My new toy!

[James Williams 007]

Ok Ive been a creeker for some time now and I always dreamed of being able to come hang out on the turners forum but I knew it was a slippery slope and my budget couldn't handle it. So my dear sweet wife did the most amazing thing and bought me a midi lathe for X-mas! Its not a monster mustard machine or a Oneway but I don’t care I am having the time of my life with it! I have so many ideas for small bowls, goblets, and other things. I unpacked my Turncraft Pro X-mas day and did all of the stuff I do when I get a new tool, check the important surfaces for level make sure the centers are lined up and that everything works as it should and I was very pleased with the construction of the lathe. Oh yes and it bears mentioning that my wife knew I couldn’t use my new toy without some turning tools so she purchased a starter set of 8 HSS turning tools...man I love that women!
So every free moment I have had I have been scouring the creek and the web for information on how to become a better turner, sharpening my tools, and any accessories that I might need. I made a trip to Woodcraft and the guys there stayed after hours on Sunday to give me tips and impart some of their knowledge. While there I purchased a face shield, apron, bowl gouge, center finder, calipers, and a few blanks to start turning! I got home that night and turned a mallet out of a blank that came out of a discount bin of exotic woods and I had a blast. Alright here is were I am now I think I am going to hold off for now on getting a chuck but I do see a Talon or Nova II in the future. This weekend I am going to buy the Wolverine sharpening system because I already have the 8" slow grinder. I'm going to try a few bowls and other things using the glue block method and then I will go from there.
If there is anything I missed or if you guys have any words of wisdom to guide me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. Here are a few pics for proof :D they are taken with my cell so they are not the best.

[Dan Forman]

James---Welcome to the vortex, looks like you are off to a promising start.

Sounds like the wife is a keeper.

Dan

[Jeff Nicol]

James, It has only begun, and you will become addicted to turning like the rest of us! It is a wonder hobby that can turn into a money maker over time. Nice mallet and keep us up on your future adventures in turning!

Welcome to the Creek,

Jeff

[ROY DICK]

Welcome to this outstanding forum.
I really like that mallet.
And just look at those shavings.
Ask plenty of questions and you will get more than one response for each one asked, so take a little here and a little there and it won't take long to come up with your own way to do your turnings.
Roy

[Bill Sherman]

Congratulations on your new lathe. A very nice mallet,looks like you are off and running. You should check out Highland Woodworking downtown and Rockler in Sandy Springs, if you haven't already.

Bill

[John Keeton]

Congrats on the new lathe. Those Turncrafter lathes look like a good value for the money, and I have had good service with PSI on other items purchased from there. Apparently, the chucks are good, as well, but just not much written about them - I guess because of the wide availability of jaws, etc., for the Talon and Nova.

Great job on the mallet - I assume that came from the "mystery wood" pile, where no idea on species!?

[Baxter Smith]

Very pretty mallet! Enjoy your toys and all the ideas you will get here!

[Steve Schlumpf]

James - Welcome to the Turning side of the Creek! We're here to help - so ask lots of questions!

Congrats on your new lathe! I like the mallet - nice style and finish!

Best advice I can offer is to join your local turning club. You'll meet a lot of great folks who love to share their knowledge of turning. Might even manage to grab a few lessons which would help establish proper methods of turning and safety.

Also - make sure you have some form of breathing protection - especially when sanding.

Have fun! Looking forward to seeing more of your work real soon!

[Jim Underwood]

Looks like you're headed in the right direction to me...

I'd find some kind of respirator/dust protection in addition to your faceshield. Especially if you're getting into exotic woods...

The only other thing is to find a local club. I found that the guys in my club were a big help giving advice and wood away. And the demos every month help you learn a lot.

Congratulations on the new lathe and the new hobby. It is a blast, as you're finding out.

[Sid Matheny]

Nice mallet and new toy, err tool. That is the lathe I started out with about 5 years ago and still have it now but not using it. It has been a great lathe and I have turned hundreds of pens and bowls with along with many other projects.


Sid

[Roger Wilson]

Goto youtube.com, search on "woodturning" and you'll get lots of free videos. They are of varying quality and not everyone is using the proper technique, but you'll learn a great deal from watching.

Buy a few DVDs or rent some from www.smartflix.com (http://www.smartflix.com) (search on "turning"). This part of woodworking is particularly suited to video.

Pay attention to safety. Search on injuries and you'll see that you can get badly hurt while using a lathe.

Good Luck.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome to the slippery slope. Congrats on the lathe. I agree that some kind of dust protection is a must.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

James....Welcome to the Vortex!

We don't really care what kind of lathe you have....just come out and play with us!


Nice mallet!


Nice lathe and an especially nice wife! Congrats! You are a lucky man!

[Allen Neighbors]

Very good start!! Welcome to the Creek. Hang onto that lady!!
Good choice of wood for the Mallet, and nice shape, too! 3 of my friends here have that lathe, and like it.
Where's Acworth near?

[David E Keller]

Welcome aboard... Addiction loves company. Your wife sounds like a winner. Nice looking mallet, and looking forward to seeing your upcoming turnings

[Paul Douglass]

Welcome and you will get hooked. I go away sometimes for a few months because I get into other things, but I always come back. I love turning and no matter what I may be building I try to work in the lathe somehow.

[James Williams 007]

I turned some Quina wood and this wood made me realize why dust collection and a respirator are so important! Its a beautiful wood with a very unique smell but it made me sneeze constantly. I am going to investigate some respirators and hook my dust collection system to the lathe. Thanks for all your comments guys I will post pics of the bowl I'm going to try tonight.