bob blakeborough
03-05-2011, 8:39 PM
Hey everyone,
Just introducing myself to the woodturning section... I have taken up woodworking over the last year working mostly with hand tools and really enjoying myself. After hearing about guys turning their own chisel handles etc, I thought the idea was really cool so I began lurking around the woodturning section a bit and I gotta I quickly got drawn into the amazing things you guys create! Turns out one of my good customers is a well respected woodturning teacher at one of our local woodworking stores and after talking in depth with him on the subject, I bit the bullet and went in today to buy my first lathe, chuck and tools and signed up for 6 weeks of lessons! :)
I can't explain how excited I am!!!
Well as I had zero tools for turning, and no experience whatsoever to help me in deciding how to best spend my money, With tons of questions and explainations, I took the advice of my woodturner client who has decades of experience. I had a total budget to start of about $1000.00... I had to make that get me everything I need to get turning properly and safely and then would expand from there as needed. He laid the pros and cons out of approaching it from two different angles. Spending more money on a lathe with a few more options now and a bit less on tools, or spending a bit less on a machine up front but more on better tools. After much thinking, I decided to actually go less on the machine and more on the tools, with the rationale being that if it is something I am going to stick with (which is my expectation), I will eventually end up upgrading later anyways beyond either option I can currently afford, but the better tools that I buy now will be good forever...
Assessing my total budget, I ended up with an entry level King Canada 10x16 Mega-Lathe, Talon Chuck & Adaptor, and 6 individual Crown chisels and the 6 weeks of lessons....
http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?CD=29&ID=2385
Anyways, I am looking forward to this new aspect of woodworking and hope you will all see me contributing here often!
Just introducing myself to the woodturning section... I have taken up woodworking over the last year working mostly with hand tools and really enjoying myself. After hearing about guys turning their own chisel handles etc, I thought the idea was really cool so I began lurking around the woodturning section a bit and I gotta I quickly got drawn into the amazing things you guys create! Turns out one of my good customers is a well respected woodturning teacher at one of our local woodworking stores and after talking in depth with him on the subject, I bit the bullet and went in today to buy my first lathe, chuck and tools and signed up for 6 weeks of lessons! :)
I can't explain how excited I am!!!
Well as I had zero tools for turning, and no experience whatsoever to help me in deciding how to best spend my money, With tons of questions and explainations, I took the advice of my woodturner client who has decades of experience. I had a total budget to start of about $1000.00... I had to make that get me everything I need to get turning properly and safely and then would expand from there as needed. He laid the pros and cons out of approaching it from two different angles. Spending more money on a lathe with a few more options now and a bit less on tools, or spending a bit less on a machine up front but more on better tools. After much thinking, I decided to actually go less on the machine and more on the tools, with the rationale being that if it is something I am going to stick with (which is my expectation), I will eventually end up upgrading later anyways beyond either option I can currently afford, but the better tools that I buy now will be good forever...
Assessing my total budget, I ended up with an entry level King Canada 10x16 Mega-Lathe, Talon Chuck & Adaptor, and 6 individual Crown chisels and the 6 weeks of lessons....
http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?CD=29&ID=2385
Anyways, I am looking forward to this new aspect of woodworking and hope you will all see me contributing here often!