Thanks for the warnings

[Dan Gill]

I bought a Ridgid lathe on clearance about 3 years ago. My middle son had expressed interest in turning, and I wanted to have something we could do together. Needless to say, he has never turned the lathe on.

At any rate, I occasionally decide I want to learn to turn. I love seeing the pieces that all of you are creating. But when I hear about the money demands, I realize that this is a hobby best left to others. My wallet is very combustible as it is.

So, thanks for warning me off. It's like the man said about exercise: every time he gets the urge to do it, he lays down until the urge goes away. ;)

[Don Fuss]

Dan,

Turning is only as expensive as you make it. Aside from my lathe cost (Jet 1442), I've spent $35 on a set of turning tools from Harbor Freight and a $50 grinder. Of course I've added some relatively expensive specialty tools over time, but for a long time that was all I had and I got by just fine. I can turn just about anything, and aside from the wood and lathe costs, my investment has been very minimal yet still very rewarding.

I sharpen my gouges freehand, so I don't need an expensive jig. I use glue blocks and jam chucks made from scrap, so I don't need an expensive chuck. I'm pretty good at sharpening by hand, so I don't need an obscenely expensive grinder. If you own a chainsaw, free wood is all around. Otherwise, firewood is cheap.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Turning is only as expensive as you make it.

Don't let the money scare you away...

You already have the lathe and you can pick up some cheap HSS tools from Harbor Freight if you need them. Free wood usually isn't a problem if you just get the word out that you are looking. Everything that I have bought over the years (outside of my starter set of tools) were optional and then only as I could afford them.

[Mark Cothren]

You're in denial, Dan... spend that money - that's all it's good for...:D

[Gordon Seto]

Yes, Don is absolutely right.
It is difficult to "keep up with the Jones". I belong to two active Clubs, each has over hundred members. The majority of the members are retired or near retirement. They no longer have to support their grown children, houses have been paid for and don't have to dress up to go to work. Their priority in life is different. They may not be interest in other entertainments. Woodturning can become an expensive hobby because they want to and can afford it.
There are a lot of one trick pony tools that we bought and used once or twice. We buy most of the expensive tools simply because we want to (not need to). A brand name tool costs 10 times more than a HF tool. What you get is slightly better edge holding ability; but no where near that ratio. For hobbist, that means more frequent trip to the grinder. If you do a search, there are several home made grinding jigs that function as well as the Wolverline. You can easily spend couple hundred on a piece exotic burl; but you can also get free wood from tree lawn.
Find a local turning club. You will be able to get a lot of help and support. Most of the Clubs have annual auctions. Members donate their excess tools and wood to be auction off to help funding the Club. You can find great bargains there.
A lot of turners sell their crafts to support the hobby.

Gordon

[Dan Gill]

You're in denial, Dan... spend that money - that's all it's good for...:D

In the long run, that's true. I'm not taking ANY of it with me. In the short run, however, there are often other things that demand it.

[Ron Raymond]

So, Dan...can I have your lathe?:D

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Dan, I'll echo all, but Ron Raymond. I have two lathes, which is enough. I'm selling one (Rikon mini - sold) and replacing it with a new Nova. I have a Wilton mini that I use as a travling lathe simply as it is lightweight.

I have about 30 tools and will have 5 chucks when the Nova comes in.

WOW-------------- am I rich or WHAT! It's WHAT! Each and every piece has been paid for by my hobby. Been turning for about 4 years now.

My tip. Get the Harbor freight set, work with junk wood, till you get a good product, then start selling them. AND, don't sell yourself short. If you are making a good product, you deserve to be paid for it. For instance, a slimline pen made from Maple,Walnut, Cherry and other local "free wood" should be able to be sold for $25.00.

Keep the faith and go for it!

Bruce

[Rich Stewart]

Whip out that credit card!! All Ya gotta do is sign your name. But seriously, you can have a lot of fun with what you got already. I sharpened my tools on a handheld beltsander turned upside down in my workmate table vise. Used the tools from a cheap set of tools from PSI (70 bucks) and a 100 dollar chinese lathe from ebay for over a year and had a great time. You don't have to buy everything at once. Screw a hunk of wood onto that faceplate that came with the lathe, plug it in, turn it on, touch it with whatever tool you got now, and enjoy.

Rich

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dan.........I've only been turning a year. I'm extremely lucky in that my children are all grown....financially responsible so since being shoved into the Vortex I've for the most part been able to budget and get a lot of tools to go with those given to me here.


Wood.....there's a lot of free wood out there.....even scraps of 2x4s at construction sites........Your neighbors tree trimmings......


If you want to turn....you can do it on a budget!

[Dan Gill]

So, Dan...can I have your lathe?:D

No, I keep all my unused hobby stuff to fill up my shed! Otherwise it would blow away. :)

Seriously, you guys talk a lot about this new chuck, that new tool, this sharpening jig, etc., etc. I understand your joy.

I'll stick with what I have and sometime in the future I'll dust off those HF tools and stick them in some wood.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Dan I started out with my Delta midi. I had a set of HF tools. I did buy the wolverine sharpening jig for $90 and was the only thing extra I bought for a long while. I then bought other tools, chucks, etc. just because I could and I got lazy. With what you have with the HF tools and lathe you can turn a lot of stuff. If I didn't have the money I could have been perfectly happy with what I had using faceplates, glue blocks, jam chucks, etc. I could turn pens, bowls, spindles, boxes, ornaments, etc. and didn't really need all the expensive stuff.

