Turning speeds

[Jeff Horton]

I have not posted here in a while. Largely because I haven't been turning. Just gotten really disgusted with some problems I have been having. Starting to work on them and that is the reason for this question. I am asking about taking the final finishing cuts on a bowl. Not roughing or hogging off wood.

I realize this poll is not perfect so just humor me. :)

Being self taught and no turning club around can be really aggravating.

[Don Baer]

I said less then 500 RPM's without reading the whole question, thats the speed I sand at, for finish turning after roughing I turn as fast as I feel confortable, I have turned 8" bowls at 1200 if the wood is good and I feel the shape will let me. I have an 11"er in the little Rikon and I am turning it at 430 RPM and im still using the tale stock, I'm trying to avoid a launch and the wood is very dry so that as fast as I am comfortable when I am within 1" of full capacity.:eek:

[Michael Cody]

I turn slow until it's round and balanced, then it's fast as I can until I hit the fastest sweet spot w/o vibration. I would guess that is 1750-2250 depending on the bowl... Now for spindle stuff, my lathe goes up to 3900 .. I'ved turned pens near that fast, but I am usually in the middle belt range so I think the top rate is around 2700...

[Lee DeRaud]

I use step #3 (1240RPM if I believe the label) on a Jet Mini pulley for pretty much everything: roughing, finishing, buffing...just realized I haven't moved the belt in over a month. But you have to take a couple of things into account with that:
1. almost all I turn is dry wood, typically 8/4 stock from the lumberyard,
2. I'm kind of anal about getting blanks round, centered, and balanced before they go on the lathe, and
3. I have pretty much no idea what I'm doing. :eek:

[Bernie Weishapl]

I rough out slow, then hit about 1000 rpm to finish roughing. After it is dry I make it round at a slow speed and then again 1000 or so when finishing. Sanding is around 400 to 500 rpm.

[Andy Hoyt]

I picked As Fast as I Dare since it's the closest answer to what I do.

I don't "work or think" in rpm values. But I kinda use these:

Station Keeping ---- One Quarter Impulse --- Garibaldi Street --- Take the Reactor to 110% --- Full Afterburners --- and Warp Nine

[Steve Clardy]

I get whatever blank it is going slow till it kinda takes some shape.
Then full speed adead.:eek:
That way, if it does a break and destroy:mad: , it will fly far enough away I don't have to spend time looking for it, as I know that's mission impossible.
I usually find the pieces 6 months later:rolleyes: :)

[Dennis Peacock]

I normally rough out fast (once it's round) and I also like to finish fast. I chose 800 - 1000 rpm....I'm guessing that's the speed I finish turn. :rolleyes:

[Jeff Horton]

I am seeing a pattern here. Like most of you I don't really know what RPM's I am turning at. I know the low end of my lathe was supposed to be 800 RPM's. I modified it to Variable Speed and I know I spend a lot of time below it's minimum especially since I start with some very out of round blanks. I am wondering if some of my problems with finish are related to too slow an RPM. Just from the response so far I get the distinct impression that I am turning at speeds below most of you. I sort of suspected as much and will try more speed and see what happens.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

On my DVR, I know exactly how fast I'm turning, and I turn MUCH faster than when I started.

I saw Eli Avisera turn, and he turns "FAST" :eek:

Speed is your friend when doing them finising cuts.

I would say I turn on a 8" bowl at 1800 to 2200 rpm, depending on the piece.

Cheers!

[John Hart]

I turn fairly slow unless it's a spindle of some kind. 801-1000 was my answer. I get into too much trouble when I go faster.:o :)

[Ernie Nyvall]

Oops, I also voted thinking you were talking about sanding speeds at less than 500. For the final cutting, it would be as fast as I dare. As Andy wrote, I don't really look at rpms. Mine are on the back side of the lathe and have to be converted. Things with cracks and knots would be a little slower, but otherwise, let-er-rip.

