Question about speed

[Bill Wyko]

Everything I've turned so far has not been over 1240 rpm. It seems to me that any faster and it could attack you with a vengence. Typically what would the higher speeds be used for? (Another one of my dumb questions):confused:

[Keith Burns]

Spindle work and pens. I rarely get over 1000 rpm for bowl and HF work.

[Bill Wyko]

Thank you :D

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

I'm with Keith! I crank up the speed on spindle work but pull it back on bigger stuff. I turn it up till it jumps a little then back it off till it's smooth.

[Dennis Peacock]

There are 2 schools on lathe speed. 1 is that slower is better. IMHO, this is very true in some instances. 2 faster is better. IMHO, I like turning with the wood spinning faster. Roughing out is slower speed, but when it's nice and round I crank up the speed to around 1200 to 1500....or so.....and smile while I'm a turning. :D

[John Hart]

I've found over my extensive 2 years of experience:rolleyes: that 700 is my favorite speed. 300 for the initial roughing

[Bernie Weishapl]

Like John after a intense and extensive 1 yr. of turning my speed is 400 to rough and 800-1000 doing bowls. 1500 doing pens.

[Jim Young]

I generally don't look at the speed indicator, I just run it up to a speed that seems comfortable. I've seen several more experienced turners and it seems some like it fast and others like it slow.

[Mike Turkley]

I turn somewhere in the 800 to 900 speed range, but that's with over 12" diameter bowls. I go faster on smaller bowls.



Bill, If you don't mind me adding another "dumb question" to your post.

Are hollow forms considered spindle or bowl turning?

What speeds for these puppies?

MikeT

[Mark Pruitt]

Are hollow forms considered spindle or bowl turning?

HFs can be oriented as either centerwork or facework. Generally the piece to be turned dictates which, but when it will allow either it's just user preference. Some (most?) hollowing tools work more easily with centerwork orientation; some such as "ring" tools are made specifically for centerwork.

What speed? Whatever you're most comfortable with.

[Bonnie Campbell]

I'm not even sure what speed I turn my turkey calls at, but a rough guess would be at least 2,000.

[George Tokarev]

I've found over my extensive 2 years of experience:rolleyes: that 700 is my favorite speed. 300 for the initial roughing

After an additional (mumble) years, I find the same settings favorable. Used to find 680 on the old lathe, his lowest, the best for everything except for those times I mounted him with a sanding drum and kicked him to 1200.

Turning faster makes a lot more energy available at point of contact and the opposite reaction for those who remember Newton. Which only affects you IF you screw up.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

On my Jet VS Mini....I rough at 500 RPM (I'd use a lower speed if it was available) and will turn it up on the lower speed range while turning. The only time I find my self changing ranges is when I'm applying finish or using my Beal buffing system and then I got to the high range high speed.

[Jeff Moffett]

When I attended a CSUSA workshop last summer, the instructor, Dr. Dale Nish, recommended a simple formula to determine a safe turning speed range:

Slowest speed = 6000 / D

and

Highest speed = 9000 / D

where D equals the diameter of your piece in inches. For example, the lathe speed for a 6" bowl blank would be calculated like this:

6000 / 6 = 1000
9000 / 6 = 1500

So you would keep the lathe speed between 1000 and 1500 for a 6" blank.

If you'd like to read more, Dr. Nish's article on selecting lathe speed is on the CSUSA website here (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/pdf/safe_lathe_speeds.pdf).

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mike Mahoney uses the same formula in his video as Dale Nish does. That was the first time I was exposed to it. I used it at first to get a rough idea of the speed I needed to be at.

[Neal Addy]

Haven't heard the other side of the coin mentioned... sanding.

When it comes to sanding, speed kills. If you sand on the lathe make sure you fly low and slow.

