help me spend $$

[Brent Grooms]

Well, after a lot of mulling over what I want/need a lathe for I am going to be picking up a Rikon midi and stand this next week. I am picking up the HF chisle set today but I am wondering what else I will need to get for this rascal. Initially I will be turning spindles but I know pens, pepper mills and bowls are in the future.

I am thinking I will need a chuck, but I dont know which one?

What else would be needed to get me going? I know it comes with an 8in tool rest but are there any other accessories that will be handy? Centers? Mounting plates?

Suggestions?????

[Paul Engle]

Just a couple thoughts. the G3 Nova chuck, w/ spigot jaws 45mm, i use this chuck and have used the spigot for turning limbs and like it very much good grip for smallish lathe which you can use when ( not if) you upgrade to a larger lathe.The G3 will take most of the larger jaw sets and will inter change with the Super Nova ( larger chuck , which i will be getting soon ) i also have a 3 in 100mm bowl jaw set for larger bowl confidence, tho i have turned 12 x6 bowl with the 50mm jaws . they also have a 25 mm spigot for smaller spindle work which will also work for smaller bowl. I mostly use recess for my work so there is no foot or tennon to deal with.I like the spigot as it sits further out from the chuck making it somewhat easier to get to the back of the work if i need to.Good spindle roughing gouge and a
3/8 spindle gouge , skew chisel/s and get the Lacer video / dvd as this tool is most wonderful on spindle work, a lot of pen turner us the skew as it leaves a near finished surface. Of course a low speed grinder for sharpening , vari grind jig, I made the slider my self and saved 40$ unless you plan on hand grinding , which is ok withs the roughing gouge but you may want to experiment with the 3/8 gouge , get a cheaper one to learn on then go for the upgrade.I have a 1/2 in HT spindle gouge andhave changed the profile 2 or 3 times and usually end up with my 3/8 super flute cept for beads or coves and ball/ egg shapes. lots of sandpaper as spindle work is hand sanding work on the lathe vs power sanding llike bowl and plates etc, i use an inertia 2 in and 5 in orbital ( mtr burned out on flat work ) with the pad and clutch removed and mounted on a stick , works well and wayyyyy quieter than power....dust collection system is nice but not manditory tho I would hook up a shop vac if you have one for the sanding process's. spray finishes are quick but now you are breathing particles and fumes .....if you do candle sticks, get a key less chuck and 3/4 , 7/8, 1 3/8 , forstner bits to drill both ends , make spindles to fit the holes and turn between the spindles so stick comes out squared to the holes, (one for weights and other for candle) cause drillin em after you turn em is not much fun, tea lite, oil lites check their sizes on the oil lites.
(and lacquer will make ya woozie....spray or brush on....). Good luck , just remember to ride the bevel !!!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brent........Welcome to the Abyss! Get a digital camera and take photos of any money you have in your wallet. Put the photo on the wall beside your lathe so you can remember what money "USED TO LOOK LIKE"! You are entering the Zone of Nearly Instant Gratification and constant financial challenges!

Check around and join a local turning club. Turners by nature are always willing to help other turners learn the techniques! I'd also recommend a book I found invaluable last year when I started turning and I find invaluable today. "Wood Turning - A Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley. It's well written and illustrated and aimed at the beginner. Even today, I take it to the shop when I think I might need a quick reference. A video that is helpful to the beginner is "Turning Wood" by Richard Raffan. "Turned Bowls Made Easy" by SMCs own Bill Grumbine is very useful too!

Good luck with your turning endeavors!

[Harvey M. Taylor]

After looking at the posts, I didnt see a sharpening system mentioned. Wolverine is the one most mentioned around here. A slow speed grinder would be nice with about 60 grit wheel for sharpening.
That is it from where I sit in North Tx. Ft Worth Dallas area in particular. Max

[Neal Addy]

Lots of good advice above. But before you buy anything else, get a faceshield and some sort of dust protection (if you don't already have them)!

[Brent Grooms]

got the face shield and dust control(if thats really possible) pretty well covered. I was planning on trying to find a slowspeed grinder and get 120g wheels but I can get buy with my stones and a slipstone for the gouges for a while.

I found the barracuda 3000c chuck system to be pretty complete and packed with goodies... any thoughts??

[George Tokarev]

Didn't see a 3000 , but the 2000C at PSI seems like an awful lot for the money. More or less the Oneway type. I'm a NOVA user, and much prefer the smooth type jaws to the others. The pin jaws are easily the most useful on pieces 8 and below, and can be used for roughing larger pieces with a tailstock engaged. They appear smooth, rather than X type, which is good. If the QC is good, should be a bargain. I think Penn State stands behind defective products, so you get at least a second chance if not.

