Advice thread for Novice Woodturners.

kadman

As I,ve been constantly asked of late, so many woodturning questions for,

newbies, intermediate, and advanced, I think its time for the wealth of information among you all to be chimed in on this.

I suppose this thread could be broken into areas of, budget, spindle turning,
bowl turning, tools , chucks and methods. Plus loads more.

But hey folks, here's the ball, run with it.

To start,

My own needs orientate more to bowl turning and face plate work. So my main priority is stability of weight, first, then access to deep turning methods.
I,m not overly obsessed with turninng spindle length, as the timbers i use tend not to be available in long lengths.

delaney001

kadman wrote: »

As I,ve been constantly asked of late, so many woodturning questions for,

newbies, intermediate, and advanced, I think its time for the wealth of information among you all to be chimed in on this.

I suppose this thread could be broken into areas of, budget, spindle turning,
bowl turning, tools , chucks and methods. Plus loads more.

But hey folks, here's the ball, run with it.

To start,

My own needs orientate more to bowl turning and face plate work. So my main priority is stability of weight, first, then access to deep turning methods.
I,m not overly obsessed with turninng spindle length, as the timbers i use tend not to be available in long lengths.

Good idea for a thread. No such thing as a stupid woodturning question!

kadman

delaney001 wrote: »

Good idea for a thread. No such thing as a stupid woodturning question!

Ditto,

My own level of knowledge on woodturning, is equally matched by what i dont know about woodturning.

Both being on an equal par:)

woodturner

I've more books, mags and dvds on the craft and would know quite a lot about turning. Putting it into practice is a different kettle of fish. I'd like to be able to make various things, bowls, hollow forms, platters and spindle type items and not just turn the same way, faceplate or spindle, the whole time. Someone once said to me it's better to be a jack of all trades than a master of none so I'm always trying out different things whether it be woodturning, woodworking, carving, welding you name it.

peter bermingham

Have one of the old blue record power DML 24 Lathe what would be a good quilt 4 jaw chuck to get. Thanks

kadman

For a novice that wants to get stuck in on woodturning. Well not literally.

Choice of timber I,d go for would be holly.

It turns like butter, and will remove the initial fear factor of poking at a spinning piece

of wood with a ..................mostly blunt object at the outset. But your sharpening techniques

will improve with practice, and plenty of water.

mayo.mick

Back making shavings on my lathe after being absent from it for a few years. Looking to get a white or blue wheel for my standard 6" bench grinder. The spindle on the grinder is 13mm. My usual online shop isn't much help (first time )

kadman

You should be able to get plastic inserts to fit any wheel to accomodate

different spindle sizes.

woodturner

peter bermingham wrote: »

Have one of the old blue record power DML 24 Lathe what would be a good quilt 4 jaw chuck to get. Thanks

The Nova G3 would be a good light chuck for that lathe. The majority of Record lathes have a 3/4" X 16tpi spindle and the G3 comesdirectly threaded to suit. A heavier chuck on the spindle of that lathe would damage the bearings.

woodturner

mayo.mick wrote: »

Back making shavings on my lathe after being absent from it for a few years. Looking to get a white or blue wheel for my standard 6" bench grinder. The spindle on the grinder is 13mm. My usual online shop isn't much help (first time )

If you contact Peter Hemsley at The Tool Post in the UK he can advise on the best wheels to get and would also have bushings to fit.

Stanirish

woodturner wrote: »

The Nova G3 would be a good light chuck for that lathe. The majority of Record lathes have a 3/4" X 16tpi spindle and the G3 comesdirectly threaded to suit. A heavier chuck on the spindle of that lathe would damage the bearings.

https://www.whraitt.ie/p/rp_sc3_34x16tpi_rh_thread_with_62572_face_plat

Special Offer this week end only !!

Stanirish

woodturner wrote: »

If you contact Peter Hemsley at The Tool Post in the UK he can advise on the best wheels to get and would also have bushings to fit.

https://www.whraitt.ie/p/rs_odonnell_ruby_wheel_80_150x20_

Turn down a 20mm to 13mm wooden insert on the lathe ??

timfromtang

kadman wrote: »

For a novice that wants to get stuck in on woodturning. Well not literally.

