Turning Speed Chart?

[Russell Neyman]

Anyone have a really good speed chart showing suggested RPM per diameter measurement? Jet has a questionable one in their owner's manual, but I was hoping to find something a little more sophisticated. In my own experience, the hardness and dryness of the wood needs to be factored in, too.

I know one of you will come through with this. You always do.

[David Gilbert]

I'll jump in with a starting point. I built this list from a couple of Richard Raffan's books and some other introductory turning books. My lathe is a Jet 1642 with variable speed so I can hit all of these speed points. For almost all of my bowl turning I keep the belt on the lower speed - higher torque position that limits me to a little over 1200 RPM. I haven't done enough spindle turning and wonder if the 3200 RPM at 2" is a bit too fast.




Bowl Height
Spindles



2"
4"
6"
8"
10"



2"
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
3200 (2400)


4"
1700
1500
1300
1100
900
1600


6"
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
1080


8"
1500
1300
1100
900
700
800


10"
1400
1200
1000
800
600
650


12"
1300
1100
900
700
500
540


14"
1200
1000
800
600
400
460


16"
1100
900
700
500
300
400




Cheers,
David

[Steve Busey]

Saw the following on a Mike Mahoney video - gives you some wiggle room with a range: Dia X RPM = 6000 to 9000 So, an 8" diameter piece @ 1000 rpm (=8000) is right in the sweet spot. HTH

[Bill White]

Super good info. Thanks David. This was a question I have failed to ask 'cause I've seen the pros spinnin' at really high rates.
Bill

[Michael Mills]

If you go to page 18 (bottom of the page) there is an X-Y chart for rpm-diameter for rough stock and for general turning.
http://www.teknatool.com/products/Lathes/1624/Downloads/NOVA1624_manual_Jun_08.pdf
This is in the Nova manual.
I can't copy and paste (even if Nova says it's OK) with my reader but you can print out the single page.

[Don Alexander]

any chart should be taken with a large grain of salt primarily because there are always going to be variables that cannot be factored into the chart

if it in anyway seems too fast...... IT IS!!! alot better to turn it slower and be safe than to turn it too fast and regret it

the number 1 safety device anywhere is squarely between your ears ..... and should always be the very first thing used

ok off my soapbox now hehe

be safe everyone

[Scott Hackler]

For myself, I turn fairly fast. Unless its a oblong, out of balance, really too big for my lathe, chunk of wood. Then I pain stakingly slow it down to a snails crawl and spend what seems forever to round that blank. As soon as its round I speed it back up. As a general rule of thumb for my particular taste, I turn spindles 1 1/2" and smaller at 2200rpm. Bowls up to 8-10" are done at 1400rpm and larger than that are at 1000rpm or so. My Nova has belt changes for the speed so I cant "dial it in" an in between speed.

I feel comfortable at those speed and DO NOT recommend those speeds to anyone who hasn't either been working themselves up to those speeds or ever turned at those speeds.

I had to chuckle at a guy in our turning club on Saturday. We had a workshop and had the clubs Jet mini lathes out to play on. I put a 4" dia branch on it to turn a NE goblet using light to get it thin and he commented on th efact that I cranked the speed knob all the way up! I gave him the same speal as above.

[Russell Neyman]

Thanks for the feedback and information. I'm a proponent of the "turn by feel" technique, and adjust my tool angle and speed until my turning reaches an optimum, and my results are quite good. But a fellow turner said he thought I could avoid the tearout I encountered recently with a quilted maple bowl by following a speed chart, so I decided what the heck I'll put one on the wall above the lathe and give it a try. This Teknatool one seems to be the easiest to follow. I reformatted it so it's more readable.
208027

[Mike Peace]

This is page 30 of the PM 3520b manual. 208072

[Russell Neyman]

Hmmm. Interesting that there are some fairly significant variations between these three charts. I wonder--? Do you think it has to do with the weight of the lathe?

On a broader scale, I wonder if any of the other old timers follow these charts, or do you do as I do and just work by feel?

[Scott Hackler]

It should be noted that a lot of the "High end" lathes have NO speed indicator on them. Robust and Stubby in particular. I questioned the fellas about this, while at the symposiums and they said that they don't think you really need a speed indicator that you just turn it up to a speed that you are comfortable with and get to turning.

[Russell Neyman]

It should be noted that a lot of the "High end" lathes have NO speed indicator on them. Robust and Stubby in particular. I questioned the fellas about this, while at the symposiums and they said that they don't think you really need a speed indicator that you just turn it up to a speed that you are comfortable with and get to turning.

The implication here is that faster is better as long as the piece doesn't vibrate or explode. That's worrisome.

[Don McLeod]

Speed Kills, if it explodes it's too late. I recall talking to a chap at Busy Bee, it seems that he turned pens at around 2000 RPM and then started turning bowls. His second or third bowl exploded, what saved him, he was wearing a full face shield. The face shield broke and he had a nasty cut above his eye ( could have been much worse without the shield) and the open wound on his chest looked like he had been shot. After talking with him I got the impression he was turning the bowls at the same speed as he turned pens. So if you are going to turn at a fast speed, stay out of the firing line.