[Paul Engle]

Slow to rough , then turn and burn baby, the more times the wheel goes round the rounder it gets especally on 6 in and under, I do finish cuts on 2000 plus and plates and platters up to 12 inches ..... max ... the faster the spin plus the slower the feed = smoother the cut. with the added benifit is you are done sooner with less sanding. IMHO . There are some who turn slow thinking slow is safer some how , to me just takes longer to get where you want to go. Correct presentation, sharp tool, relaxed / easy / smooth and you be grinning from ear to ear :D :D . Aint nothing like the rush of speed ....yep I drive a Z-28 :eek: , and love it from ignition to shut down.Tim got it right ... MORE POWER . aw... don't get mad , try it ;) :D

[Bill Wyko]

I have found that 500 is sometimes too slow, other times it's just right. I also found that at slower speeds it seems less forgiving if you catch the piece. At higher speeds it will allow your tool to cut through and not catch. Thanks everyone for ringing in on this one. I gained all sorts of great info on this thread. I haven't been able to do anything this whole week but I'll make up for it this weekend.:D

[Joe Melton]

No one has mentioned surface finish. Is the wood smoother after being cut at a higher speed, slower speed, or it doesn't matter? It seems to me that if the speed is too slow, the wood fibers would tend to be pulled instead of cut.
Joe

[Bill Wyko]

I always finsh with a light touch of a scraper at about 500 rpm. I am a rookie so i could be doing this all wrong.:eek: Almost no sanding needed at all.:)

[Lee DeRaud]

I always finsh with a light touch of a scraper at about 500 rpm. I am a rookie so i could be doing this all wrong.:eek: You're also doing mostly segmented pieces (so far), which means no end-grain to contend with.
Question for the assembled multitude: how does that affect the answer?

[Bill Wyko]

Again I'm a rookie so I'm not sure how it affects the awnser. I just know that The finsh of the wood seems to be more effected by the cut and less by the speed. But you're right I mostly do segmented work so I'm, for the most part, cutting into the end grain. I have done a few solid pieces too and had the same results though.:D

[Lee DeRaud]

Again I'm a rookie so I'm not sure how it affects the awnser. I just know that The finsh of the wood seems to be more effected by the cut and less by the speed. But you're right I mostly do segmented work so I'm, for the most part, cutting into the end grain. I have done a few solid pieces too and had the same results though.:DI'm only slightly more than a rookie myself, but as with many things in this sport, it appears that the "right answer" is "what works for you".

I know that there are several, um, "non-standard" practices I use regularly...not to say that there isn't a better/faster conventional way, but I'll keep doing what I'm comfortable with.

[George Tokarev]

No one has mentioned surface finish. Is the wood smoother after being cut at a higher speed, slower speed, or it doesn't matter? It seems to me that if the speed is too slow, the wood fibers would tend to be pulled instead of cut.
Joe

Well, give this a try. Take a nice sharp tool and cut some wood slowly and then fast, then look at the surface you left. Doesn't have to be a lathe tool or a piece of wood on the lathe. Edge is an edge. Plane, carve, whittle, even scrape if you care to. Makes no difference. Proper presentation of the edge, and that means tool control, is what counts.

As to slow feed/rapid rotation making smoother cuts, seems to me that once the wood's removed, you're pushing air, so feed rate is the only factor. Helps with tool control to feed slower, which helps present the edge at the optimum angle, which makes for a good surface. You pull fibers with an edge too broadly presented or too dull.

Only place where you can really go too slow is when you are trying to push an edge or reference a bevel into air rather than wood. Comes from impatience mostly, but if you're not in the roughing mode on an uneven surface, you can follow into air and catch on following wood. Speeding up so the time gap of the air gap is less may compensate for your technique and reaction time. I prefer to swing the gouge against a firm point on the toolrest.

[Bill Wyko]

Very well put.:)

[wyman autry]

been turning for a couple years, and can offer you some excellent advice on lathe speed. please please know what speed your lathe is set on before you start that critter. one of the first mistakes i ever made, was putting a large piece of wood on, and flipping the switch.1800 rpm, still have the dent in the light fixture above the lathe to remind me that these things can hurt you bad. i belive that piece of wood is bouncing somewhere in the universe. had to bury the underwear.

[Mike Turkley]

HFs can be oriented as either centerwork or facework. Generally the piece to be turned dictates which, but when it will allow either it's just user preference. Some (most?) hollowing tools work more easily with centerwork orientation; some such as "ring" tools are made specifically for centerwork.

What speed? Whatever you're most comfortable with.

Thanks Mark, I wasn’t sure so I first tried one in bowl, then one in spindle orientation. At this point, I can’t really tell which I prefer as I’ve only done 3 and a half so far. The half one ended up being a shallow bowl as I turned until I saw daylight.:eek:

MikeT