Some advice for a beginner

[Andrew Schaefer]

Hi everyone! I've been introduced to this forum by a friend, and have thoroughly enjoyed all of the posts I have read so far. I am looking to start doing some turning on a lathe to make buttons for my fiancee who loves to knit. I started looking at a few wood lathes, and received a recommendation to look at lathes which could be used to turn metal and other materials in case my interests went that way. They felt that the metal lathes were more rigid and would hold a better finish. I'm not sure what to do, so I came to the experts!

My idea was to start small on a lathe which could accept a 12" piece of wood since I could make a lot of buttons out of that. After looking at everyone's awesome projects on the forum, I thought to myself... "Why buy something that you can't use for other projects too?" Buttons, bowls, pens, who knows... Here were the 2 mini lathes I had found originally, could anyone offer any suggestions as to what to look for / stay away from?

http://lmscnc.com/4100
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-x-12-inch-precision-benchtop-lathe-44859.html?p=2


Thank you, and I look forward to spending some more time reading through the posts here.

[Michael James]

Welcome from New Mexico! I dont do any metal work so I cant help with the lathe choice as I just turn wood, acrylics, antler, pretty much everything but metal. I would suggest looking for a local turning club and talking to them and asking them all the questions about differences for your applications. There are some here who can be more helpful. Hang around and up some stuff once you get going.
mj

[Andrew Schaefer]

Hi Michael. Thank you for your reply. I'm actually not looking to do any metal work, at least I don't believe so... If you have any suggestions based on your wood turning I would be glad to hear them. Great idea to look for a club, I'll see if I can find one in my area.

[David T gray]

those are metal lathes you need a wood lathe look at delta 46-460 or the rikon 12''. vs is very important as is reverse if you got the money go with the delta then you need a chuck vicmarc is best imo then tools go to psi and grab the set there, the chuck they sell is also good barracuda ones center they sell is cheap and work. then theres about another 20 little things you need to even get started.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Hi Andrew, I am very new at turning being at it a little over 2 months now. From what I have heard and been told....this could be wrong so check for yourself, but the metal lathes I dont think can spin up to as high an RPM as the wood lathes do and working with some woods it is nice to be able to have a higher RPM as it makes turning a lot easier, again this is just my understanding I dont know first hand about this..just trying to pass on some info here. On the other hand, I would LOVE to have a dedicated small metal lathe myself for doing small projects and hope to have one someday. But after all is said and done I love my little Jet 1220vs, some people love their 46-460...i think thats the right number correct me I am wrong folks...some have grizzleys etc....you can get a small mini or midi wood lathe for around $500 give or take a little and have variable speed...some models have a reverse feature as well although the Jet mini-midi does not. Best I can say is shop around and think about what your future needs may be, I do think you would be happiest in the long run with a wood lathe that is just that...a wood lathe. Get a metal lathe to go on the side down the road...just my 2 cents, good luck to you! Tim

[Andrew Schaefer]

Thanks for the additional input David and Tim. Would it make any difference in choosing a wood lathe if I wanted to turn super hard woods as well as some softer woods?

[Jim Burr]

Welcome from the Left Coast Andrew! I'm a Jet fan and love my 1014. The Delta is also an excellent choice.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Delta Midi 46 460 hands down.has about everything. a keeper even when you decide to go bigger. Max

[Bob Hamilton]

Woodturning is a freehand operation and the metal lathes do not lend themselves to freehand work too easily. The cross slide tool holder is not suited for woodturning. A woodturning tool rest is just a "T" that allows free movement of the cutting tool along its length. The metal lathe will hold the wood and spin it, but you would need to find some way to mount a tool rest base and T rest. A wood lathe comes with that as built.

