newbie 101: chatter?

What the diameter? If it's 2" or more then it shouldn't be chattering much at that length. The smaller diameter the more chatter at a given length. Green wood is, generally, more flexible and prone to chatter as well.

Again, depending on the diameter of the piece, you're going too slow (NOTE: There IS a too slow just as much as there is a too fast ... just for different reasons sometimes). Unless a 13" piece is over 5" diameter, I would have it running at 1200 minimum. I'd go faster as the diameter decreases under 3" diameter. Many of my long thin spindles are running around 2500 - 3000. Be aware that there are issues involving speed and it's relationship to diameter, wood integrity, tool used, etc. and those issues involve, among other things, safety and cutting efficiency. The more chatter I get, the faster I have it running to *help* solve that within reason.

Another thing to think about is whether you have a lot of pressure pushing the spindle out of shape (even slightly) by having the tailstock too tight. Back it off just a tiny bit and see if that helps. If it doesn't, put it back where it was.

It's certainly possible that the wood is more dense on one side as compared to the other but it's only really noticable if you've got one side that's mainly sapwood and the other is heartwood (on some trees where there's a great difference in their densities) OR when you've got a difference on one side when there's a lot of decay when not on the other side. Nothing that you do will help this much except not turning it.

Absolutely! Try some of the things mentioned above and then try a steady rest. Or just build the steady rest anyway. It's pretty useful. It doesn't work magic though and won't help with everything.

Technique is everything. Keep practicing. It takes time.

- Andrew

Try a two-wheel steady rest, I think it's called a back-steady. It's out of the way, behind the turning. I think Oneway makes one, use it as a model. Two skate wheels close together but not touching, on the end of a sliding arm mounted horizontally at center on a bracket attached to the lathe bed.

I also use my hand to steady a thin turning, as many turners do. The hand not holding the skew, that is. Wrap your fingers around the back of the spindle, keeping them away from the toolrest. The thumb of that hand helps control the blade of the skew.

Ken Grunke

Could be flexing indeed. It's down to around 1" or so. All of this stuff I have to practice on is quite small. I'd say I don't have much of anything that will yield larger than a 1.5" cylinder unless I turn it on the round. I've been splitting it out because this wood cracks straight through the pith very readily, and I've had some stuff come apart on the lathe.

OK, that's a good point. After I screwed up and sent a huge hunk of log hurtling at the wall, I've been afraid to turn my lathe up from the slow speed. :)

OK, another good point indeed. I've been really cranking on it after the aforementioned almost mishap.

This is all branch wood probably less than 10 years old, if that factors in. I'd say it probably eliminates density from consideration.

I'm kinda thinking it will be hard to make use of a steady rest on this little lathe anyway. It's on my list though, if I could ever get away from the lathe long enough to do something else. Gotta figure out how to avoid filling my boots with shavings soon.

I'm not expecting miracles here. :)

Oh, it's certainly flexing at 13" long and around 1" diameter then. No wonder you're getting the chatter. Kinda fun to watch it wobbling around like that when you start putting tool to wood though, eh? At least until it breaks apart. Sometimes I do this intentionally just to get an interesting pattern. Make it chatter, that is. A texturing tool can't do everything!

BTW, I have stuff come apart on the lathe all the time. Sometimes it a big chunk but mostly just small things. I don't often deal with safe, boring pieces of wood. I like playing with the split, knarly, spalted local hardwoods. That's gets you into some pretty scary situations sometimes but as long as you take some safety precautions, you shouldn't be spending more time in the hospital than at the lathe.

I STILL do that. ha! I have to admit that I don't have as many of the big pieces-embedded-in-the-sheetrock kind of explosions that I used to but I do get shocked from time to time and slow things down for awhile until I feel comfortable again at the higher (but still reasonable) speeds.

Which lathe? I have made several kinds of steady rests and use most of them on the Jet Mini. It doesn't take much and you don't have to attach it to the lathe either. As long as the lathe is attached to something so it doesn't move around, you could attach the steady rest behind it to a bench or wall, etc.

You'll get over that one too. I COUNT on miracles in my woodturning. It's actually happened a few times too!

Have fun,

- Andrew