new amateur turner

[Ralph Dobbertin]

OK: Generally I build furniture as a hobby but I needed to turn some quarter columns and finials for a low and highboy. I've been watching and reading this site for a while and now I need to laugh. Many of you keep saying that the lathe is the least expensive of your purchases. You only said it about 100 times, but now I believe you. Here's what I ended up buying, so now I have to be good for a while.

General Maxi Lathe (mini, I'm in Canada)
Henry Taylor tools, 5 items, a 1/2" skew and spindle, 1/8: parting tool, 3/4" roughing gouge, and a super flute bowl gouge. All HSS
Teknatool Precision Midi Chuck with spur center
A piece of figured maple wood as well as a burl of some sort,,,the name escapes me now.

Where else can I blow some extra coin? I guess I need a better tool rest, it comes with a small one. Anyn other gouges I absolutelly need?

Here are some pictures of my first 2 bowls (for what it is worth)

Thanks for a great forum

[Neal Addy]

Welcome to the vortex. Really nice work!

Sounds like you're off to a great start. Your choices will serve you well. Do you have a good sharpening system? That's absolutely on the "essential" list.

[John Hart]

You have extra coin? Sheesh. Not for long Ralph....not for long. You don't need any advice on what to buy....the vortex will just suck it out of your clothes.;)

Welcome! Nice bowls too!:)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ralph, Welcome! Nice looking bowls!

I agree with Neil about a sharpening system. Next thing to address would be dust collection for the shop/dust protection for you.

Have fun - post often!

[Keith Burns]

Ralph, welcome to this money suckin', time consuming hobby we fondly call the Vortex. Nice bowls !! Next purchase should be a Wolverine System with a grinder, then a Trend Airshiled, then another bowl gouge or three, a hollowing system, a coring system, a....well you got the idea.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Hi Ralph,
If you stay with this turning thingy for a month, that will be the last time you ask the question' where can I spend some extra coin'. You are just now wading into the ocean of abbysseration. Mark my words. Max.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hey Ralph welcome to the black hole of turning and to Creek. Nice looking bowls. As John H. said you won't have extra coin for long.:eek: :D :p

[Neal Addy]

A few more suggestions to tack on to Keith's comment:

...calipers, a dust collector, more tools, bowl steady rest, another hollowing system, a second lathe, more chuck jaws, a $500 bandsaw (just to cut corners off your bowl blanks), more tools, a laser guide, another chuck, a $1k table saw (real handy as workspace for drying them bowl blanks), more tools, a pickup truck to haul wood, a bigger shop, a trailer to haul even more wood, a bigger lathe............... someone tell me when I've reached the end.

Now, want to talk about the photography side? :D

[Ralph Dobbertin]

Thanks guys, as usual- wisdom and wit! I have dust collection delta 1.5hp and air filters and sharpening equip:, aluminum oxide wheel and hard and soft felt wheels with honing compound. I've been using them for my carving gouges etc.

Here are some of my furniture pics. Let me know what you think

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

Hey Ralph! Don't let them scare ya. It's kinda like pulling a Band Aid off. 2 ways to do it. You can pull it off slow and buy a little at a time and let it drain you slow, but you'll yearn for the things you don't have yet. You'll have catalogs all over the place and all the web stores bookmarked. You will eventually get there tho. If you pull it off fast you'll need a large limit credit card and a divorce lawyer. I recommend the first. No sense paying a lawyer with money that could be better spent on more turning stuff. The next thing I would spend your cash on it a good sharpening system. Sharp tools really lessen the learning curve. By the way the bowls look great. Welcome to the Creek.

[Jim Stoppleworth]

Welcome to the vortex!

Nice looking bowls!

Really nice looking furniture!

Sure hope you don't have expensive flat working tools as they become storage units for wood turning tools, blanks, etc.

Best frame those furniture pics for display -- with a caption along the lines -- This is what I used to DO!
Turning is extremely addictive! .............and very wallet emptying. DAMHIKT


Jim

[Paul Engle]

Nice work on the bowls Ralph, the flat work will have preped you for the most part on the $ you will have to spend. Did I say have to ????? egads. The vortex will swirl you around but the satisfaction will make up for. Welcome to SMC , you could not ask for a better group of fellows dedicated to filling your head with all kinds of ideas you can't wait to try.:eek: And for the most part they be good ones believe me...tis a swell bunch here , just watch out for the mayo , mustard, and balognia ....:eek: . and oh btw ,,, horseys....;) , really tho , great group of people wanting you to succed .

[John Hart]

Oh...yeah Ralph....Let's not forget the horseys!!! Thanks Paul :rolleyes: :D

Hey...I like the clock by the way. You know, there are some really cool things you can do on the lathe to make awesome looking clocks!! You don't even need to buy that much stuff to get'r done.;)

[Tom Sherman]

Allow me to add my Welcome to the poor side.

[Jim Ketron]

Welcome to the Creek Ralph!
Oh yea your flat work will slowly die out and you will find them with dust covers on them in a year. All I can say is buy Quality Tools you wont regret it But I guess you already know that with your carving tools.

[John Chandler]

I like the bowls - I bet you do fine on those quarter columns and finials.

[Corey Hallagan]

Very nice, you do some very nice work!

Corey

[Skip Spaulding]

Very nice, now your in the vortex, don't forget the vacuum chuck when you have a few extra bucks!

[Ernie Nyvall]

Nice work on the bowls Ralph.

Your furniture is really awesome.

[Nancy Laird]

A few more suggestions to tack on to Keith's comment:

...calipers, a dust collector, more tools, bowl steady rest, another hollowing system, a second lathe, more chuck jaws, a $500 bandsaw (just to cut corners off your bowl blanks), more tools, a laser guide, another chuck, a $1k table saw (real handy as workspace for drying them bowl blanks), more tools, a pickup truck to haul wood, a bigger shop, a trailer to haul even more wood, a bigger lathe............... someone tell me when I've reached the end.

Now, want to talk about the photography side? :D

Neal, both you and Keith forgot about the chain saw! :D

Nancy

[Doug Collins]

Nice work. Don't forget to add the 'Beal Buffing System' to your list of things to buy.:)

[Mark Cothren]

Welcome Ralph!!!!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Abyss Ralph....NIce bowls and flatwork!...We stay poor but we smile a lot!:D