My Jumping Chisels,.. [Archive]

RETIRED

3rd April 2013, 07:34 AM

Gooday. The angle of approach is wrong. You are on the wrong side of the lathe. Chisel is being used wrongly. Tool rest is too high. Possibly wrong tool.

I could only watch a few minutes.

I would suggest that you join a club or buy Keith Rowleys book: Woodturning: A foundation course before you hurt yourself.

Mobyturns

3rd April 2013, 07:41 AM

& watch 's & Brendans clips...

dr4g0nfly

3rd April 2013, 08:31 AM

There is a French technique for turning from that side of the lathe, and I've see lefthanders do it with the lathe running backwards,

but... that's a white knuckle ride if ever I saw one! Do as says, join a club.

Randir

3rd April 2013, 08:46 AM

I highly recommend Keith Rowley's book, and the accompanying dvd (sold separately, unfortunately). They taught me all of the initial basics I needed to get started, although I don't use his methods of sharpening - I adapted my initial jigs from the plans given by Eddie Castelin on youtube and on his website (http://eddiecastelin.com/sharing_information).

If you can't/don't want to join a club (I never have) then you have to put in a lot of hard hours on youtube :q And also generally surfing the web. I'm no pro, but I've turned out a few nice pieces without ever having had a lesson

Rod Gilbert

3rd April 2013, 09:09 AM

As said you going about this all wrong. The way you are using the chisel for a start, you are using it as if it were a scraper not a cutting tool you need to use the bevel of the tool. Also looks to be the wrong type of gouge for small bowl work. You need some good instruction on how to go about this before you get into serious trouble.
regards Rod.

Paul39

3rd April 2013, 10:34 AM

A couple of hours of instruction will save you days or weeks of trial and error.

You can learn by looking at books and videos, but some basic instruction from someone experienced will give you a fast start.

Check out these folks: Glendale Woodturners Guild (http://www.woodturners.org/)

TreeClimberNick

3rd April 2013, 11:57 AM

This is funny to read. I'll explain. I've been an arborist for like a decade. I spend a lot of time on arborist forums and there are always guys that come along with downright dumb questions and people often ridicule them.

Now I'm the one with the dumb questions!

Thank you guys. I'll get the book, the DVD, watch the YouTube videos. And thank you for the link to the Glendale Club. I'll see if they are still active.

I didn't realize that the chisel choice made THAT much of a difference. I'll post a picture in a minute of the one I was using in the video.

Can you recommend what I should be using?

I feel like the guy that asks the arborists, "whenever I'm standing on a ladder and I cut a big limb it swings down and knocks the ladder out from under me. How do I make that not happen?"

Thanks for taking it easy on me!

Oh- here's a pic of my first project. I don't know how I did it. Beginners luck, I guess. 261184

This was a piece of apricot wood I had cut down earlier that day.

love
nick

robo hippy

3rd April 2013, 12:44 PM

Well, a one on one lesson would do best and/or find the nearest club, which would be just as good. In spite of you sharpening the chisel, it still looks like it is dull. The gouge is more of a continental type gouge, and can be used on bowls, but isn't really a bowl gouge. The flutes/inside of the chisel is more ( shaped, and needs to be more U shaped. When you turn the inside, you have the flutes straight up rather than at a 45 or so degree angle, which means you are using it more like a scraper. One reason for getting dust, and not shavings. Because it is more flat on the tool rest, it wants to roll into the cut and causes the catch. The inside of the bowl is more difficult to turn than the outside for a number of reasons. I also have a couple of clips up on You Tube if you type in robo hippy.

robo hippy

TreeClimberNick

3rd April 2013, 01:33 PM

Thanks you guys SO much! I have to say...this is a little funny. I'm an arborist and have been on the arborist forums for about a decade. Every once in a while someone new comes in with some dumb questions and some of the guys really let him have it! Now, here I am showing how green I am!!!

Thank you for your honest help. I've ordered the Keith Rowley book already on Amazon. Thanks, ! Should be here in a couple days. I'll look into the Glendale club. Thanks Paul39 for sharing it.

I will be honest- I am just making it up as I go. I've done 3 small bowls thus far (apricot, apricot, and lemon) and they all looked great when done, but then cracked like crazy. I'm reading up on how prevent that from happening. 2 methods that spoke to me most were putting the bowl in a brown paper bag with the shavings and I also read you can drench it in denatured alcohol and let it dry that way.

Yesterday on one of the catches, the piece flew off the lathe at HIGH speed. I was lucky it went away from me. That's when I realized I could get hurt. I do physical labor for a living. Injuries are not welcome! I decided I best seek advice from those in the know.

Thanks for your help. Your advice is well heeded. Thanks for taking it easy on me!

love
nick

Skew ChiDAMN!!

3rd April 2013, 01:34 PM

A couple of hours of instruction will save you days or weeks of trial and error.

Actually, a couple of hours will save us all a mountain of words and frustration!

Once you get someone capable to show you how, I'm thinking that within a couple of minutes you'll get the basic idea... and at the end of an hour you'll have forgotten that you did it any other way. :D

Mobyturns

4th April 2013, 08:20 AM

This is funny to read. I'll explain. I've been an arborist for like a decade. I spend a lot of time on arborist forums and there are always guys that come along with downright dumb questions and people often ridicule them.

