Need a Little Advise on 1st Lathe

[Alan Gan]

Hi all,

Could someone explain what I can do with this Lathe as it is?


I would like to make a small bowl, maybe a 8"X4" deep.

What do I need to secure the log to the Head? I have seen ones that bolt to the wood, I think I saw one that used 1 centered screw.

I know nothing as to what to buy and not break the bank. I would like something versatile if such exists. Something at Amazon would be good.

Here is what I have now.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1288_zps47f85202.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1300_zps9e9420b6.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1294_zps50bedc26.jpg


Thanks for any tips and help on this, I would like to Turn something besides a Bat.

[John Keeton]

Alan, Alan, Alan!!! You have stepped neck deep into the vortex! Deep territory for one constrained by a budget.

Some folks use a faceplate that is screwed to the wood - but if in end grain, you would want long screws and even then it may not hold well. Most nowadays use a 4 jaw scroll chuck. You will need to know the thread size on the headstock spindle - perhaps 1" x 8 TPI - a common size for smaller lathes. Cost of a decent chuck could range from $100 upward.

[Reed Gray]

More pictures please... It is possible that you have a dedicated spindle turning lathe, rather than a general use/turn everything lathe. It looks like the spur drive (bottom picture) is in the headstock on direct drive. If it is on a face plate, then you should have threads on the headstock spindle so you can attach a chuck. I met 2 guys at a show, and they described their lathe, and it sounded like yours, and theirs only had one speed which was 'really fast'.

robo hippy

[Lloyd Butler]

Ask John pointed out, you are going to be looking for something to fasten your blank too rather than hold it between the centres like you would for a ball bat.

In the third photo, that is the drive spur and you need to take that off and see what you have there to attach a face plate or chuck too. I think it is likely smaller than a 1x8, but you never know from a photo with no brand of lathe info.

The face plate could be made of a nut epoxied into a board and then glue that board to your blank. The nut would need to be able to tighten all the way up the the end of the spindle or it could wobble.

You will want to make sure you can have a low enough speed (< 600rpm) if the blanks will start out odd shaped rather than nice and round. Out of round blanks will shake the poop out of your lathe as it does not seem that heavy.

Invest in a good impact resistant face shield and see if there is a turning club nearby to get some tutoring from and have at it.

[David C. Roseman]

More pictures please... It is possible that you have a dedicated spindle turning lathe, rather than a general use/turn everything lathe. It looks like the spur drive (bottom picture) is in the headstock on direct drive. If it is on a face plate, then you should have threads on the headstock spindle so you can attach a chuck. I met 2 guys at a show, and they described their lathe, and it sounded like yours, and theirs only had one speed which was 'really fast'.

robo hippy

What Reed said.

Alan, is this the HF 4 speed lathe you scored for $20 at the yard sale? If so, the slowest speed is 1020 rpm, per the photo you posted in the other thread. Even if you are able to remove the spur drive and use a faceplate or a chuck, that's too fast to start an 8"+ bowl blank, IMO, even for an experienced turner. Not saying it can't be done, but since this is your first lathe, pls try to find a local turning club and get some hands-on help with this from someone who can actually get you started right and work with you. You can have lots of fun and do some great work with that lathe, but it can also hurt you. Force = Mass x Acceleration.

David

[Alan Gan]

Alan, Alan, Alan!!! You have stepped neck deep into the vortex! Deep territory for one constrained by a budget.

Some folks use a faceplate that is screwed to the wood - but if in end grain, you would want long screws and even then it may not hold well. Most nowadays use a 4 jaw scroll chuck. You will need to know the thread size on the headstock spindle - perhaps 1" x 8 TPI - a common size for smaller lathes. Cost of a decent chuck could range from $100 upward.

So a faceplate is just the 3 or 4 inch plate that screws onto the Head and that is screwed to the Wood Stock. I would like to stay low on costs because if I find I like Turning I will get a better Lathe and it should have a decent head. I do not think my shank is a 1" x 8, it is smaller, I think I need this http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LA341018.html?prodpage=1LA


More pictures please... It is possible that you have a dedicated spindle turning lathe, rather than a general use/turn everything lathe. It looks like the spur drive (bottom picture) is in the headstock on direct drive. If it is on a face plate, then you should have threads on the headstock spindle so you can attach a chuck. I met 2 guys at a show, and they described their lathe, and it sounded like yours, and theirs only had one speed which was 'really fast'.

robo hippy

Not sure what a dedicated spindle is but I found out mine does unscrew.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1170_zps2fc98e84.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1171_zps3787bc55.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1173_zps939b56e2.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1304_zps1399678a.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1303_zps262a2003.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/photolinks/WoodWorking/Lathe/DSCN1301_zpsbac4cd77.jpg


What Reed said.

Alan, is this the HF 4 speed lathe you scored for $20 at the yard sale? If so, the slowest speed is 1020 rpm, per the photo you posted in the other thread. Even if you are able to remove the spur drive and use a faceplate or a chuck, that's too fast to start an 8"+ bowl blank, IMO, even for an experienced turner. Not saying it can't be done, but since this is your first lathe, pls try to find a local turning club and get some hands-on help with this from someone who can actually get you started right and work with you. You can have lots of fun and do some great work with that lathe, but it can also hurt you. Force = Mass x Acceleration.

