My new lathe

[Todd Trebuna]

Well, although I've never turned and I don't know anything about it, I bought a lathe.Because of the previous two statements, I felt it was worth it, I bought a HF 34706 off Craigslist for 100 dollars. The lathe looks brand new and runs great.
I bought the cheapy chisel set, which I will happily upgrade when I get a coupon and can make it worth my while to purchase the HSS chisel set.
I can see how it might be addictive.

I have been reading up, Google books has a few books on wood turning for beginners, which seem to be very informative, from how to sharpen chisels to the difference between a skew and a gouge.

Are there any sites out there that have instructional videos?

[Tim Thiebaut]

Congrats Todd, off the top of my head I know that WoodCraft has a ton of videos by folks like Charles Neal and other popular turners...

http://www.woodcraft.com/Resources/Videos.aspx

The turning vids are mixed in with all of the other vids you will just have to scroll down the list to find them, the vids on the Wolverine Grinding Jig are very good as well you should check them out for sharpening info on that site. If you go to Youtube there are of course to many turners to even begin to name them all, again off the top of my head check out Capt Eddie's vids.

And the web site http://aroundthewoods.com/ has some basic vids as well. Its pretty early and this is all I can think of right now, hope this will help and get you started. One thing that helped me a ton was going back and reading the old threads here in the turners forum, I actauly am on my second read through of them, the information they contain is incredible.

[Roland Martin]

Congratulations, Todd. Life will never be the same as it once was:). I believe there are quite a few videos on YouTube, free and quick access. Welcome to the forum and be safe.

[Dennis Ford]

That lathe is one of Harbor Freight's better products. If you can get a little hands-on instruction from a local turner, that would flatten the learning curve. Consider visiting and joining a local club also.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Must be a figment of your imagination... I don't see any pictures. Remember; no pictures it didn't happen. Practice with the cheap set from HF but save your money and buy a better set somewhere else, Penn State Industries has a large selection and IMHO better quality than HF.

[John Keeton]

Todd, the 34706 was my first lathe, and a very good one for the money. The low speed can be a little tricky for larger rough blanks, but if you have a bandsaw, and can round most of your wood, it will do fairly well. It is an excellent spindle lathe.

This thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?155787-Online-Turning-Sites-Similar-to-Wood-Whisperer)may be of assistance to you on sources for videos and reference.

Where in KY are you located? PM me if you do not want to publicly state.

[Greg Just]

Congrats Todd. I would suggest you look for a local club. I'm sure the members would be willing to help get you up to speed. Check you local library as I know mine has a few DVD's and books. This place is a pretty good source for information too.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Todd - Welcome to the Vortex! Looking forward to seeing some of your work!

There some woodturning clubs in KY and I highly recommend finding one close to you! Folks in those clubs love to help with anything turning!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats on your lathe Todd. I agree that finding a turning club would greatly reduce the learning curve. As far as DVD's go you can find them at Craft Supply USA, Packard Woodworks, Woodcraft, Amazon, etc. A great one is Woodturning: A Foundation Course By Keith Rowley. It has a book and DVD. Great for learning to turn. Another one that is good is Bowl Basics the Easy Way by Lyle Jameison. There are several on pen turning which are great for learning to turn. Have fun and be safe.

[Kevin Lucas]

I have the same lathe and love it. The HF tools are ok but better ones will be in the future for sure. If you're in the Louisville area pop on by ) The local turners club is http://louisvilleareawoodturners.com and does tuesday turning like once or twice a month, and a monthly meeting with turner demo for a few hours. Find a local club or turners for there is nothing like seeing something done up close. Turners are a real friendly bunch of folks too ) Have fun!

[Todd Trebuna]

Ok. Pics...Excuse the dust. I've been having some fun. and thanks for the advice. I'm going to get into it slowly. I can't afford to jump into another Hobby.:)191832191833191834191835

[James Combs]

Welcome to the vortex Todd. Always great to see another Kentuckian on here.

[David E Keller]

Somebody is gonna need to change their avatar soon!

Congrats on the new lathe!

[Reed Gray]

Another reason to join a club is they tend to have libraries. You can check out videos. The monthly demonstrations are great for learning, and some clubs have mentor lists.

I thought you said 'excuse the dust'. What dust? You know it is time to clean up the shop when you have to get down on your knees to turn.

robo hippy

[Jim Underwood]

First thing ya know, it'll actually be dirty in there... Looks too darn clean to me. If only my shop were that "dirty".

I heartily agree with contacting the nearest club. I learned a lot from other members and demonstrators.

Great price on that lathe. Have fun!

[ray hampton]

Welcome to the vortex Todd. Always great to see another Kentuckian on here.
I agree , welcome fellow Kentuckian