Choice of timber I,d go for would be holly.

It turns like butter, and will remove the initial fear factor of poking at a spinning piece

of wood with a ..................mostly blunt object at the outset. But your sharpening techniques

will improve with practice, and plenty of water.

For a novice turner, i would suggest using ash in the round and fresh green.
Ash too cuts beautifully, it has prominent growth rings, easy to identify the correct direction to cut.
Ash is cheap and universally available to anyone with a bushman saw.
If you wish to buy really high quality Ash material really cheaply i'd suggest looking for a small farm forest parcel of Ash locally, and approaching the landowner.

a length of 4-8" diameter will provide loads of material,
split into quarters with an axe or froe or wedge for spindle work, the wood can be turned green for practice, these from quarters (containing no pith) will dry with some distortion but should not crack, and can of course be remounted between centres when dry and turned round again and finished, to dry the green pieces simply bring them inside your heated house for a few weeks/months depending on thickness.

a useful exercise when beginning bowls is to split a nice symmetrical regular round log in half, round corners with chainsaw, bandsaw, axe, what have you got handy? Then turn two bowls, one with the bowl hollowed on the bark side, the second (which can be larger) with the bowl hollowed from the center. This is very instructive in terms of how the grain will reveal itself in turning. the back of the bowls need not be finished and I'd suggest simply screwing the blanks to a faceplate to mount them, note for one of the bowls you will need to flatten off a section of the bark side to mount the faceplate, and on the other a portion of the split side.
tim

magicbastarder

one of the nicest woods i've turned (and i've not turned too many) was (according to the donor) from an apple tree. takes the cut nicely without much tearout, and easy to sand.

elm is one of the more difficult ones.

mayo.mick

Stanirish wrote: »

https://www.whraitt.ie/p/rs_odonnell_ruby_wheel_80_150x20_

Turn down a 20mm to 13mm wooden insert on the lathe ??

Cheers for that Stan! Will give them a shout.

delaney001

Any risk using a Vicmarc 120 chuch on a 1221 Jet lathe. Was talking to a lad last week that said its too heavy for the bearings of the lathe. But been using it for the last year no issues

magicbastarder

maybe he meant that what the chuck could itself carry could be too much? it weighs less than 4KG, and i've put quite a bit more - unbalanced - weight than that on my 1221.

delaney001

Ya maybe so. I assume there is no risk with using a larger chuck (assuming your not holding 20kg lumps of timber in it!!)

woodturner

delaney001 wrote: »

Any risk using a Vicmarc 120 chuch on a 1221 Jet lathe. Was talking to a lad last week that said its too heavy for the bearings of the lathe. But been using it for the last year no issues

Are you using it with an insert?

delaney001

woodturner wrote: »

Are you using it with an insert?

No. It's an M33 and so is the lathe. Why do you ask?

woodturner

delaney001 wrote: »

No. It's an M33 and so is the lathe. Why do you ask?

If you were using it with an insert, they tend to bring the chuck further out from the spindle and the weight then would definitely have an effect on the bearings. Should be okay if it's direct thread.

delaney001

woodturner wrote: »

If you were using it with an insert, they tend to bring the chuck further out from the spindle and the weight then would definitely have an effect on the bearings. Should be okay if it's direct thread.

Oh ya, of course, that's very true. It'd be a lot of weight hanging off the end it!! Lever and fulcrum point or something to that effect!! Good shout

delaney001

Anyone been to the RDS this week? See 10 or so turners demonstrating there. Wonder is it worth the trip?

woodturner

delaney001 wrote: »

Anyone been to the RDS this week? See 10 or so turners demonstrating there. Wonder is it worth the trip?