David

This is my $20.00 score... Good advice on the safety aspect. Do you think I could do 4 or 6" bowls?


Ask John pointed out, you are going to be looking for something to fasten your blank too rather than hold it between the centres like you would for a ball bat.

In the third photo, that is the drive spur and you need to take that off and see what you have there to attach a face plate or chuck too. I think it is likely smaller than a 1x8, but you never know from a photo with no brand of lathe info.

The face plate could be made of a nut epoxied into a board and then glue that board to your blank. The nut would need to be able to tighten all the way up the the end of the spindle or it could wobble.

You will want to make sure you can have a low enough speed (< 600rpm) if the blanks will start out odd shaped rather than nice and round. Out of round blanks will shake the poop out of your lathe as it does not seem that heavy.

Invest in a good impact resistant face shield and see if there is a turning club nearby to get some tutoring from and have at it.

You are right, the Lathe is light weight. I seen a similar model at Harbor Freight that had Cast Iron, it felt much more secure. I plan on reenforcing this one if I can.

Maybe this has been asked before but why couldn't I set the Lathe up to run on the highest speed and use a Variable speed motor controller to set the Lathe speed?

Thanks for everyone's help!!!

[Bill White]

Those speeds are really high for starting cuts on bowl blanks. Any balance issues will be scary.
Bill

[Aric Krueger]

Your lathe is designed for spindles and not bowls (i.e. furniture legs, tool handles etc.). One problem with turning larger diameter objects on this lathe is its speed. You cannot make it go slow enough. A general rule of thumb for lathe speed is printed in the front of Craft Supplies USA catalog (Turners Catalog) along with some other good safety advise. It says: Diameter x RPM = 6000 to 9000. Therefore, an 8" bowl ==> 8 x 750 = 6000 and 8 x 1125 = 9000. As you can see, an 8" bowl, provided the rough blank is a reasonably balanced disc, is absolute maximum for this lathe's lowest speed to be at all safe. Another problem is that this lathe is constructed of light weight sheet metal and hollow extruded steel. It is lightweight and its lack of mass and rigidity will lead to vibration issues, but that is another matter.

A variable speed control (such as that used for a router), will not work for this type of motor. The motor will over-heat and burn out. The only two ways to slow this lathe down are to change the pulley ratios or find a motor that has about 1/2 the rpm of the existing motor. Even if you could do this (find pulleys of the correct ratio that fit the shafts, and possibly a belt -or- a new motor with 1/2 the rpm that fits), this would not solve the lack of rigidity and mass problems. IMHO it would not be worth doing as you would still not be able to turn bowls much larger due to vibration and flexing. (I suppose a third option would be to replace the motor with one of the correct type that can be used with a variable speed controller, but again, it's probably not worth the trouble and expense.)

If you insist on using this lathe to try making bowls (and I assume you do), I strongly suggest you stick to 4" to 6" diameters until you learn good technique and even then, NEVER exceed 8". Think ice cream or chip dip bowls. Things other than bats that can be made with this lathe might include 2 piece candle sticks (where the base doesn't exceed about 5" diameter) twig pots/small vases, toys (spinning tops, yo-yo, ball/cup), miniatures and of course, other spindle work.

If you have not already seen this, here is the owners manual for a lathe similar to yours. http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/38000-38999/38515.pdf
I believe you bought this used, and you are missing the faceplate that originally came with it. Because it has an odd headstock thread size (3/4 x 10), you will have a difficult time finding a chuck or faceplate to fit it.

I had a lathe like this and quickly outgrew it. The largest bowls I made on it were 8" in diameter and about 3 inches deep after I developed proficient chisel technique. And yes, I had a couple scary events. Use only sound wood with no knots or cracks. I recommend bandsawn disc blanks or at least handsaw the blank to an octagon (as round a shape as possible for balance).

I used a headstock adapter like this: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LA341018.html?prodpage=1LA
and a chuck like this: https://www.grizzly.com/products/5-4-Jaw-Wood-Chuck-1-x-8-TPI/H8042 (It's not a great chuck, but it can be used to make small bowls and is relatively inexpensive)

If you choose to use a faceplate, many are available like this http://www.grizzly.com/products/Cast-Iron-Faceplate-6-x-1-x-8-TPI/H7821 and can be used with the 1 x 8 tpi adapter.

As others have said, I recommend you find a turning club near you or a competent turner to give you some instruction. This thing can hurt you or bystanders. Also, there is a lot of great information on youtube and around the internet. Take advantage of it!

