still struggling

[chris ormsby]

I have my new GI set up on the new stand wich I fabricated feom 1 3/4 box tubing with 3/16 wall. It turned out rock solid with absolutely no wobble. I am still struggling with simple forms, beads coves etc... I have purchased a few books. Richard Raffan is one of the authors so I am confident this is solid information, but still photos don"t seem to do the trick. Are thier any videos or DVD"s that focus on basics that can build into bigger things? All the youtube etc. stuff I have found don"t really focus on stance,or tool motions. I have the wolverine sharpening system supporting an 8 in WC slow speed grinder. I know I should be honing, but it seems it should be possible to get passable results. I have been playing around with ash blanks about 2.5 in SQ to start. Could this be a challenging material to start off with? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Chris

[David E Keller]

Sounds like you've got the set up you need. You didn't mention if the wood you are turning is dry or green... I'd recommend green wood to start practicing with such as tree branch trimmings... They are plentiful and the price is right. Richard Raffan has a couple of DVDs available through fine woodworking. One of the videos covers some basic such as roughing, sharpening, beads, and coves. He also goes through some basic projects. I enjoy his videos and find I learn better from them than I do from books. If you've got a portable DVD player, you can take it to the lathe and practice as you watch. Not sure if you done any turning up to this point, but pens and stoppers make good early projects. Have fun with it and save some of your early work... You may be suprised at how fast your skills and turnings improve.

[Eugene Wigley]

Chris, I have three DVDs that Richard Rafan made. I really like them. Try "The New Turning Wood". For bowl turning try "Turned Bowls Made Easy" by Bill Grumbine. These DVDs are available at Woodcraft and other places as well. Have fun.

[chris ormsby]

The wood I am turing is dry ask. The pepper mill I tried to make a few yrs ago is what initiated the run on new tools etc, I had ruled out all the support tooling and hit a brick wall when I tried to drill out the bore. My old duro lathe's tailstock was to sloppy, so along came the GI VS. If you reccomend the raffan DVD I will do that. My computer in the shop is only 4 feet from my lathe. I can refer back to the video right at the machine. Is it common the turn right off the grinder?

[Jeff Nicol]

Chris, When I am roughing out pieces I never hone the tool. It is easier to just go to the grinder and touch up the edge and back to turning. Also I now have much better tools than what I started with and the steel holds an edge many times longer than the less expensive tools. I have almost worn out 2 Benjamins Best 5/8 bowl gouges compared to using about 3/8" of a Crown tools Ellsworth gouge. So the more you use the tools the more you will figure out what you do best with the tools.

Get some wet fire wood chunks and practice on them and you will get the feel of the tools faster.

Jeff

[Steve Schlumpf]

Chris - first thing I would suggest is to practice on some 2x material. Its cheap and when you can cut soft pine without creating a lot of tear out - you can turn just about anything.

As far as a video to highlight the different cuts - I came across this very short series when I was starting out and it really helped in that it showed how to do the cut and gave me ideas for practice. Check it out and see if it helps you: http://www.turningtools.co.uk/videos/videos.html

[Steve Bistritz]

The thing that helped me the most when I first started was I joined the two Woodturning clubs I found and went to every meeting I could. Nothing is better than to use a tool with an experienced turner next to you explaining how to present the tool to the wood. One club had a bunch of the experienced guys donate workshops with the fee being a donation to the club. My turning skills rose dramatically, probably taking a few years off the learning curve. Safety is more easily learned also. You can search for Conn here...

http://www.woodturner.org/community/chapters/LocalChapters.asp

[Ryan Baker]

Get the "The New Turning Wood" DVD by Richard Raffan. I can't recommend that highly enough for starting out -- I think it is by far the single best starter video out there (especially since you already have the book). Plan on watching it many times though -- Raffan moves pretty fast. Every time you watch it you will see more things you missed every previous time.

If you are interested in bowl turning, Bill Grumbine's first DVD should be your next choice. Bill's second DVD, Mike Mahoney's DVDs, Raffan's other DVDs, etc. are also good to get to eventually ... as are many others when you figure out which areas interest you most.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Another book that is geared for the beginner and is well written and illustrated is "Woodturning - The Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley. Excellent.

I use a Woodcraft 8" slow speed grinder and Wolverine jig. I seldom hone.

I hone my skews but freehand grind them without the Wolverine jig.