[Reed Gray]

When I am turning bowls, and coring, I turn on the slow speed range of my PM3520. For roughing, I turn the speed up until the lathe starts to wobble, then back it off a bit. As soon as it is rounded out, I turn the speed up. Finish cuts are usually (for an 8 inch bowl) are as fast as possible, which is 1500. I would turn some of the smaller ones at faster speeds, but I don't want to stop and change the belt. I can't turn 15 inch bowls on the high speed range because it trips the inverter when I stop the lathe, and when hogging off material, it will bog down.
For spindles, I rough out like bowls, turn it up till it starts to wobble, then back it off a bit. Finish cuts at the highest speeds, about 3,000.
For sanding, I use the slowest speeds, say 60 rpm. My bowls are warped, and you can't sand those at high rpms. I do power sand.
robo hippy

[Richard Madison]

Jeff,
For many years I turned on a lathe with about 800 rpm minimun speed and was very uncomfortable for most turning at that speed. With new EVS lathe have been turning (and especially roughing) much slower, but working my way back to higher speeds for finish cuts. The idea is to make very light finishing cuts with very sharp tool at higher speeds. In general, the higher the speed, the lighter the cuts you want to make, and the smoother the resulting surface. Experiment with the speeds you have available and note the results. Use the same kind of wood for comparisons, as there are considerable differences among different woods.

[Jim Dunn]

I only have 4 speeds available to me.
1 Really scarey fast
2 Scarey fast
3 Chase the lathe around the room fast
4 Have a cupa joe and go to work

I usually use #4 as I like my coffee.

[Hilel Salomon]

I have two lathes (actually more but only use two), one in VA (DVR XP) and one in SC-Powermatic 3520B. The first one always starts at a fixed speed (I have it set at slightly below 500rpm, and the Powermatic starts at whatever speed I left it on. Made the mistake of putting a very large rough cut blank on the Powermatic and the lathe moved half a foot before I could stop it!!!! I now try and remember to lower the speed with nothing on the lathe before I put a rough cut blank on it.
As for speed, doesn't it depend on the size of the blank, on whether or not you are using green or dry wood? Also, if you have stopped a project and started it (sometimes only half a day afterward) you may need to reshape it and-again depending on whether it is hardwood or relatively soft) that would dictate the safe speed. I like oneway chucks and have a bunch of them, but I've found that rechucking with them always requires some reshaping, whereas it is less necessary on the Supernova2, axminsters and Vicmarcs. As alway, when it comes to woodturning I anticipate and welcome corrective advice.

[Bill Grumbine]

Jeff, I voted for the 1000-15000 rpm range, but that is only because I know how fast the lathe is going. Years ago when I was teaching for a different Woodcraft store than the one I am at now, I used to tell people I turned fast, really fast, and not so fast. Faster rpm, or more accurately, faster surface speeds, usually produces better cutting action.

I'm not sure what part of the kudzu patch you are in, but I saw a lot of it this past week or so. I was in Columbus for a day and Atlanta for three days of demos and teaching. Then I come home and have to fire up the furnace! :eek:

Bill

[Paul Engle]

full throtle to turn ( 3200) dead slow to finish.... now... fixing the wall may take weeks :eek: :eek: , the celing above the lathe will have to wait, afraid of heights .....

[Richard Madison]

Jeff,
Bottom line, maybe, is; as skill improves and confidence increases, speed also increases. I struggled for so long that sometimes now I actually forget to crank it up for the finish cuts.

[Bill Grumbine]

Something weird is going on here in this thread. I got an email notification that Mark Pruitt had posted a response to something I wrote, but it isn't here in the thread! Anyone have any idea as to what happened?

Bill

[Mark Pruitt]

Something weird is going on here in this thread. I got an email notification that Mark Pruitt had posted a response to something I wrote, but it isn't here in the thread! Anyone have any idea as to what happened?

Bill
Bill,
The only weird thing here might possibly be my mind--nothing new there.:p :p :p

I responded to a comment you made in your post by quoting/paraphrasing a comment you had made in one of your DVDs. I then decided that maybe I was giving away one of your punch lines, so I deleted it to keep from spoiling the fun for someone else.

Mark