how do i do it!

[mark hankey]

i am new to wooturning,
can anyone tell me where to place the tool tip,to turn wood on a spindle.
when i set my tool rest at the centre line of my wood, i can work with it quite good. but! i have seen a small video clip of someone turning a little bobbin,
and he seems to have his tool rest, near the top of the work piece,and it looks
very easy.
yet! when i try this, it seems to snatch back! help!

thankyou, m j hankey.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Mark,

Every single person that turns, turns with a different technique. If more of a center height for the tool rest works better for you, than by all means use that instead of a higher rest point. Some people turn radically different than others and it works for them, for others it doesn't. The biggest thing is to find where you are comfortable and producing work you value.

[Ted Shrader]

Hi Mark -

Welcome to the Creek.

Like Jeff said, there is a lot of personal preference in tool rest location. It also depends on the tool - gouge, scraper, etc. General rule of thumb for a starting point is to position the tool rest so the cutting edge of the tool lines up with the center (or just above) of the piece being turned. This like all other rules has it's exceptions. The heel of the gouge needs to rest on the turning, then move the handle (roll or lift or both) to engage the cutting edge.

Welcome,
Ted

[Steve Inniss]

Mark,
I agree with Jeff and Ted, and would add that it probably looked easy -not because of the rest height but that the person had a great degree of skill. Likely that's why he was on the video. The paradox of turning to me is: it requires great skill, that is easily acquired. Have fun. -Steve

I will also add that the skew chisel benefits from a higher rest height.

[Dennis Peacock]

I agree. Turning takes practice and a lot of it. Experimenting with various ways of tool presentation to the spinning wood as well as how the tools acts after we have sharpened the turning tool. A different grind on a tool will make it cut better for you or worse. That's one of those personal things that you'll need to spend some time with and by spending that time with the lathe and the tools, you get better as you go along. Don't give up...stick with it and your patience will pay off in better overall turned projects. ;)

[Jerry Clark]

The biggest mistake beginners make is not rubbing the bevel on the work. This limits how deep of a cut your gouge takes. To deep and you get a "Catch" Every woodturner has done this when starting. Practice on cheap wood. Hang in there and you will get it! :)