New to wood turning... HELP!

[Jesse Busenitz]

Ok, I've worked with wood for quite a bit, but when it come to turning, my only experience has been on a metal lathe which is totally different I assume. I just bought a Powermatic 45(I'd post pics but they're upside down), and it came with some Buck Bro. tools, but I imagine they need sharpened. I'll probably just do some simple stuff first, but would like to get to making some table legs. Any good pointers or things to do/not do (no loose clothing etc. I know). Thanks!

[Bob Bouis]

Sharpening is the #1 priority. You'll get nothing but disappointment if you try to turn with dull tools.

Unfortunately it's also tricky to do and has a learning curve. (You'll almost certianly want a jig that costs $150 or so!). Best to find someone who can help you get started, like from a local turning club if there is one.

If you're really courageous, the skew chisel is versatile and easy to sharpen, but most here wouldn't recommend anyone start with it because it's a little tricky to use. There are some great youtube videos demonstrating its use.

[James Tibbetts]

I would second Bob's suggestion to find a local turning club or a local turner. He is also dead on about sharpening. There is tons of information here and on You Tube about tool sharpening.
Welcome to another slippery slope in the woodworking universe.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Look at this person's videos, he covers the sharpening also how to make the jigs. https://www.youtube.com/user/capneddie

[Kim Gibbens]

Check out the wood turning club in Wichita. I think there might be a very talented turner in that club that isn't that far from you. No it is not me, I've never been to a meeting of the wood turners, but will someday when I get into turning when things settle down around here. Or you could check out the Sunflower Wood Workers Guild, they have a website and a facebook page. They meet every month.

[Brice Rogers]

Many people start wood turning by using scraping cuts rather than shear cuts. Your work may suffer from some tear out, but much of it can be removed by lots of sanding. One of the fastest ways to do this is to start with carbide tools (which are primarly used for scraping cuts). When they are sharp they do a pretty decent job. You can spend a bunch of money on them or you can make your own. Given that you have a metal lathe and a mechanical inclination, making your own tools is easy and much cheaper. Google Captain Eddie Castelin and carbide. He, and others have youtube videos. All a carbide tool is a handle (typically wood), a metal shaft, a small carbide cutter and a screw.

But as you are gaining experience with the easy-to-do scraping cuts, also spend the time to practice and learn shear cuts with tools like the skew and the gouge. Eventually you will want to do shear cuts. There are a bunch of good videos out there on youtube. Some are better than others in showing the correct tool position.

[Jamie Straw]

Sharpening is the #1 priority. You'll get nothing but disappointment if you try to turn with dull tools.

Unfortunately it's also tricky to do and has a learning curve. (You'll almost certianly want a jig that costs $150 or so!). Best to find someone who can help you get started, like from a local turning club if there is one.

If you're really courageous, the skew chisel is versatile and easy to sharpen, but most here wouldn't recommend anyone start with it because it's a little tricky to use. There are some great youtube videos demonstrating its use.

Ditto to all of this. But I have found that the clearest and most useful information came from Dave Schweitzer, who designed and markets his own line of tools (D-Way). He sharpens every tool himself before shipping it out. I spent an hour with him, a grinder and a Wolverine jig, and it parted long-standing clouds that had left me so frustrated. Here are links to his YouTube sharpening videos, important to watch them in order, as he relies on #1's info when narrating #2.

#1 Sharpening Bowl Gouges (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxdLXsFl01s)

#2 Sharpening Spindle Gouges (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdF9mmJtuvU) (and other tools, gouges start at 10min.)

There is a great deal of misinformation on the internet about using the Wolverine. I found Dave's presentation and explanations the most direct, least confusing and they led to success quickly.

[John K Jordan]

I agree with much of what I've read here. The old adage "if you can't sharpen, you can't turn wood" is true. You can get by with scrapers and carbide scrapers but there is a danger of getting too comfortable with these and never learning learning the tool control that gives crisp, clean surfaces needing very little sanding. I say this because I have seen people learn with carbide scrapers and never advance.

When I teach beginners I always start with the simplest cutting tool, the skew chisel. Learning the basics takes surprisingly little time. The most important thing this does is teach the basic principles of exactly how the sharp edge of a tool interacts with the wood. These principles apply to every other cutting tool. Once you learn how to make clean cuts with a sharp skew, everything else falls into place.

