New turner intro and a question.

[Frank Howell]

I've been lurking around the site over the past couple of years and even posted over on one of the other forums before. First time in here.

Anyway, I picked up a new Rikon Midi lathe, and a basic set of chisles about a month ago.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/Ice-Pirate/Woodworking/Shop%20pics/IMG_9805.jpg

With some help of a couple of books, and a video, I dove into some spendle work for starters.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/Ice-Pirate/Woodworking/Shop%20pics/IMG_0037a.jpg

I then made a screw chuck and turned my first small bowl/dish from willow. The coin in the center is covering the hole left from the screw chuck.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/Ice-Pirate/Woodworking/Shop%20pics/IMG_0038.jpg

Last week I picked up my Nova Chuck and then just night before last, I turned this bottle stopper from Poplar as a practice piece.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/Ice-Pirate/Woodworking/Shop%20pics/IMG_0052.jpg

I had so much fun with the stopper, I'm planning to make a bunch more, and even thinking about making some custom blanks from board laminations. I'm then going to cut the blank from the lamination but on an angle. When turning something like that, would it be better to turn at a high, medium or low speed?

Thanks for looking and any critique, suggestions or advice is welcome.

[Paul Engle]

Welcome Frank, nice work on the spindle/s .... isn't sanding fun?? :o I like the idea on the bottle stopper. Nessicity is the mother of invention , shore worked for you on the bowl, neat idea., great looking finish, We here love lots of pics and a nice job you did on that!!!:D With the Nova ( or any chuck ) now you can use the screw chuck on the bowl side of the blank held in the chuck , turn a tenon or mortise on the other and reverse and turn away the hole..... or not:eek: :D .The Nova screw works very well.

[Jamie Donaldson]

..at much higher speeds than bowls, mainly due to the size of the blanks and differences in the tools/techniques involved. And many beginning bowl turners use speeds that are too fast and can create safety concerns. I've never had my Stubby bowl lathe above the low speed belt limit of 1200rpm.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome to the black hole of turning Frank. Spindle work looks mighty fine. Looks like you are having fun. Keep'em coming.

[Dennis Peacock]

Welcome Frank. Glad to see that you have spent some time on the Rikon lathe. Keep up the good work.

[Jason Slutsky]

Welcome to the Creek fellow "Relish" (Rikon) user!!

Nice spindle work! Afraid I can't offer much advice on the stopper turning speed as I haven't yet made one myself. I have a few kits on a shelf just waiting though.

[Pat Doble]

Welcome aboard Frank and nice start with those pieces. Rikon and HF set - the same way I started last fall. I do have some advice though -run as fast as you can.;)

(The vortex has now spun me into starting a garage addition and delusions of mustard or mayo grandeur once that's done) Heck, the car never made it into the garage this winter (in MN that's not really a good thing) - too many logs and blanks piled up next to the bandsaw that I was forced to get.:) :o

Keep it up - looking forward to seeing more.

[Jonathon Spafford]

Nice work! Looks like your getting some good practice in there... no matter how boring those spindles are to do they are great practice and really hone your skills! I did my spindle turning in the form of wands so that I could get practice and turn something fun at the same time! Other good ones are honey dippers, candle sticks, spoons/spatulas, and weed pots! Anyway, your coming right along... keep up the great work!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Welcome to the Turning Forum Frank! Looks like you are off to a great start! Only suggestion I have for you is to get involved with a local turning club. The people in the club will save you years in the learning process - plus you get to be with others caught in the same vortex! Have fun with it and be safe!

[Bill Grumbine]

Frank, speed is a relative thing. What is fast for some is slow for others, and vice versa. As Jamie has mentioned, spindle work is generally spun faster than bowl work, but again it depends on the size of the piece. I have turned spindles in the 12" diameter range, and they went slower than bowls in the 8"--10" range.

For stuff around 2" diameter, you would do well starting out at around 1500-2000 rpm. As your confidence and skill builds, you can up the speed. I turn spindles of that size at around 3000 rpm. Smaller pieces like bottle stoppers go flat out at whatever my lathe will handle, which can be as fast as 4200 rpm.

Keep your bowls down to around 800-1000 rpm for small in balance pieces. If you start doing bigger heavier pieces, slow it down until you are comfortable or the lathe is not bouncing around. My ultimate rule of thumb for speed is if you aren't shaking and the lathe is not shaking, the speed is fine.

Good luck with it!

Bill

[Frank Howell]

I really appreciate the tips. I may have mis-stated my question though. What I was really after is what speed is best for small diameter Segmented turnings?

I'm planning a blank of alternating strips of walnut and maple and thin strips of padauk. The seams of witch will be at a 30* angle to the axis of the turn and the central axis of the blank. With the several glue joints and the angled grain direction, would faster be better?

I also turned another stopper from Mahogany last night.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/Ice-Pirate/Woodworking/Shop%20pics/IMG_0061.jpg
Kept this one a little more simplistic but it fits the hand much better.

Heres another spendle I turned a few nights ago.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/Ice-Pirate/Woodworking/Shop%20pics/IMG_0068.jpg
I'm trying to experiment with some different shapes besides just beads and coves and grooves. Dang, this is addicting stuff.

[Jonathon Spafford]

Really shouldn't matter if it is segmented or not... for a small diameter laminated piece you can go as fast as a solid piece! Keep up the good work!

[Frank Howell]

Great news Jonathan! I'll plunge ahead then and give it a shot.

[Glenn Hodges]

Glad to have you abord Frank. I think your questions have been answered, keep the pictures comming.

[Don Orr]

You are definitely off to a good start and have some excellent responses to your questions. Keep practicing and keep those tools sharp and have fun!


(Hey folks, looks like we got another one:D )

[Tom Sherman]

Nice work Frank, keep at it

[Dean Thomas]

Could be a song title...

Have the links expired? If so, can you renew them? I'm intensely curious about your stoppers. Guessing a crazy quilt of scraps, but can only guess. :(