Question on turning corian

[Mike Tilley]

I have cut and glued up some corian to turn,however was wondering what is the best way to mount it on the lathe to get it ready for chucking?
Any information would be helpful.

Thanks Mike

[Harvey M. Taylor]

For starters. glue a glueblock to the underside. allow plenty of time to dry/ Then, between centers to true up the glue block into a tenon. then you are on your own as to what to turn. Very light cuts, as the torque will twist the block off. Then, you get to start over. Max T.

[Eric Gourieux]

What dimensions will you be turning? Are you chucking a flat piece for a platter or a smaller piece such as for a pen?

[Mike Tilley]

Eric it will be a small vase app 7" tall by 3 1/2" at the widest point.

[Paul Engle]

Just make sure you tooling stays good and sharp the whole time you are turning. "You can use your regular turning tools to turn Corian. It can be cut or scraped using standard woodturning techniques. It requires sharp tools and it will dull them pretty quickly so stay close to your grinder. Many turners I know would rather scrape it because it’s easier to sharpen their scrapers. I use my regular tools or various carbide tools I’ve made. The advantage to using the carbide turning tools is their edge holding capability while cutting difficult materials. Regardless of your cutting tools, Corian® cuts slower that most woods so take your time. Let the tools do the work. Cutting Corian® is more finesse than brute strength. You will get curls when you cut it with a gouge or skew but the thickness of the cut must be much lighter than with wood. It cuts like any other very hard plastic. Take your time and let the tools to the work. White knuckles are not in order or required here.One of the nice characteristics of Corian is that it’s isotropic, that is having the same characteristics regardless of direction. In contrast to wood, it has no grain direction therefore its appearance, strength, and cutting characteristics are the same regardless of the orientation. Another advantage is inertness. The material is not affected by moisture and will not change dimension or characteristics regardless of the moisture conditions. It is affected by temperature but that really isn’t an issue until you reach high temperatures. It’s continuous coloring throughout the product means you won’t cut through the color. What’s on top is the same as you progress through the material. "

[Bill White]

And afterwards, you get to clean up all those static charged chips, curls, pieces parts, and dust. :D
Bill

[Harry Robinette]

Try rubbing your tools,toolrest,banjo and bed ways with a couple USED dryer sheets, they will help with keeping the static down some at lest.You can also used them on your face shield for static. DON"T USE NEW DRYER SHEETS they will make a nasty smeary mess of everything.

[Don Orr]

I like to have my dust collector hose as close as possible to grab the shavings before they stick to EVERYTHING. Used dryer sheets are a good idea. Everything posted above is accurate.