[Jim Underwood]

Learn the difference between cutting and scraping techniques, and which tools to use for each.

Also learn the ABCs for the cutting technique. Anchor the tool on the rest before touching the wood. Bring the tool up slowly until your Bevel begins to ride (gently) on the wood. Then bring the end of the handle up until the Cutting edge begins to peel or slice the curls off.

When I started out, I didn't have a clue what I was doing, and scraped using all the tools. Obviously I had a lot of tearout. I broke and bent a couple of tools too...

Sharpen often, cut right off the grinder, only hone your skews.

I second the advice of joining a turning club. I've learned an awful lot in the past five years. I've also met the nicest folks, and had the best time!

And here's another vote for the Rowley and Raffan books. I've not seen Grumbine's DVDs but I think I'll get them one of these days.

Above all? Be safe, and have fun...

[George Van]

Chris, spend the money on AAW club dues rather than a DVD if you can't afford both. The club members will help you more than the DVD. This is from someone that has a lot of DVD’s. Most clubs including ours have a mentor program. Individual sessions with an experienced turner will help you much more than a DVD. If you still insist on a DVD or a good book, it is likely that the club will have most that would interest you in the club library to check out for FREE. Turning is to enjoy, not to struggle, take the easy route ;-) Have fun!

[Thom Sturgill]

Jim answered the question about grinding, and while I basically agree, I want to expand on his statement. Most turners hone only their skews as everything else dulls too fast. You can shave with my skews. Some will hone the inside of gouges just to remove the burr while others WANT the burr and some will state that the burr gives a better finish cut. I generally hone the burr off of gouges for finishing cuts, just a few quick strokes with a stone, but leave it otherwise. I grind such that I create a burr on scrapers.

[chris ormsby]

I did forget to mention in my post that I have joined the central Ct Woodturners. I attended a couple meetings in the fall, but got quite busy in the summer with the yard etc. I will be going to the next meeting in the end of Oct. I just need to connect with someone who can come over and stand behind me and watch what I'm doing. Also give me a "dope slap" as needed. I am wondering if the wood I am using is heat treated :P . It seems to be about 65 rockwell.

[Jim Underwood]

Nope. The wood ain't heat treated. Your tools are dull....

I've had guys tell me this wood or that wood is hard as heck when it gets dry, but if you sharpen your tools often*, they all cut well....

*Granted, you must also present the tool correctly, or it will cut poorly and dull quickly...

[curtis rosche]

what height is your toolrest at in realation to the center of the spindle?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ash is quite hard and will be difficult to turn with dull tools. Jim hit the nail on the head about sharp tools. When I am turning ash and I turn a lot of it since it is abundant here when I fail to get shavings off it my tools are dull and I am off to the grinder. With sharp tools ash turns rather nicely.

[Phillip Bogle]

I have to agree with George Van. AAW with a local chapter meeting is the way to go. Our chapter -- like most chapters -- has a DVD loan out program. You can see everything you want and then some. There is nothing quite like having a live mentor at your elbow. Everyone of us remembers learning and feels obligated to share as much as possible. Do not be afraid to ask, or think you are burdening someone. This is THE subject everyone of us loves to talk about, so it is not a burden, it is an opportunity!

I have not tried this group, but I will soon. You can rent the DVD's like Netflix and save some $$ http://smartflix.com/ Might be worth a try, or maybe another member has some experience with smartflix?

For me -- and I think everyone is a bit different -- Alan Lacer's DVD's on the skew helped me a bunch. Learning how to spindle turn, and use the skew, helped me be a better turner. Steve mentioned soft pine -- good advice, and fun to play with. I spent several months making sticks with nothing else but spindles with a variety of techniques, shapes and skills levels.

Good luck, have fun,
Phil B.

[Kim Ford]

Chris, dry ash is hard; very, very hard and shows no mercy to anything but a sharp, properly presented tool. Put the ash away for now and do as Steve suggested. Get some soft pine 2X2's or green tree branches and go for it. When you can turn soft pine, you know the basics.

The way I learned to turn was by reading Raffan's first book and watching the shavings as they came off the tool. There weren't any turning clubs in the early 90's where I lived.

One other thing and it is just my personal suggestion; put your scrapers and sandpaper in the bottom drawer and learn first to use the gouges and the other chisels.

Have Fun