A good turning club is a great way to start - you will learn lots of ways to do things, can ask questions, and may find a willing mentor. A beginner's class is also a good introduction.

When I first started, I knew nothing about clubs, teachers, or even turning videos. I got started with some good books. My favorites are "Turning Wood" by Richard Raffan and "Fundamentals of Woodturning" by Mike Darlow. BTW, these and other experts start with spindle turning, then go on to face turning (bowls, etc.) Jimmy Clewes, Frank Penta, and others agree that spindle turning teaches the tool control that applies to bowl turning but it doesn't work the other way.

JKJ

[Eric Schatz]

+1 on finding a mentor or a turning club. Eric Gourieux helped me immensely. Also, I would recommend sharpening freehand without a jig. It's actually really simple for lathe tools. Much simpler than plane and chisels. It has a small learning curve and is way quicker than using a jig.

[Prashun Patel]

Everyone suggests finding a turning club or learning in person.

I'm contrarian only because this is how I learned: videos online. Ask your questions here; the SMC Turner's forum is the friendliest and most nurturing one here.

You will definitely need to hone your sharpening skills. You can spend a lot of time balancing wheels and building jigs, or you can get and stay sharp with minimal effort by getting a slow speed grinder with a CBN wheel and a Wolverine Varigrind jig.

Buy or upgrade your tools one at a time. You can do a lot of spindles and legs with a roughing gouge at first.

In GENERAL, I will say doing chair legs is a little more straight forward than doing finer spindles or bowls. As such, I think your idea is a good place to start.

[Aaron Craven]

Sharpening is important, but don't let it scare you from getting started. I started out sharpening freehand on a belt sander... Not nearly as good as a grinder and a jig, but it got me started. I would recommend you start out with "throw-away" projects... things that won't make you want to cry if you tear them up. I think my first piece was a candleholder. I've also made a whole lot of really pretty firewood over the years. :D

[Michael Dye]

I've got the Powermatic 90, big brother to your lathe. Build yourself a steel shelf underneath the main chassis of the lathe. Then, go to your local big box store and invest in a few bags of concrete mix or sand. Weight the machine down as much as possible. Cuts down on vibrations and makes your life much easier while turning. Good luck. Turning is a blast.

[Aaron Craven]

Oh. And get a face shield if you don't have one. Harbor Freight has a rather nice one for less than $20 (don't get their really cheap model though). Hopefully you'll never actually need the protection, but sometimes you get catches -- and sometimes the piece comes off -- and sometimes it may hit you. You don't want it hitting you in the face. I've been lucky not to get hit so far, but I have had a small bowl come off and literally roll UP my arm. I wear my face mask almost religiously.

[Jesse Busenitz]

Thanks for all the advice, Are the Buck bros very good quality? I turned a handle for a miter gauge out of some mahogany which was fun, but I'm sure there's a lot to learn yet.

[John K Jordan]

Are the Buck bros very good quality?

There are better tools, but don't let that stop you. A little secret the tool makers don't want you to know: you don't have to have the best quality tools to learn! [gasp] In fact, even the cheap tools you buy today are as good or better than the best tools years ago, and turners did amazing things with those.

One nice thing about cheaper tools - you can get more for the same money and experiment with sharpening and grinds. The sharpening learning process can remove a lot of metal on a tool, and that might be best done on a cheaper tool! And you can buy an entire set of tools, perfect for learning, for about the same price as one or two higher-quality tools.

I recommend to get some experience first, some advice, and do some research then decide what good tools buy first. One mistake a lot of people make is get excited about turning and run out immediately and spend a fortune on expensive tools. You can do almost everything with a skew chisel, a parting tool, a roughing gouge, a spindle gouge, and a bowl gouge. And maybe a square scraper. (And definitely a scroll chuck, sooner or later!)

JKJ

[Thomas Canfield]

I agree that sharpening is a major first step, and then learning tool control follows. Practicing spindle work with 2x2 construction lumber sections is a good way to both learn the tool control, and practice your sharpening since the lumber is often soft/hard grain and will show you when your tools are cutting or tearing. You can turn the 2x2 down to toothpicks making V's, coves, beads, etc using spindle gouges and skews. You can also practice turning bowls with 2x6 material and I am doing a demo at the 2016 SWAT in Waco doing that. A good mentor and lots of repetitive cuts go a long way to getting the enjoyment and finish pieces you are looking for in turning.