[Neal Addy]

The Barracuda2 (3000c) is a nice chuck for a mini and a great bang-for-the-buck. It has a good reputation on the forums. And getting all the jaws with the base price will save you some money.

Last I checked Amazon had the best deal on it. At the time it was $133 and free shipping. You might keep an eye on them. As is typical with Amazon the price goes back and forth.

[Jonathon Spafford]

Get a talon chuck... those are really nice versatile chucks. The screw is an especially nice one that it comes with... doesn't break like some of the other one have been known to do. I really like mine....

Also make sure you get a respirator... wood dust is being found out to be dangerous and tough on your lungs. You don't want to have to quit woodworking because of allergies or worse yet nasal or lung cancer.
A grinder is of course something you are gonna want to get... and of course if you are doing pens your going to want a mandrel to do them on. Penn State has some deals for getting you set up for pen turning so you might want to check them out. Also turning books are helpful... as was mentioned, Turning Wood by Raffan is really good. I started improving a lot once I read through that book. Of course you can't beat hands on help which you will get through a local club if you haven't already joined. So get started and have fun... oh and start thinking about a second mortgage on your home! ;)

[RL Johnson]

I would also look at the Oneway live center. Very expensive but well worth the money.

[Brodie Brickey]

Brent,

There are a lot of good suggestions above, but when you add up all the things you've spent money on so far, you're already spending a lot. I'd start by getting the things you absolutely need. You mentioned the HF turning set which is a great choice.

Another important item is a faceshield and safety glasses. Turning by braille is not an option.

If there is a WoodCraft near you look at their slow speed grinder (about $100) w/ the white wheels. The white wheels (aluminum oxide) don't heat up the HSS turning tools as fast which removes the temper of the metal dulling the edge that much faster. A slow speed grinder is usually considered to be 1750 RPM or so. There are other wet grinding systems that are even slower, but they cost more, and if you need to make serious changes to the profile of a gouge it will take forever without a slow speed grinder anyway. The Wolverine system is great, but at least initially you can free hand the sharpening.

A chuck is really nice to have, but not necessary. Your lathe will come with a faceplate and spur drive which will get you started for bowls and any spindle work you might be doing. If you are going to initially focus on spindle type work, get a pen mandrell (about $10) with a basic set of bushings (when the bushings are placed next to your wood blank on the mandrel, you can make sure the transition between the pen end & wood are smooth and the right thickness).

If you have a drill press, you are in business for making pens with a pen kit or pepper grinder of your choice. If you don't have a drill press, get a jacobs chuck & MT2 taper (~$36) for it (it will go in the tailstock, this is a drill head with a Morse Taper that fits your tailstock) to drill out the pen blanks on the lathe itself. If you drill on the lathe, I'm pretty sure you'll need a self centering chuck to hold the wood (like the Barracuda2 or other mentioned above), others here may have done it another way, but I haven't.

I'm sure that as you start adding some of this up, you're reaching numbers in excess of a couple hundred dollars. Don't panic, most can be acquired over time. You can sharpen without a grinder using a whetstone or belt sander and pick up other pieces as time goes on.

The important thing is to NOT LET THE WIFE KNOW how much this new hobby is going to cost you. Turn a nice pen or rolling pin for her (unless she's likely to use the rolling pin on you then stick to pens). Remember, sneak the purchases into the garage/basement when she's out at the store. :D I almost got the powermatic into the garage but she caught me as I was carrying out the cardboard packaging.:p

All kidding aside, welcome to the Vortex! May you have many safe and rewarding years of turning ahead of you.

[Brent Grooms]

welcome to the vortex... I have been in the vortex for a while now. Its not just a lathe thing ya know:p.

[Doug Collins]

I don't see where anybody mentioned the Beall Buffing system...:D

[Doug M Jones]

Brent,
The vortex has a powerful suction. I got my lathe a little over a week ago and have a couple hundred $$$ in pen turning equipment and supplies headed my way. Having it delivered to work, much easier to get it in the house undetected.:D

In the end, I'll have twice as much in other equipment as my little Jet Mini cost. Just don't let the wife know.

[Brent Grooms]

well pictures will be coming but I wound up with a Jet 1014I instead... 10%off had something to do with it.

with the money I saved on the lathe and stand I bought an extension and additional crosstube for the stand.

[Dale Gregory]

The Vortex grabs another one! I was drawn in by the inexpensive cost of the mini lathes. That was only the beginning!

Main thing is to have fun, be safe, and practice, practice, practice!

Dale

[Brent Grooms]

Well its not much different than all the others out there other than its mine. I picked it up for $179.00 along with a stand. When I got back from picking it up I ordered a bed extension for $38 (free shipping) and the stand extension for somewhere around the same price/terms.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k31/jackrabbit101/misc/Cnv0110.jpg

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Vortex Brent! It won't be long now and you'll be a spin crack addict! Congrats on the new lathe!