Too big for my Lathe

[Bill Bulloch]

I was given a Hickory Log; split it, rounded it and got two 12 inch diameter by 5 inches thick blanks out of it. This was really hard and heavy wood, it had my lathg vibrating up-a-storm. While trying to true it up I got a catch that was so violent that it pulled my roughing gouge down with such a force that it broke my tool rest in half.

I decided. that without a doubt, my Jet 1236 is not MAN enough for this big, heavy wood. I cut that blank into one 5x5x12 and two 2 /12 x 2 1/2 x 8 inch blanks. Maybe I should just stick with pens.

Here is a picture of the other half of that log. I think I am going to give this one to out Club for the monthly raffle.

[Jim Kountz]

Well glad it was your tool rest that broke and not part of you!! While that is sort of a large blank the problem was probably more with speed rather than your lathe being able to handle it. Im sure you have read the countless posts about variable speed and the huge importance of slowing things way down when roughing a large blank. Your experience just drives that point home even further.
Again, glad you're ok!!

[Bill Bulloch]

Speed -- You are right. One of the problem swith the Jet 1236 is the minimum speed is 550 rpms. That's way too much for large, heavy blanks. And, believe me I was approaching it with due care.

When I hit the lottery I'm gona get one of them big, bad boy lathes.-

[Wally Dickerman]

Bill, if in fact you were using a roughing gouge on your bowl blank, that was where your problem started. The roughing gouge is a SPINDLE roughing gouge. With it's wide flute it can take way too heavy a cut, accidently or otherwise, to be a safe tool in the hands of anyone except a very experienced turner....use a bowl gouge, the tool that was desiged for bowl turning.

I'm convinced that most large catches started out as small catches. They become large catches when the turner loses control of the tool. Happens in an instant.

Wally

[alex carey]

Wally is absolutely correct, a roughing gouge should not be used on end grain. Half of what you are turning is end grain when roughing a bowl. Roughing gouges are for spindles only.

[sascha gast]

yup, wrong tool used, glad YOU didn't get hurt

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill - glad to hear you are OK! Turning can get exciting every once in awhile!

[Bill Bulloch]

You know I am sort of new at this. I have all ways used the roughing gouge for trueing up bowls blanks -- big and small. Never though that that thing call bowl gouge (dah) would be use like this. Now that you mentioned it, it seem like that is something I should have known. Thanks...I try that from now own.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bill glad it was the tool rest and not the spindle gouge in your hand. Glad you weren't hurt. My neighbor used a spindle roughing gouge to round a bowl blank. He had a tremendous catch which broke the gouge at the tang. He ended up with 14 stitches in his hand after the gouge broke. The high low speed is not a good thing with big blanks either.

[Charlie North]

I have a JWL 1236 too Bill and have seen other posts decry is somewhat high lowest speed.

Have you considered this modification?

http://www.chrisbillman.com/Projects/LatheSpeed.htm

[Burt Alcantara]

You may want to take a look at the Ci1, EasyRougher, as it appears to be designed for roughing at a fast speed. But, others should jump in and correct me if I'm wrong as I don't own one.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Hi.

You don't say what speed the wood was turning. Was it the lowest available?

Having broke a tool rest or two, myself, I have two questions.

Did you do the following:

1. Set gouge on tool rest.
2. Raise the handle till you start getting chips and take thin cuts?
3. Have the tool in the middle of the rest - over the post?

If the answer is no to any of these questions, that is probably the problem, not the lathe.

If you get into the wood before the gouge is on the tool rest, it will slam down into it and break it.

If you just go straight into the wood, you will definitely get catches that can cause all kinds of problems.

If you have the tool on the end of the rest, it is at the weakest part, making it easy to break.

From what you said, I surmise that you can answer no to at least one of the questions.

Hope this helps.

Bruce