I May Be In Trouble...

[gary Zimmel]

Good Day to all the Turner Creekers

First post on this side of the Creek. Kind of like going into uncharted waters..

I spend all of my time in the project or neander forums.
But one of the items on my to do list for 09 is learning to turn. (may be another one of my downfalls) I have been told that this part of woodworking will become very addicting.
So the last while I have been in stealth mode to see what goes on on this side of the creek. And now it may be time to come out of the closet and ask for a little advice and opinions from all of you.

I feel I am looking into another deep, deep hole.

Firstly I am left handed. So first question is are there some kind of lathes that would work better for a lefty or does one become a little better with being ambidextrous.

I don't really plan on making pens and such, so I want a lathe that is bigger and will allow one to grow into it rather than upgrading again in a year.
But can a newbie get into trouble with too much power with a first lathe?

I understand the concept of buying as much as one can afford but if some of you could do it over again what brand and model would you recommend?

And lastly what are some of the tool and accessory brands that are of a high quality. Buy once and the bleeding stops well at least for awhile.

Thanks in advance guys....

[Dewey Torres]

Gary,
I may be soon behind you. Maybe we could hold hands and jump into the vortex together.:)

[Rusty Smith]

Gary,
I bought the NOVA 1624-44 lathe when it was on sale at Woodcraft. It has a swithch which will allow the lathe to turn either direction so a left handed person can stand on the otherwise back side of the lathe to do the turning. It is not the largest lathe out there, but quite robust and very well made. The only drawback, if it is one, is that changing speeds is a manual process involving moving the belt. I have found that this is really not much of a problem as it is quite easy and quick to do.

[Gary Herrmann]

I can attest that turning is more addictive than neandering. I think it's a combination of the immediacy of it and getting to watch the form take shape.

If you want to buy once, I think the sweet spot of power, price and capacity is the PM 3520b - which I have in my own shop. You will want to become more ambidextrous - it comes in very handy for a wide variety of cuts. The 3520b also reverses, so you could work left handed from the other side of the lathe, if you chose to.

With more power, you can swing bigger chunks of wood, so a newbie could get in more trouble. However, I think pretty much everyone here would recommend you start with smaller turnings to get your technique down.

I have a mixture of brands of turning tools. Sorby, Henry Taylor, Hunter and at least one more. I wouldn't get too hung up on brands until you know what you specifically want to turn - bowls, hollow forms, bed posts etc. Tools and accessories is where turning can get really expensive.

You'll get a lot of good input here. Good luck and enjoy the slide.

[George Guadiane]

I'm VERY left handed... You adjust!
Welcome to the Vortex!

[Jim Koepke]

Being new to spinning things, my advice should be taken lightly.

My lathe is one that was bought used for $100. It is an old Craftsman (King-Seeley) lathe from the 1950s. It came with tools and some accessories.

So far, it has been able to do most of what my projects require.
I also bought a few Sorby tools that cost more than the lathe and are worth their price.

This, of course, may not be an option in your case. It has introduced me to turning, it has given me ideas on what may be wanted if another lathe is bought. A variable speed option will be on my next lathe if one is bought. Being able to slow down to a very slow speed will be a factor.

My current lathe is a bench top model. It is on a wooden base. Sometimes, vibration becomes a problem. A heavy base would be a plus in my estimation.

When looking in a store at lathes, one in my price range looked nice, but the centers from the tail to head were off quite visibly. The sales person told me this was not something to worry about. I don't think I will trust him in the future.

BTW, my lathe came by way of putting a wanted ad on one of the local super market's bulletin boards. My thought is that even though my lathe is not one of the best made modern wonders, it was still a very good deal. It has also allowed me to make a few things that could not be made without a lathe. The price of admission has been well worth it and if I do upgrade in the future, could likely sell this one for all that was paid for it.

jim

[Gary Herrmann]

Jim raises a very good point. A lot of us started with used and or mini lathes as a way of getting our feet wet. If you know you're going to love turning, then jump in with both feet.

I wasn't sure initially, so I bought a mini lathe on sale to see if I liked turning. It also allowed me to determine what kind of things I like to turn and what features are important to me. Your mileage may vary...

[Steve Schlumpf]

Gary - Welcome to the sunny side of the Creek!

Any chance that there are any turning clubs around where you live? If you could spend a little time with experienced turners, it would go a long way to helping answer some of your questions. Plus, if you had a chance to turn a little before spending the big bucks... it might help narrow down some of the features you like in a lathe.

Lots of good lathes out there. Take a little time and get to know - at least the specs - of what each lathe offers and the advantages/disadvantages of each. Folks here are great when it comes to that kind of info!

Plus, you can always do a search on this forum if you want info on any particular lathe. Almost to much info.... but everyone here is willing to help sort it out!

Have fun with it! This is all part of jumping into the vortex!

[Wyatt Holm]

Your left handed eh? I would recommend watching some videos by Mike Mahoney, he is left handed. They are available for rent from Smartflix.com. Or you could by them from woodturnerscatalog.com. Hope that helps.
Wyatt

[Ken Glass]

Welcome, fellow left hander. I have not had any problems at all with turning left handed. I have a "Mustard Monster," Powermatic, 3520B, and she does not care if I am a lefty, as long as I take her for a spin often. Seriously, you should have no problems turning left handed. The biggest problem is the vortex itself. It is an all consuming spinning trap that you will love. . All the best to you.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Gary,

I'm a lucky one. The turners here threw me into the Vortex and gifted me with a Jet VS Mini and tools. After I learned that I loved turning, I bought a PM3520B.