My guess is that your desires will probably outgrow the capabilities of this lathe and you will start saving for your next one. When that time comes, ask questions and do your research; you will have to ask yourself what it is that you want to turn and match the lathe you select to your turning desires. And then you will need a better chuck, oh, and chisels. Did I mention a sharpening system? A bandsaw for cutting blanks. A chainsaw to collect wood (chaps and head/face/hearing protection) ...which reminds me, you'll want face and lung protection while using your lathe... the list goes on. Welcome to the world of turning! I hope this helps. :)

[Alan Gan]

A variable speed control (such as that used for a router), will not work for this type of motor. The motor will over-heat and burn out. The only two ways to slow this lathe down are to change the pulley ratios or find a motor that has about 1/2 the rpm of the existing motor. Even if you could do this (find pulleys of the correct ratio that fit the shafts, and possibly a belt -or- a new motor with 1/2 the rpm that fits), this would not solve the lack of rigidity and mass problems. IMHO it would not be worth doing as you would still not be able to turn bowls much larger due to vibration and flexing. (I suppose a third option would be to replace the motor with one of the correct type that can be used with a variable speed controller, but again, it's probably not worth the trouble and expense.)

If you have not already seen this, here is the owners manual for a lathe similar to yours. http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/38000-38999/38515.pdf
I believe you bought this used, and you are missing the faceplate that originally came with it. Because it has an odd headstock thread size (3/4 x 10), you will have a difficult time finding a chuck or faceplate to fit it.

I used a headstock adapter like this: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LA341018.html?prodpage=1LA
and a chuck like this: https://www.grizzly.com/products/5-4-Jaw-Wood-Chuck-1-x-8-TPI/H8042 (It's not a great chuck, but it can be used to make small bowls and is relatively inexpensive)

If you choose to use a faceplate, many are available like this http://www.grizzly.com/products/Cast-Iron-Faceplate-6-x-1-x-8-TPI/H7821 and can be used with the 1 x 8 tpi adapter. Welcome to the world of turning! I hope this helps. :)

Thank you Aric, that took some time for you to write up, at least it would take me a half hour. I appreciate the help!

The manual will be helpful too.

I thought as much on the Variable speed controller, it has been awhile since I did a lot of electrical equipment repairs. Can't even remember the different types of motors that will and will not work with an external control.

I did not get the Plate that came with the Lathe when new. The Headstock adapter is the one I thought was correct. I will start with something simple and small until I get more experience.

I had seen a few Videos on wood turning and came across one that the guy that used a Plate using a screw that he swore by. Here is the link to his video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8ziXi7zym0 maybe you will know what he is doing, if you can get by the drawl... Fast forward to 2 minutes 50 seconds.

If I were to get the Faceplate you suggested, it is a 8" with different hole patterns, would I also use that plate for 4" bowls? I am sure it is, sorry for some dumb questions.

Thanks again for your knowledge.

[Brodie Brickey]

Alan,

I'm not sure where you are located but you may be able to locate a Turning club near you:

http://www.woodturner.org/search/custom.asp?id=1509

Another option may be your local community college or WoodCraft store.

High speed turning as others have pointed out can be just a bit dangerous. Some people have broken jaws, cheek bones and teeth when a block of wood came loose. Please seriously consider a face shield, glasses and other safety protection.

[Dave Cullen]

I thought as much on the Variable speed controller, it has been awhile since I did a lot of electrical equipment repairs. Can't even remember the different types of motors that will and will not work with an external control.

It's unclear what kind of motor that machine has, 3010 RPM is not standard for a single phase induction motor. If it's a "universal" motor (think electric drill / router) it may be possible to slow it down with a speed controller. If the motor has brushes, that would be a clue.

I had seen a few Videos on wood turning and came across one that the guy that used a Plate using a screw that he swore by. Here is the link to his video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8ziXi7zym0 maybe you will know what he is doing, if you can get by the drawl... Fast forward to 2 minutes 50 seconds.

The screw center he's using is an accessory that comes with most 4 jaw chucks. For instance, the Penn State Barracuda chuck has one: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CSC2000C.html?prodpage=1CS Notice that he uses it to attach the blank until he turns a tenon on the bowl bottom, then turns the blank around and uses the tenon to mount the other side. There are faceplates with screw centers like this: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CF3SC.html?prodpage=1CF but then you need a way to turn the other side of the bowl.

If I were to get the Faceplate you suggested, it is a 8" with different hole patterns, would I also use that plate for 4" bowls? I am sure it is, sorry for some dumb questions.

A 4 jaw chuck is much more useful than a flat faceplate. A standard 1"-8 thread can be adapted to any lathe with an appropriate adapter. Again though, your lathe is intended for spindle turning and with 1020 RPM as the slowest speed you will NOT be turning 10" green logs into bowls. Start with spindle practice - make some candlesticks or turned boxes. It's a lot of fun.

[Alan Gan]

Been a lttle busy away from the shop for the last week. I think I have been bitten by the Lathe bug because now I am looking at better ones and accessories.

I did want to say Thanks and Thanks again for all the help!

[David C. Roseman]

Been a lttle busy away from the shop for the last week. I think I have been bitten by the Lathe bug because now I am looking at better ones and accessories.

I did want to say Thanks and Thanks again for all the help!

Alan, if you have the space, plan on keeping your HF lathe after you upgrade. A buddy or family member can have a lot of fun turning pens, bottle stoppers and other small-diameter work on it quite safely while you work at your larger-capacity lathe. Plus you keep the bragging rights for having gotten it for $20. ;)

David