Just starting, need some advice

[Jay Pippen]

Hi everyone,

I would like to get started turning and was looking to turn pens, stoppers and other small things like that. I am thinking of ordering the Jet VS from amazon tonight, since I have a bunch of amazon gift certificates and it looks to be the best deal there. From what I have read the Jet VS seems to be well liked.

What is the best way to learn/get going with this? Are their any good beginner sites to walk you through it? I have turned a few things years ago and really enjoyed it.

Also any thoughts on what tools should I first buy? As well as brands/where I should buy? Or anything else I will need?

Sorry if this gets asked a lot, I have been trying to read everything I can.

Thanks!
Jay

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jay ..........1st....Welcome to the Creek! Neat civil place to exchange information!

2nd..........the inmates here bombed (gifted) me with Jet VS mini earlier this year! It's a good lathe! WARNING........make sure you have your plate cleared because once you start turning you won't have time or money for anything else.

If you are in a town or city, consider joining a turning club.....buy some books....."Turning- A Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley is a good one! DVDs......"Turning Wood" by Raffan available at Taunton Press is a good general turning video.....Turned Bowls Made Easy by SMCs own Bill Grumbine is a great video on turning bowls!

Keeping a sharp edge on your tools is mandatory to good turning. A good slow speed grinder and a sharpening jig is what most people use. Woodcraft sells a pretty good slow speed grinder...normally priced at $89...can be found on sale at times for $69......A lot of people use the Wolverine grinding jig set though some have successfully made their own.

A lot of people buy a cheap set of turning tools from Harbor Freight for about $35 IIRC. They learn to grind on these tools and then later buy some with better steel and handles.

I'm sure others will jump in and provide some more information.

Again.....Welcome to the Creek and the Abyss!(turning .....a money abyss!)

[Scott Donley]

Welcome Jay, for pens you might start with the free DVD from PSI, they even give you a 10 buck off coupon with it ! Link (http://www.pennstateind.com/store/dvd.html) . You might look at their pen starter set, even includes a few chisels, with the 10 bucks off really is not a bad way to go. Christmas is coming so by then you should have a long list of wants for family and friends :D

[Mike Vickery]

I am mostly seconding Ken.
Do not order the lathe without a way to sharpen you lathe tools. Most use a slow speed grinder.
You will get tons of lathe tool brands so I will not touch that, but as far as what tools to get ( this list is designed to get you statrted with the least amount of tools that allow you to do the job you stated and is totally subjective).

pens - 3/4 roughing gouge and a parting tool will allow you to turn most pen kits. Any kits that do not require a tendon can be done without the parting tool. Many pen makers use a skew (includeing me) but the odds are if you buy a skew you probably will not be able to use it for about a year so you may want to wait on that tool.
Bottle stoppers - The above roughing gouge and a medium sized spindle gouge will get you started.

Bottle stoppers are cheaper to get started on than pens. A jacobs chuck (drill chuck) about $30 and you can buy a bottle stopper mandrel or make your own from a bolt with the head cut off or a piece of all thread. On top of that sandpaper and finish (many start with friction polish but you can use a lot of things), bottle stopper kit and bottle stopper blank (you can laminated wood cutoffs to get started).

For a pen you will need apropriate drill bit for kit, pen kit, bushings, some way to drill pen blank (drill press usually or on lathe with a chuck), Pen mill to square blanks, mandrel, glue (for tubes), sandpaper and finish (many start with friction polish) and of course wood.
Craft supplies USA and Lee Valley both have good prices on a variety of tools.

[Bill Boehme]

Although the Jet VS mini is a nice lathe, I would personally recommend getting the model with six fixed speeds. The fixed speed model offers several advantages over the VS model in addition to costing a bit less. Here are some advantages that come to mind:

More torque is available at low speeds because of the torque multiplication from the pully ratio. The low speed torque of the VS model is adequate for small things like pens and bottle stoppers, but a bit weak for bowls and hollow forms.
Changing speeds is very simple and quick and only takes a few seconds once you have used the machine a bit.
Simpler design means longer MTBF.
It is quieter than the VS model.
The "in-between" speeds aren't really essential.
Human nature dictates that people will recommend the model that they have.As far as turning tools are concerned, this is the type of situation where I would recommend a set of basic tools. Crown ans Sorby both have good beginner's sets. My preference is to stay from brand X tools because of things like handle design, balance, fit, and finish. Just my $0.02.

Bill

[Jay Pippen]

Well Bill.. Nice job. This was one of the very few tools I wasn't going back and forth on. Was just going to order the VS and be done with it. Now you had to go and post this and make me question it all.

Thanks for everyone who replied, Appreciate all the information. (even bills :) )

[Frank Fusco]

A lot of help can be gotten by belonging to a forum that specializes in pens. I reccomend http://www.thepenshop.net/