Take care
Bob

[Andrew Schaefer]

All good thoughts. Looks like I'm going to have to start looking for a Delta Midi 46 460. Thanks everyone! Now on to research all of the accessories and tools I'll need before I can begin.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Good luck to your Andrew, if you need more help feel free to come ask...I dont know that much yet, but there are lots of folks here that know what they are doing and are willing to offer a hand when needed. One last thing...out of all the things you may buy to go along with your turning...one of the top things on the list is a sharpening system for your tools...everyone here uses a different kind of tool, from harbor frieght basic sets, all the way up to Thompson's and beyond, but regardless of what tools you decide to use, if you can keep them SHARP you will have way less issues. Tim

[Dennis Ford]

Andrew;
The delta mentioned is a great lathe; you will need some turning tools to get started. As you get more into this hobby, you will want more accessories. Most of us have quite a few. It is easy to confuse WANT with NEED. You need; wood, some CA glue, lathe, bowl gouge, skew and parting tool. A faceplate will come with the lathe. Beyond that, get whatever your budget allows.

[Lee Koepke]

One other thing I may add. You CAN have good success with used lathes. The mechanical features arent that complex, and with a little looking you can find someone looking to upgrade. I bought my RIKON mini from a local turner that I met, and even though its not a variable speed, its good for me to get my feet wet. The more I turn, the more I know what I, personally, may look for with any upgrade. Everyone that turns will tell you the cheapest part of this process IS the lathe.

An, yes you can turn hard woods on lathes, provided your tools are sharp and technique is sound, cutting fibers is all you are doin, so as you perfect your sharpening and tool presentation skills, anything that grows becomes fair game!

[Andrew Schaefer]

David mentioned a Vicmarc chuck... will the lathe come with a chuck that I can use to start, or do I need to purchase one separately?

[Michael James]

David mentioned a Vicmarc chuck... will the lathe come with a chuck that I can use to start, or do I need to purchase one separately?

I have the 46-460 and you will need to buy the chuck separately. Their model is just a G3 but has a locking spindle for reverse. The Delta is a nice little machine.

[bob svoboda]

Welcome Andrew-glad to have you here. Looking forward to your future postings.

[ray hampton]

making buttons will be easier on a metal lathe rather than a
wood lathe, you will be able to drill the holes using a drill chuck
before you part each piece off, are wood lathe are equipped for
drilling holes ?

[Mark Hubl]

Is your friend an AAW member? There is a nice short article on making wooden buttons in the American Woodturner Winter 2006 edition (Vol 21.4:40-41).

[Tim Thiebaut]

making buttons will be easier on a metal lathe rather than a
wood lathe, you will be able to drill the holes using a drill chuck
before you part each piece off, are wood lathe are equipped for
drilling holes ?
I use my wood lathe for drilling holes all the time, it is FAR more acurite then my drill press, as a matter if fact I just today made some small beads to go on a finial and drilled the holes through them before parting off, very easy and acurite to do.

[Tom Hartranft]

Hi Andrew,

Offering you three lathe info links.

1. http://www.nealaddy.org/node/11 This one will help you get up to speed on 1) things you can do with a lathe plus short list of beginner equipment for basic turning. Click on "Getting Started in Woodturning" and you'll see some photos and brief descriptions of lathe uses plus getting-started equip. Click on "Wood Lathe Specs" and you'll see some apples-to-apples comparisons of most lathes to include entry-level lathes. Plus there is a wealth of other info accessible from Mr. Addy's site.

2. Read this link that offers 'get me started' equipment list and explanations. The link is embedded in Mr. Addy's site, but you might miss it so ... here it is. https://docs.google.com/View?id=adv8f4kvqjnq_148g682k7hc Read it along with Mr. Addy's two sublinks.

3. http://rwallace.public.iastate.edu/WTlinks.html This link offers a host of woodturning links categorized into various helpful topics. It will give you a good idea of the many many lathe work, equipment, etc.


Tom

[Dan Forman]

Holes in buttons will be off axis, probably best to use a small hand held tool like a Dremel for that, or a drill press before turning. Before deciding on a chuck, check out the Oneway Talon. Lots of us use it, and I much prefer the serrated non dovetail jaws to those of the Vicmark (I have both). It's all about the jaws, otherwise the Vic is a great chuck. Do a little research before plunking down your hard earned $$$.

Dan