Hiya,
I worked in machine shops in the 80s and was a carpenters helper for about a year till the tendonitis got the best of me. I used metal lathes before but never thought I would ever have my own machine shop. I'm set up now with a
10" table saw, '46 Delta 14" bandsaw, '60s Craftsman lathe, 6"jointer, '40s Dunlap drill press, 14" Wen chainsaw and more tools than I have space for. I'm also restoring 2 '50s Craftsman KS 8" tablesaws and am almost ready to put my chiwanese 10" on Ebay :))I'll get pics of my olmericanarn to OWWM.com as soon as I am able.
I've been turning mulberry, black oak, ash & cherry that was destined for firewood with various levels of success. The mulberry & ash were sitting for over a year and is more stable after turning than the fresh, wet oak and cherry. I tried some silver maple but it was fungusy and haven't gotten around to completing my sharpening station. Wood too soft + tools not sharp = too much sanding = warped weird shit.
I use a 3" or 5" faceplate with # 12 or #14 sheetmetal screws that stick 1" into the blank. This leaves a lot of waste after I cut it off and I have plenty of 1" thick drink coasters and round chopping blocks ;). I can't properly finish the bottom using this method so I cut off using a Jap saw & sand with ROS, hollowing the middle best I can. I'm not much interested in spindles so I make bowls, change & candy dishes, stuff like that. I have been using an old Craftsman set of turning tools and can't wait for X-mas. Gift certs for Sorby set WOOHOO.
I was using a four-jaw Craftsman chuck but it's a PITA. Independent jaws, yuck. I smashed my thumbnail learning what not to do with a parting tool. It grabbed it and the four corners of the blank smashed my nail against the tool rest prolly 30 times in the 1/2 second before I yanked it out. I'll post a pic to alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking. I'll also post pics of my projects when I can hunt down my dig-camera toting roomie.
We have a turning club here in Mass that meets at Woodcraft but haven't been able to hook up with a ride (I'm transportationally challenged, the commonwealth doesn't like my driving techniques). I'm looking forward to meeting some of the talented turners in the area. I've been checking out their finished work at the club's gallery pages and am impressed.
Mowgli