Complete newbie

[Joseph Skoler]

I just last night set up my new G0766 and have never used a lathe before.

This morning I put a piece of wood on and started.

All in all in went well, but I'm hoping experienced people can take a look at what I've done and point out my mistakes.

Seems I'm burning the wood and leaving a very rough finish regardless of which tool I'm using.

Also had a hard time securing the piece to the faceplate -- tried very short screws, then incrementally longer until 1.5"

After trying multiple tools to gouge a bowl and being unsuccessful (burning wood, not really cutting and even breaking a tool) I gave up and decided to ask for help.

So, help please.

Thank you!

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[tom lucas]

Sharp tools are the first rule. It they are not sharp, you won't see much improvement. Second, watch youtube videos by the masters like allen Batty and many others. Understand the difference between scraping and shear cuts. Then manually rotate your work piece while presenting each tool at various angles until you get a shear cut. Understand how each tool type should be presented to the wood. Know how to feel and ride the bevel. Generally scrapers handle up, gouges handle down.

On mounting to face plate, screws in end grain can be very weak. Good quality wood screws are paramount. Stabilizing end grain with a sealer/CA glue will help, but only a little. If the wood is punky, don't mount to it without stabilizing first. And you should always have that tailstock engaged when you can. A good chuck is a godsend.

[William McAloney]

Joseph,
Welcome to the vortex.
As a relative newbie myself, I would offer the following suggestions.
1) Find a mentor.
2) Join a club
3) Watch turning videos
4) Check woodturning websites such as turnawoodbowl.com Kent explains many topics vital to the neophyte, as well as in-depth discussions of more advanced topics. I find his website to be the most helpful of all that I have seen.
Don't be discouraged by unsuccessful attempts at turning. They are still learning experiences of value. Eventually you discover all the requirements of turning; proper set-up, proper tool use, proper sharpening, proper posture, etc., etc., ad infinitum. We have all been where you are.
Good luck.
Remember the Boy Scout motto...
"Do a good turn daily".

[Patrick Morris IV]

Let us know where you are located, and I'll bet someone is close to you and more than willing to help.

Pat

[John Keeton]

Well, it would appear your main problem is that you have the wood oriented like spindle turning, but you are trying to form a bowl from it. That means you are trying to cut end grain, which can be done, but it does require a pull cut from the middle out - not the outer surface toward the middle. That cut can also be a bit difficult to do with a bowl gouge.

[John Beaver]

The best money you could ever spend will be on some basic instruction. From wood orientation to correct tool use, instruction will make your experience so much better. You don't show your location, but search for local turning clubs or schools. Beware of youtube videos as there is a lot of incorrect information out there. Maybe members here can direct you to some valid ones to get you started.
Lastly, having that window right where a piece will go if it flies off the lathe is risky. Might want to move the lathe a bit or protect the glass.

[Dwight Rutherford]

Is it possible the lathe is running in reverse?

[Alex Zeller]

From one newbie to another start off with safety. Move away from that window. To me burning wood means most likely a dull tool. If there's no clubs near by then watch some of the videos on-line. I would pick one tool, the bowl gouge and pick the best grind for what you are trying to do. I personally found the Ellsworth grind was the easiest for me to start off with for doing bowls. Then learn how to sharpen it. If you don't have a grinder to sharpen it you WILL need to get one or find a friend close by who has one as you will be sharpening all the time. Another option would be to go with a tool with a replaceable carbide tip (this will be more expensive but will allow you to skip the sharpening phase). Dull tools just don't work.

Once you've done that then you are ready to start to actually shape a piece of wood. Do you have your own wood? If so are you using a chainsaw to cut up blanks? Green (wet) wood is easier to learn with. Watch how most people mount the wood. You would think that a log is round like a bowl so the best way to mount it would be with the end grain facing the faceplate but it's actually not the typical way. You will want to learn what part of the gouge is the heel and how to use it. If using a gouge with an Ellsworth or fingernail style grind you will also want to learn how to use the wings. From there you will want to learn how to do the various cuts (like a push and pull cut). Finally stop often and adjust your tool rest to keep it close to the wood to avoid extending the tip of the tool too far. From there it's practice. The hardest part is learning how to take very light cuts.

Most of the experts say you should start with doing spindles over bowls. But Spindles are kind of boring where a bowl is something that you can put on your table and admire. As said, try to find a club. It's pretty much universal that people who know what they are doing love to share with new people. Often you'll not only learn how to turn but also which tools are your wises investment as you're getting started and will also allow you access to a grinder and the jigs needed.

[Pat Scott]

What tool are you using that is causing the burning, and what tool did you break?

[Randy Heinemann]

My recommendation is to find a good intro to turning class to get the basics on mounting, tools and how they are used, and some basic understanding of sharpening. I know because I was kind of lost when I started a little over 2years ago. I went to a couple of very basic classes at Rockler. I don’t normally feel their classes are thorough but, in this case, the turner who ran them was very knowledgable. That’s the key to a good class.

While it is true that YouTube can have bad videos, almost all the videos I have watched have been useful. Watch a lot of them and you’ll soon see when someone doesn’t know the right techniques. Reed Gray has great videos on scrapers and other techniques. Look for the videos by well known turners first then you’ll get the correct basics and be able to use them to your advantage.

I joined American Association of Woodturners. They have a lot of online publications which talk about basics.