Definitely. Haven't been up there but my good friend Glenn Lucas is up there. As is Willie McCutcheon, another good turner.

magicbastarder

There was a little too much of everything at the rds in a sense - too many people selling similar products, so a bit of a paradox of choice. I'm not just talking about woodturners.

delaney001

I met Glenn and had a nice talk with him. A gentleman of the highest order.
Regards to the rest, I actually didn't enjoy the show at all, but for a very silly reason.
i went with No intention of buying anything, I just wanted to look at the furniture and bowls and talk to the makers. Just discuss their processes and how they got into the craft. But they're after paying €3,000 for the stall, so once they realise your not buying they really want rid of you out of their way, as they really need to push sales and make the most of the time they are there. To the point that a lot of them come across dickish.
So it's more my fault for going and expecting a demo/open-shop feel to it rather than what it is.

magicbastarder

the christmas dublin flea market is on this coming weekend, and my wife reckons she's seen at least a few of the exhibitors at the RDS fair at previous fleas - and she reckons their prices were lower at it, presumably because they've not paid through the nose for a stand.

delaney001

Anyone any thoughts here, any saving this? Rough turned it 6 weeks ago and been in a kiln since. Cracks were nearly there on day 1. It's reading about 13/14% moisture.
What's best way (or is there anyway) to finish it off?

timfromtang

delaney001 wrote: »

Anyone any thoughts here, any saving this? Rough turned it 6 weeks ago and been in a kiln since. Cracks were nearly there on day 1. It's reading about 13/14% moisture.
What's best way (or is there anyway) to finish it off?

I'd be for saving it alright, how even is the thickness? the how? well a filler made with sawdust and white glue would probably work out alright, simply rechuck, turn to finish size, sand and save sawdust, fill cracks, sand and finish.
tim

delaney001

timfromtang wrote: »

I'd be for saving it alright, how even is the thickness? the how? well a filler made with sawdust and white glue would probably work out alright, simply rechuck, turn to finish size, sand and save sawdust, fill cracks, sand and finish.
tim

Ya I was thinking about something like that. I've seen lads do things with resin online but no experience of it myself.

kadman

Car body filler for the cracks.

I,ve seen different coloured epoxy fillers used to emphasise the cracks.

Crystal clear resin mixed with copper, steel metallic filings to give an artistic effect.

Drill the cracks and place a different colour timber as a dowel type plug.

Carve out the cracks entirely to pierce the bowl with fretwork.

delaney001

kadman wrote: »

Car body filler for the cracks.

I,ve seen different coloured epoxy fillers used to emphasise the cracks.

Crystal clear resin mixed with copper, steel metallic filings to give an artistic effect.

Drill the cracks and place a different colour timber as a dowel type plug.

Carve out the cracks entirely to pierce the bowl with fretwork.

They're great ideas. Any suggestions on a type of resin? The copper one sounds like it would look really good if done well. Do you use very fine copper filings?

I've seen nice things done with leather in a bootlace style aswell, but not sure how you would tie off the end of the lace without it looking clumpy/messy

Alun

I've used this stuff before ...

http://www.inlaceonline.com/index.html

You can get it in all kinds of colours with glitter, nuggets, flakes, pearl effect etc. etc.

I've only used it either deliberately, i.e. in grooves cut in bowl edges, or in natural features such as knot holes where the knot has fallen out, rather than cracks.

timfromtang

delaney001 wrote: »

Anyone any thoughts here, any saving this? Rough turned it 6 weeks ago and been in a kiln since. Cracks were nearly there on day 1. It's reading about 13/14% moisture.
What's best way (or is there anyway) to finish it off?

one more thing comes to mind, you could use little double dovetail shaped pieces of wood to bridge the cracks, I've done this before on natural edge tables where cracks were incorporated and reinforced as a "feature". Cut the mortices in the bowl and inlay the double dovetail shaped pieces, fill the remaining crack with either epoxy or a sawdust and whiteglue mix, then finish turn.
tim

even if you fail completely to save this piece, you will gain on the next piece that needs "special" attention.

delaney001

Alun wrote: »

I've used this stuff before ...

http://www.inlaceonline.com/index.html

You can get it in all kinds of colours with glitter, nuggets, flakes, pearl effect etc. etc.

I've only used it either deliberately, i.e. in grooves cut in bowl edges, or in natural features such as knot holes where the knot has fallen out, rather than cracks.

