A few investments have made my turning experience better

[Peter Dougenik]

I started turning around 11yrs ago but I wouldn't say "I've been turning for 11yrs", two young children and a list of other hobbies have meant that I seem to spend time at the lathe in pockets here and there. I'm hoping that my current "pocket" stretches into more of a regular thing; I have a bit of nice source material stacked out in the yard and my youngest has shown interest in spending some time in the shop and learning to do projects with me. So I finally pulled the trigger on a couple of items that have already made my time at the lathe more enjoyable. The first is something that I've been wanting for a long time but could never justify - a vacuum chuck. Seeing info here on the Frugal Vacuum system pushed me to put in an order and I'm glad I did. I had a couple of bowls that I needed to finish the bottom on including a natural edge that wouldn't have fit in my old donut chuck. Fire up the vac and peel away the tenon...so nice. The other is something I didn't know I needed until you guys enlightened me - a set of CBN wheels for the grinder. I ordered a 180/350 pair from Ken and all I can say is "wow". I used to drag out my cuts until they became terrible because I didn't want to deal with the wear on the friable wheels. Now whenever I'm not getting a nice shaving I go spend 10sec on the 350 and I'm back at it; no checking for flatness or dressing the wheel. Plus I haven't burned myself a single time checking for a burr :cool:. I've noticed significantly less dust mixed in with the shavings I'm cleaning off the shop floor and realizing just how bad I was letting the gouge edge get before....the surface that 350 puts on helps too. I was sheer scraping the outside of a maple bowl last weekend and the shavings were so fine they were like high quality wool!

This isn't really a gloat or anything like that since I paid full price for everything, but more of a nudge to anyone that might be on the fence about products like these. Take the plunge on some accessories that free you up from the maintenance/setup tasks and spend that time on the wood instead!

Peter

[Brian Kent]

Peter,

I hear you on the "pocket" times - for this or any hobby. My pattern is about 8 months per year of active turning and the rest off because of annual changes in work and energy. I am glad you found some useful things that really make a difference for you. I have never tried a vacuum chuck but I get a lot out of the CBN wheel.

Have fun!

[Thom Sturgill]

I have both and could not agree more. My donut chuck hardly gets used anymore - only if it is a particularly porous wood. I sold the special tool I had bought for truing the AO wheels.

[John Sanford]

The other is something I didn't know I needed until you guys enlightened me - a set of CBN wheels for the grinder. I ordered a 180/350 pair from Ken and all I can say is "wow".
Peter
Ken who? And what's your grinder setup? 8", 6", high speed, low speed, pedal power??

[Peter Dougenik]

Ken who? And what's your grinder setup? 8", 6", high speed, low speed, pedal power??

Sorry about that, context right? Ken at WoodTurnersWonders. First time I've done business with him and very pleased. he was out of town when I ordered and he e-mailed right away to let me know about the delay. I mounted them on my old Woodcraft house brand 8" 1750RPM grinder...$250 worth of wheels on a $95 grinder, HA! they run super smooth though, no vibration at all.

[carl mesaros]

I agree about the vacuum chuck. I recently invested in the holdfast system and absolutely love it. No more Longworth chunks for me!
I went a different route for sharpening. I purchased the Robert Sorbey Pro Edge sharpening system and I can finally sharpen all my lathe tools quickly and simply.
Both of these recent additions have made for a better turning experience for me.

[Steve Mawson]

Sharp tools make everything easier, less tearout etc. Vac also opens more options. There are good things in the "Vortex" that also improve performance.

[Reed Gray]

Hmm, well in no particular order, variable speed lathe, chucks, sliding headstock, CBN grinding wheels, centralized dust collector, big bandsaw to cut out blanks till I made my chainsaw chop saw, but still use it a lot, hardened drill rod tool rests, sanding hood, power sanding, V10 and M4 HSS, negative rake scrapers, and there must be more..... Maybe even some day a vacuum chuck... Hook tools next on the 'how to' list...

robo hippy

[Peter Dougenik]

Hmm, well in no particular order, variable speed lathe, chucks, sliding headstock, CBN grinding wheels, centralized dust collector, big bandsaw to cut out blanks till I made my chainsaw chop saw, but still use it a lot, hardened drill rod tool rests, sanding hood, power sanding, V10 and M4 HSS, negative rake scrapers, and there must be more..... Maybe even some day a vacuum chuck... Hook tools next on the 'how to' list...

robo hippy

I was running neck n neck with ya until you got to "chainsaw chop saw" :eek:. hardened drill rod tool rests sound interesting, I was just noticing this afternoon that a couple of my round bar rests are a little dinged up and will need to be smoothed back out.

[Walter Mooney]

Plus one on the vacuum chuck. I bought a Frugal VC at SWAT last year, and I love it. It is an incredible convenience. Don't have CBN wheels yet. Maybe this year at SWAT!