Lathe Gloat - now what??

[Ron Taylor]

I bravely ignored all of the well meaning warnings and mentioned to the LOML that if I had that new Delta LA200 midi lathe that the fellow was selling on eBay, I could make a baseball bat for the soon-to-be first grandson.

She promptly bid $192.50 and got it.

Now what??? I know NOTHING about things round.

I know, my first step is to join Mark Kauder and the woodturners association up in Phenix City. But before then, I will have to at least turn it on and try it. What all do I need? Some of the warnings included accessories.

A good set of turning tools. Where? What? How much?

Safety equipment. Face shield? What else?

I wanna do some pens and pencils. What to start on? Where do I get the hardware?

Somebody help me.. I think I'm feeling faint..........

[robertfsmith]

Hi, congradulations. I just got a lathe a couple months ago, so I am a newbie also.

I got my first set of tools from Harbor Frieght, I think I paid like $39 or so and it came with a nice wooden case. They seem to work pretty good, I had to grind them a little to get a shape I felt comfortable with, but they are HSS so they hold an edge fairly well.

If your new to turning I would suggest getting a book or video to help you learn. Richard Raffen makes some nice books and vids. Or hang out at with an experienced turner for awhile and watch and learn.

If you can't wait and have to play with your new toy, I would suggest trying some simple spindles, to get a feel for the tools and how to handle them. The baseball bat would be a good practice piece. I am still playing with spindles, I can't seem to stop getting catches with a bowl. I still need alot of practice too.

[Charles Bjorgen]

Congratulations. I started with the Delta Midi and feel it'll do well for you. However, you're just getting started spending money.

As for turning tools, I'm not big on the Harbor Freight set. They're cheap, for sure, but if you start with adequate tools now, you won't need to replace them. For starters, I'd get a 3/4" roughing gouge, a 3/8" spindle gouge and a parting tool of maybe 1/4". I happen to like the 3/16" diamond parting tool but that's my personal preference. Readily available brands are Crown, Sorby, Henry Taylor and Hamlet. Get high speed steel tools (HSS). With the above basic set of three tools, you can get lots of spindle turning practice with found branch wood. If you think you'll be doing bowls, a 1/2" bowl gouge might be your next acquisition. You'll also want to think about a skew chisel down the road. I'd practice with the gouges first.

Back to the Harbor Freight tools for a moment: I have actually bought one of the HF sets but use those tools as raw material to grind different custom shapes as the needs have arisen for me. That can all come later.

It's extremely important that you learn to sharpen these tools. For that, the most economical and convenient method is the dry grinder. I'd recommend the eight-inch import grinder from Woodcraft. It's under $100 and comes with appropriate grinding wheels for turning tools. You probably should fashion your own or replace the factory tool rests.

Get started with a local turning club if one is available in your area. You'll get lots of help. There's nothing like watching an experienced turner work live. Also, look for the book "Woodturning: A Foundation Course," by Keith Rowley. The title pretty well describes why it's good for a beginning turner.

Good luck. It's a great hobby.

[Richard Allen]

Hi Ron

Welcome to the club. The secret handshake has to be seen so you will want to attend a woodtruning club meeting to see it in action. The password is "I don't need no stinkin credit limit."

Tools?

For spindles I use:

1 1/2" Roughing gouge (~$75)
1/2" Spindle gouge (~$35)
1" Skew (~$35)
1/16" Parting tool (~$20)

For bowls I use

1/2" bowl gouge ($65)

There are a LOT of other tools availble, most of which I seam to own, that I get far less use out of.

I use a 4 jaw self centering scroll chuck for mounting 80% of what I turn. (~$250)

You will need a sharpening system. I recomend an 8" half speed grinder with white wheels and a Oneway wolvorine grinding jig (~$200)

For pens I use:

Pen turning mandrel (~$20)
3/8" forged spindle gouge (~$25)
Pen Mill (~$15)
Bushings for each style of pen I intend to turn (~$5)

You will use a lot of sandpaper, up to and beyond 600 grit

You will use new finishes which dry quicker

Safety

The two most common injuries are blunt force trama and alergies to wood dust.

For the blunt force trama stay out of the way and wear face protection.

For protection from wood dust us a big dust collector (~$200+) at the lathe to collect the dust (shaveings are scooped up off the floor...) Wear a dust mask (~$35 - $900) and a ambient air cleaner (~$250) is a very good idea if your shop is connected to the house.

I uses a "power visor" (~$200) to help protect me from blunt force trama and as a dust mask.