I agree with Don Fuss you can do a lot for a little.

[Jon Shively]

You are missing some quality time Dan with your son if you keep that lathe undercover. Some things are expensive, have 14 head of horses standing in pastures as I type this. That my friend makes this lathe look very cheap! The money I have spent, mainly is in kits (pens, flashlight, keychains, light pulls, kaleidoscopes, perfume atomizers) but it made for a great Christmas to see family and friends open quality handmade gifts and actually utilize them! I have a very large "el cheapo" type store on my road that sells junk tools with plastic handles, have started buying them and putting on wooden handles. More comfortable and useable grips, cheaper than a kit. There are ways around some money issues. Bottom line, I teach high school and see plenty of interesting kids getting involved with the wrong crowd or wrong scene and that can get expensive for a parent. Utilize the lathe, the kid, the time, and create a small business and a partnership. $100.00 spent on a penturning class for your son will go a long way towards creating confidence and ability in this young man. Then provide some seed money (another hundred) and he pay you back a percentage from the pens or stuff he makes and sells. Great time to interact, teach some money skills, have some one on one quality time, and bottom line, you know where he is and what he is doing. Go for it, the investment will be paid back hundred fold. If you are really down on your luck, find your nearest Woodcraft store and I will kick in some money towards his class, bet others here will too. Don't drag your feet on this opportunity dad, this is a golden one!!!

[Mark Pruitt]

In the long run, that's true. I'm not taking ANY of it with me. In the short run, however, there are often other things that demand it.
Like what? Food, clothing and shelter? Geez! C'mon, Dan, get your priorities straight!:D :D :D

[Gordon Seto]

Dan,

If you have Woodcraft or Rockler in your area, check them out. Occassionally, they have "Freedom Pens Day" that you can get some taste of pen turning without any cost. Rockler in our area always has some free classes. They even provide the material for free. You can take the finished project home with no obligation to buy anything. They are not heavily promoted and they fill up fast. Since they are free, there are some "no shows". Put your name in the waiting list and have your safety glasses ready.

Gordoon

[Jonathon Spafford]

It isn't that expensive... you can start turning for under $500 easy. You already got a lathe which is the big thing. You can find cheap tools and a cheap grinder and cheap wood and your on your way!! I know of a woodturner that started turning because he wanted so badly, but he ground his tools out of old files and scraped everything to shape. It can be done. Just because a certain tool makes a job easier doesn't mean you can't do without it!!!!

Also, when you start getting good you can start getting some returns by selling your stuff.

[Doug Collins]

Dan,

I've found that, with few exceptions, most of the expensive gadgets and gizmo's are just more efficient ways to accomplish processes that can be done with much simpler, cheaper tools if you're willing to spend a little more time doing them.

I've found that it actually helps me be a little more creative in my problem solving if I don't have a specialized tool for the job. (safety considerations of course)

Aside from a basic set of chisels, I've found the most useful things to be: a 1/2" chuck on a morse taper available that I got at Harbor Freight for around $10. If you've got a set of sanding drums that you can chuck into a drill press, they make great jam chucks after you drill a hole in the wood.

Sounds like you've got the most expensive part of the whole setup. That being the lathe.

You can buy a lot of disposable dust masks for the price of a dust collector system (I used my little shop vac for a long time).

I've never actually bought a piece of wood.

I would echo what Jon Shively said about quality time with your son (or even by yourself as a way of relaxing) and the joy of a handmade gifts. I made something for practically everyone in my family at a cost of nothing but the time to do it, which was rewarding in itself, as I was learning something new.

Don't give up the idea of turning because of a tight budget. (now if it becomes an obsession and your wife and family never see you again, that could be a problem...:) ) You can turn out some very nice projects VERY inexpensively.

To put it in golfing terms, I may not have the nice golf clubs that Tiger Woods has, or the swing he has, or the money he has, but I'll bet that when I hit that one perfect shot during an otherwise lousy round of golf, I get that same rush that he does.

[Dan Gill]

Truly, thanks to all of you. This started as a tongue-in-cheek reaction to all the postings about burning wallets, sliding into the abyss, all the pretty new toys, etc. I didn't intend to start a tempest in a teapot.

Keep spinning, folks!

[Doug Collins]

So you're not weeping and sobbing uncontrollably????

I am......

[Dan Gill]

There, there, Doug. Buck up, man. Go turn something.:)

[Curt Fuller]

Well Dan, they say money doesn't buy happiness. But when it's spent on woodturning it comes about as close as it gets.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dan....it's said "misery loves company...".......Well in this case.....rabid enjoyment loves company....addiction loves company.......and you really can do it without going broke.......Come on man...try it you'll like it.....you know you would......Come on Dan.........You know we're not going to give up until you cave in.....join us in the Abyss......Come on Dan......you know you'd love it.......it won't hurt........:rolleyes: :D

[Richard Madison]

Maybe Dan just doesn't get a charge out of woodturning like we do. We just gotta let that be ok, guys. If everybody all liked exactly all the same stuff, it would be a dull-a** world. Just a thought.