How long start to finish

[Chris Daigh]

do you spend on your projects. I guess how long at the lathe and sanding and finishing and buffing. Not counting the drying, but if you rough turn a bowl and then let it dry or alcohol dry it and then turn it again. I know nothing, getting a lathe in a month. I just want to know the time spent on a bowl, HF or turned box. I know that every bowl is different sized and HF probably take more time. Some recent posts I am just remembering is Glenn Hodges NE walnut bowl and Michael Staffords turned boxes. I guess sometime down the road I would like to know how long these should take me(long ways down the road).

[Glenn Hodges]

Chris, I would guess on the walnut NE bowl with the turning, sanding, finishing, and buffing I probably had about 3 hours work in it. It was a small bowl. I had a problem with this one because on the ends of the bowl the bark seperated from the sapwood, and I had to reglue it. When I first started turning I would have spent an entire day on it.

[Carole Valentine]

Wow, that depends on so many factors! The wood, the size, the form, type of finish, even whether or not you're having a good day. My time has dropped damatically as my skills have progressed, particularly with hollowing. I have been known to spend more time with the sanding, even though my tool work is usually good enough now to start with 120 grit, and finishing than on the actual turning. I guess part of that is because I am so persnickity about sanding marks....I absolutely HATE them! LOL
The natural edge that I recently posted probably took an hour and a half before finishing. (Not including cutting up the log, sawing out the blank on the bandsaw, etc. That was turned to 1/8" thickness and I was taking very light cuts twards the end. For most of my things, finishing takes about a week or more, depending on the weather. I use successive coats of oil and then let it dry for about a week before buffing. More experienced turners are much faster than I am!

[Chris Daigh]

Carole from past readings didn't you just start turning less than a year ago. The last turnings you did were very good. I guess I am just in a hurry to get my lathe and get turning.

[Ed Lang]

Chris,

If you are in a production enviroment, you are turning too slow no matter how fast you are. If you are in a hobby enviroment, your speed is just right, no matter how long it takes! HAVE FUN.

The time spend sanding is going to have a lot to do with how much time you took to learn how to sharpen your tools and how you use them. For me, I spend more time sanding than turning. Maybe one day I can change that.

About the only thing I have timed myself on is pens and the first ones took about an hour to get off of the lathe. Now I pull them off in under 15 mins if I feel good and all is well.

[Carole Valentine]

Yes Chris, I think it was in February or March of this year that I turned my first little bowl. I sold my first piece in July. I started with pens in December of 2004, but got tired of always having to order more pen kits! Thanks for the compliment.
What kind of lathe are you getting? I started with a Jet Mini, but a Nova DVR should find a new home in my shop next week.:) Am really looking forward to being able to turn bigger stuff and to having VS and reverse!

[Chris Daigh]

Carole I hope I can turn such great things as you have done so quickly. I can be a slow learner. For a lathe I found a 1987 General 260 for sale but I don't pick it up until the middle of October. It has a 20" swing. For $1000.00 I think its the best buy and not have to upgrade. I think the Novas look great but out of my price range. I was looking at the Delta and Jet 1440s. Hopefully in the future I can find a market for my turnings.

I see lots of great pics here and I assume most are sold or given as gifts. Now I just have to round up some free wood from tree services or somewhere. Colorado isn't knows for great trees like you have in most other parts. We do have lots of pine killed by those beetles.

[Dennis Peacock]

Chris,

To give you a good example and idea about what everyone is talking about with variances.....?

I did a bowl out of some very pesky wood. Sanding along, at the lathe, took me about 14 hours over a period of 4 days to get it to be half way decent.

I've done some in a few hours and I've done some in a few days. ;)

Most of all? Have FUN with it.....

[Keith Burns]

Try some segmented. It can take 20 to 40 hours or more start to finish ! I spent about 3 hours today hand sanding the small pieces that will make the accent rings for 2 bowls I'm working on.