 500 watt) bulbs and that seems to help. On bright day though, I still turn out on the driveway when I am using my mini.

Another tip, you will need a sweepable/cleanable floor. You have seen how much debris the lathe will generate (tons). If you have a grass or dirt floor you will spend a lot of valuable turnnig time cleaning it up after a good day. Leaving on the ground will make it a haven for critters, and lots of them. Worse as I found out, the shavings can wick water like crazy. Many tool stands were rusted badly in my storage on year for me to learn that lesson. If you don't have a concrete or wood floor, you can put down pavers (installed correctly) and have a perfectly servicable floor for the little mini.

Good luck, let us know how you are doing. Remember to check Google and use it to search this group when you have a question. There is more info here than can be believed.

You are starting on the proverbial slippery slope, my friend.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

I always keep a sharp eye out for scrap piles and felled trees. I hardly ever buy wood for turning. Most of my shop jigs are built from cabinet shop scraps.

I built a simple "sawhorse" stand for mine. It's extremely sturdy, and the shavings don't collect on the stand, so cleanup is easy. It was built from old construction lumber:

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Well, I can affirm that junk grows to fill all available space. Wood piles fill all available space and the back yard as well. ;-)

These are the few things I have turned on a Jet mini:

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FWIW,

Greg G.

Reply to
Greg G

Nice work, Greg. I really like the coloring on the oak vase, but the pic is a bit fuzzy. Be honest... did you do anything else on the vase other than what you put in the description? I'll bet in person it is a beauty. I like those colors a lot, and the form is great.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Thanks, Robert,

The vase was simply coated with tung oil, left for a few months, then lacquered because I wanted more shine. No artificial colors were used, it's just a weird piece of wood. It sat outside for a while before turning. Some claim it looks more like walnut, but I could swear it came from a pin oak tree.

Greg G.

Reply to
Greg G

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Look forward to some pics when you get them. So what kinds of woods are you turning there?

...Kevin

Reply to
Kevin Miller

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