Any of the better Mini's will allow you to turn anything including bowls, bottle stoppers, pens, hollow forms....anything just at a smaller diameter.

The variable speed aspect while not an absolute necessity, is invaluable when you first put an out of balance blank on. But...you can get by without it. Look for a lathe with a very low speed for those situations.


Then.....it really becomes a matter of budget. The Novas...the Jets.....The PMs....all good lathes....High end......Oneway....Robust.......etc......

[Lyle Merdan]

Dad may have gotten me addicted to turning.

Attached are a couple of hobby rocket nosecones out of balsa, and also a couple of really thick balsa fins for a project.

The cones started as some 2X2X4" blocks from Michaels. I didn't bring enough balsa when I visited last and but he'll be home next weekend.

The nosecones are designed to fit a BT-60 bodytube.

If anyone is interested in the hobby I suggest checking out a few links:
Rocketry Online (http://www.rocketryonline.com/)
YORF (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/)
http://www.fliskits.com/
http://www.semroc.com/

Not that general woodworking already takes too much time. But this is something to share with kids and neighbors...

Now on the LPR (low power rockets) the nosecones and boat-tails (if the model has one) are commonly turned balsa and the fins are most commonly sheet balsa. So there is woodworking involved and you would not be straying too far from your primary hobby.

It's fun to try to find the "speed of balsa" which is the speed it tends to self destruct because of aerodynamic forces...

Sorry to get too off topic but it's such a fun hobby that can involve some turning.

[Dewey Torres]

Lyle,
Thanks for the links. I have away been interested but then I started watching Master Blasters (what happened to that show?) and I am really interested now!

[Jim Becker]

Woah...I hear a very loud sucking sound in Gary's neighborhood!! LOL The Vortex calls...wait, I hear one in Colorado Springs, too? Hee hee hee

-----
Seriously, left-hand/right-hand almost doesn't matter as you'll find yourself switching hands a lot and also using your body to control cuts, too. There are some lefty folks who turn from the back of the lathe, but that requires some special attention to insuring chucks, etc., don't thread off all by themselves with reverse rotation, etc. This is kinda like sweeping the floor with a broom, IMHO...you switch your hands around to best suit the need of the moment.

[Dewey Torres]

Jim,
You didn't recommend the STUBBY!:D
Thanks all as I have somewhat been wing-man-ing this thread with Gary. I am sure I will turn soon and I am also left handed.

I am from the camp that lefties adapt much more easily to a right handed world than visa versa. I recall the baseball game where we only had right handed gloves and even simple things that righties are apt to take for granted like the stick shifter in a car and the computer mouse.

Yep us lefties just adapt and plug along usually. I am actually equally as good holding a chisel or a hand plane in either hand but I always saw with my left...

and unless I am at Mike Holden's house trying to use his English saws (I only use Japanese), I am pretty good at it.

Food for thought.

[Jim Kountz]

There are times when working close to the headstock that I wish I was a lefty. I think its like everybody said, it doesnt really matter overall. Welcome to the always fun, always interesting, sometimes expensive never ending vortex!!

Dewey you're a lefty?? That explains that Dolphins thing you have!! LOL

[Jeff Nicol]

Gary, As with many of the other posts the PM3520B gets my vote also! I looked at them all and wanted a Stubby so bad, but the cost was out of my range! I looked at the One way lathes and they are very nice but for a couple $K more than the 3520B they got passed up also! The jet lathes are nice to but I think the Pm3520B is a little beefier. So with the smooth power and great variable speed it is hard to beat! Since I have 3 lathes I am a little spoiled anyway! But I like it that way!!

Good luck with whichever you choose!

Jeff

[Ryan Baker]

Working from the back side of the lathe with it running in reverse sounds like a very BAD idea to me ... if for no other reason than it gives you very poor access to the controls (on most lathes), which could be a real safety issue. You certainly switch from right-handed to left-handed for different cuts anyway. I would think it would be much easier for a lefty to adapt to righty positions than for a righty to adapt to the lefty cuts (less practice). I think you will figure it out quickly. Welcome to the vortex!

[gary Zimmel]

Thanks for all the great info and advice guys...

Things are starting to get clearer now.

As I get more questions I will be sure to ask.

[Marc Himes]

Hi Gary welcome to the Turner's Forum. I am a recent joiner but have been turning for a few years. I have a Powermatic 3520 and love it. I had a few lessons from my Dad before he passed away so I new enough to turn a bowl shaped vessel. I found it very valuable to take a week long wood turning class at the Arrowmont School of arts and crafts in Tennessee. I learned more in a week than I would have learned on my own in 6 months. You are closer to Provo, Utah where there are some great classes in wood turning at Craft Supplies. If you can swing it, you could get some great instruction as well as get exposed to different types of tools. There are also wood turning clubs in Calgary and Edmundton.

Good luck. For me its just a hobby. I don't think I could do it more than 70 hrs a week.

Marc Himes

[Randy Klein]

I've had my lathe (Jet 1220) for almost a year now. I haven't been sucked down the vortex yet, probably because the slippery slope of hand tools still has a tight grip. I got it so I could support my hand tools, such as chisel handles, mallets, etc. Plus make cheap gifts from scrap and fire wood and give them away as presents.

With that said, I am by no means a certified advice giver man, but my first tools were this set (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=35444) of HSS at HF. I still have them and still use them. If anything, they make great tools to practice grinding.