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Advice thread for Novice Woodturners.

  • 05-11-2016 9:07am
    #1
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    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.


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭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!


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭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:)


  • Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 456 ✭✭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


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,462 ✭✭✭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 :()


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


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

    different spindle sizes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭woodturner


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭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 !!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭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 ??


  • Registered Users Posts: 557 ✭✭✭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


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,975 CMod ✭✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,462 ✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭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


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,975 CMod ✭✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭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!!)


  • Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭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?


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭delaney001


    woodturner wrote: »
    Are you using it with an insert?

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


  • Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭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.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭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


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭delaney001


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


  • Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭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.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,975 CMod ✭✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭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.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,975 CMod ✭✭✭✭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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭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?


  • Registered Users Posts: 557 ✭✭✭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


  • Registered Users Posts: 431 ✭✭delaney001


    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.


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  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.


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