I guess the secreet handshake is reaching for you credit card:p

If you can take an "introduction to the lathe" class you will be way ahead.
Thanks

[Steven Wilson]

I'll second Charles' recommendation on Keith Rowley's book, the video is also good. As for tools I started with a 1 1/4" Roughing Gouge, 3/8" bowl gouge, 3/8" spindle gouge, 1/2" skew, and a parting tool. You'll find that full size tools are fine for most work, I generally just use the Roughing Gouge and the Skew for making pens. As for brands, Sorby and Crown are widely available, and you won't do wrong with either. There are many others to choose from and you'll eventually find your way to them. I would recommend associating yourself with a local turning group, turner, or taking a class from a local school or woodworking store (Rockler, Woodcraft, etc).

You will need someway to sharpen your tools, they need sharpening out of the box. A decent dry grinder (use the proper wheels please - see Garrett Wade or Woodcraft) and Wolverine Jig setup is a good way to go. The Tormek (my choice) or belt sander (1x42", 2x42" or so) are also good ways of establishing and maintaining an edge.

A face shield, in conjunction with your safety glasses is a must. A decent dust mask is also needed while sanding. At some point you may opt for a respirator.

As for pen supplies I like Brea Hardwoods and Woodcraft, both sell quality kits and mandrels.

Future items will probably include a chuck - not needed to start out but you'll probably end up with one. A Oneway Talon is my favorite although there are many other fine chucks.

I'll assume that you've built all of the furniture you need as you'll never do anything else but turn bowls. Welcome to the addiction.

[Stan Smith]

Everybody gave you some great advice. I'm currently selling my full size lathe and may end up with the one like you have or a jet. I'm just jumping in to say not to worry about getting everything at once. 1 good book/video, a face protector, and 2 or 3 turning tools. Don't get HF tools. Get some moderately price tools from Craft Supplies USA. They have a website. To sharpen you will need a grinder. That I did get from HF for $30. I do have a wolverine jig, from Oneway. It sure helps me to sharpen those tools. You just can't turn anything with a dull tool and they are dangerous, too. Also, just for practice, it is easier to green wood or soft wood rather than starting out on hard maple. FWIW. Finally, these forums are a great source for help. There are some great turners on here that can really give you some great pointers (I wish I was one of them).

Stan

[Kent Cori]

Ron,

A tremendous amount of great advice above. Isn't this forum great!

I would differ on the HF tools from my esteemed colleagues. I have the $30 set of HSS tools and find it to be a great value. That's about how much it costs for one high quality chisel. Sure the HF tool set isn't as good a quality as the Hamlet and Crown tools that I bought subsequently but it is perfectly serviceable for a start. For $3.75 per tool it is hard to go wrong. When I found I liked to use a specific tool, I eventually bought a higher quality version. If I don't use it very often, the HF ones are perfectly adequate. Overall, this has probably saved me money by helping me avoid buying more expensive tools that I won't use very much.

There is a second advantage too. When you first start in turning, you don't realize how critical the grinding/sharpening aspects of this hobby are. You simply can't do good work with a dull or mis-shaped tool. On top of that, it can be down right dangerous. The HF tools are great to practice on and if you really mess them up, you're only out a few bucks. In actuallity, you can simply regrind them and only waste a few millimeters of length. Much better to learn on these than a $65 bowl gouge.

Two other machines you'll find are very handy are a band saw and a drill press with a 3" or greater stroke. Both are invaluable when making pens.

One other word of advice. Given the historically low mortgage rates right now take out a second mortgage on your home. The proceeds should get you through at least your first month of turning.:D

[Bob Sheppard]

Ron -- I don't know if an American Association of Woodturners chapter is near you, but if you can hook up with a local chapter, you can find a lot of people willing to help a beginner. If you're willing to commute to New Jersey once a month, I'm sure that we could both help you with your turning and spending money on new tools [ you can never have enough]. You can log onto the AAW website at www.woodturner.org to see if there is a chapter nearby. Good luck.

[Scott Greaves]

Here I am, jumping in late again!:p

I believe the Harbor Freight tools would be a good place to start. Be sure to get the High Speed Steel ones. By the time you are ready for better tools you will know what you want and won't waste your money buying tools you don't need (like a lot of us do!).

Sharpening is very important. You have good advice above on that. Get a Wolvering jig when you can - it is worth it!

Get a face shield. Use it!

Ahh, pens! My favorite subject right now! I personally feel the best way to get started in pens is to call Jim at Berea and get their starter kit. It will include their "A" mandrel, kits, bushings, etc. I think the Berea mandrels are about the best you can buy. It is worth it to get the drill-driver for it. Order up some HUT Crystal Coat or some Mylands Friction Polish while you're at it, so you have a finish. Be sure you have sandpaper from 180 up through 600 handy. This will get you started.

Good Luck! Have fun!

Scott.