I see they don't deliver outside UK. Did you use parcel motel or are there Irish stockists?

Alun

delaney001 wrote: »

I see they don't deliver outside UK. Did you use parcel motel or are there Irish stockists?

That's a very good question, it was a while ago and I'm not 100% sure, but I think I got it at Gough's in Little Mary St. in Dublin.

The UK distributor is Turner's Retreat which is owned by Robert Sorby, and Gough's always had a good relationship with them hosting demos etc. so it seems likely that was where I got it.

tatyoman

What would you guys recommend as a good solid make of turning chisels?

Would you rate Robert Sorby?

Thanks

mayo.mick

tatyoman wrote: »

What would you guys recommend as a good solid make of turning chisels?

Would you rate Robert Sorby?

Thanks

Very highly!

tatyoman

mayo.mick wrote: »

Very highly!

Hey Mick,
Cheers for the reply.
What would be the basic set to get? What chisels/gouges etc would be needed?

tatyoman

What would anyone think of this set?

http://www.flinn-garlick-saws.co.uk/acatalog/Robert_Sorby_Beginners_Turning_Tool_Set.html?gclid=CMeYt57VgtECFe-T7QodKYsM9A

magicbastarder

i think that's the set i bought with the lathe. will be more than enough for a beginner; i've added one or two since, you find that if you join a woodturning guild, you'll pick up secondhand gouges there too.
i've added a second skew and a second bowl gouge with a different grind since getting the above set.

woodturner

Check out Glenn Lucas' website. I think he sells a Hamlet boxed set.

delaney001

tatyoman wrote: »

What would anyone think of this set?

http://www.flinn-garlick-saws.co.uk/acatalog/Robert_Sorby_Beginners_Turning_Tool_Set.html?gclid=CMeYt57VgtECFe-T7QodKYsM9A

http://glennlucaswoodturning.com/product/glset5-spindle-turning-boxed-set-of-5/

For similar money, I'd go for these. In my mind, any of Lucas's stuff is always top quality.

magicbastarder

Only spindle turning capability with that though.

tatyoman

I like the look of that Sorby set to be honest.. I think I might go for it. Thanks!

pab_lowe

Hi Guys,

Some good advice here, thank you. I start turning in 2016 and would be grateful for some help. I am lucky enough to have a lathe and a nice set of chisels that I use at home. I have been doing some between centers work and also have a couple of bowls that I am very happy with. The frustrating thing for me is that I have no equipment for sharpening the chisels. I have been going to a local turner to sharpen them occasionally but it’s not ideal. I see that getting the angle correct on the gouges is particularly important and so I understand that a grinder and jig set up is probably required. I am somewhat limited on space but I wanted to see if there are any suggestions for what I should invest in. I don’t want to go cheap if it’s going to be dangerous or short term but I don’t need top of the range either.

By the way, its amazing how the outlook on your surrounding changes. When I’m out for a run I’m spotting fallen trees that go back for. One of our normal forest walking areas, I bring a bushman and bag to bring home some nice pieces. Even the firewood I got delivered for the woodburning stove, I’m picking out all the nice bits, lovely dry oak and ash. Also, I realise that the shavings from the lathe make a great means to start the fire!
many thanks
Pab

kadman

Simplest space saving option is to mount a grindwheel on an arbour to suit your chuck setup, possibly.

What way are you chucking up the bowls.??

pab_lowe

Hi Kadman, I use a faceplate and a nova chuck for bowls. What is an arbour?

kadman

An arbour is a shaft that can have a grindwheel attached to it, and placed in
a chuck.

You could probably make some attachment of the wheel to the output shaft of the
lathe, when the chuck is removed.

Whats the TPI of the shaft??

pab_lowe

Hello again. What is TPI?
Is there anywhere between Limerick city and Ennis where one could get tools sharpened

bonzodog2

pab_lowe wrote: »

Hello again. What is TPI?

Threads per inch. A measure of how coarse/fine the screw threads are on the shaft the faceplate mounts on.

edit: for metric threads, the pitch in mm measures the same thing.