Now I'm the one with the dumb questions! .........

love
nick

There are no dumb questions! It not so smart to not ask, but like most forums they wear thin after being asked so many times.

Tim the Timber Turner

4th April 2013, 01:00 PM

G'day Nick

I would be only too happy to personally teach you the basics of using a lathe.

Just send me a ticket and I'll be on my way.

Qantas business class preferred.:2tsup:

Cheers and good luck.

Tim:)

Brett Hammond

4th April 2013, 03:23 PM

Nick

I'll be in Santa Monica on the 15th-16th June. Can always spare an hour or so to give a lesson and let the wife fend for herself.

Brett

TreeClimberNick

4th April 2013, 04:02 PM

That would be SO awesome!!!!

love
nick

chuck1

4th April 2013, 06:40 PM

make sure you wear a dust mask!

robo hippy

5th April 2013, 04:04 AM

Nick,
You aren't the first to ask the same questions. Maybe the first one today. Loved your comment about knocking the ladder out from under one's self. I have people ask me all the time about taking down trees. I just tell them to go to You Tube and type in 'tree falling accidents'. If that doesn't scare them, then they are too stupid to deserve to live.....

Have fun. Sounds like you will have no problem keeping supplied with wood, and the turners at the local club will be best friends instantly.....

robo hippy

Christos

10th April 2013, 08:12 PM

Trent The Thief

11th April 2013, 12:15 AM

I'm a new turner. I'm having a problem working the inside of my bowls. Can you have a look at this vid and tell me what I'm doing wrong...

Jumping Lathe Chisel - YouTube (http://youtu.be/2iS9B20HIaw)

love
nick

Hi Nick,

Watch the videos in this playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQG6Zp_Rp1Uyr95JsDG0Vh9VgxAbOTYxZ

Youtube wouldn't let me post it there in a comment.

NCPaladin

11th April 2013, 04:22 AM

Watch the videos in this playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQG6Zp_Rp1Uyr95JsDG0Vh9VgxAbOTYxZ

1+ on the Lyle Jamieson videos. His full turning video is the best I have seen for explaining everything in detail. That is not to say others do things wrong, just maybe differently. I would try to learn one approach and then learn differences, maybe Grumbine, Jordan, Mahoney, and others. Turners have different approaches for tools, mounting methods, grinds, etc and many work as well as another. I know it can be confusing initially getting different approaches even though they all work.
For spindle work I would suggest Dave Hout’s Spindle Turning if you can find a copy.
This site has lots of links and they are vetted for safety. Just watching how others approach the same topic may help give you the basic but with the individual turners twist.
http://woodturningvideos.weebly.com/
I don’t disagree with any of the other suggestions either.

Trent The Thief

11th April 2013, 04:33 AM

1+ on the Lyle Jamieson videos. His full turning video is the best I have seen for explaining everything in detail. That is not to say others do things wrong, just maybe differently. I would try to learn one approach and then learn differences, maybe Grumbine, Jordan, Mahoney, and others. Turners have different approaches for tools, mounting methods, grinds, etc and many work as well as another. I know it can be confusing initially getting different approaches even though they all work.
For spindle work I would suggest Dave Hout’s Spindle Turning if you can find a copy.
This site has lots of links and they are vetted for safety. Just watching how others approach the same topic may help give you the basic but with the individual turners twist.
http://woodturningvideos.weebly.com/ (http://woodturningvideos.weebly.com/)
I don’t disagree with any of the other suggestions either.

His explanations are sharp and well presented. Being able to find them on YouTube was wonderful. I've ordered a DVD copy to have the whole thing. There are a number of great bowl turners out there, but what the say and show doesn't seem to stick as well in my mind as LJ's vids.

TreeClimberNick

13th April 2013, 03:17 AM

You guys are great! Thanks for sharing these resources!

I've become obsessed. At work I hurry so I can go home and practice. When it gets dark I watch videos on turning. I'm the organizing my garage to accommodate the lathe. I'm stock piling wood pieces salvaged from Los Angeles yards. Right now I have lemon, pomegranate, olive, plum, guava, ice cream bean tree, persimmon, cherimoya, and pecan. Hmmm- I think I have a preference for wood from fruit trees!

I'm excited to build my lathe stand. i bought a Kreg Universal Bench. Right now I'm using a table from our house and I have to bring it to the garage every day and clean it and put it back when I'm done. Can't wait to just roll the thing in place!

So thanks for the good info. Keep it coming. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call my 11am client and see if they can meet at 10 so I can get home an hour earlier!

love
nick

Trent The Thief

13th April 2013, 03:25 AM

Not a problem, Nick. We're all hooked and swirling down that slippery slope that is wood turning.

When you get green wood, use a couple coats of plain old latex paint on the end grain to moderate the drying. That will cut down on the checking/cracking. There's some stuff called Anchor Seal that you can order from Woodcraft. It's ~USD$23 a gallon + shipping. It will seal the wood in one coat, leaving behind a waxy surface. If you score your latex paint from the "Opps" shelf at your local DIY home center, you can usually find a gallon of latex for USD$7-10.

An arborist and a turner...

That's like asking a fox to guard the hen house!

TreeClimberNick

13th April 2013, 04:40 AM

The other day I saw this neat tree and I said to my wife- "wow! Look at that crooked branch! I bet that wood grain would make a great bowl!"

Her response?

"That lathe has turned you into a monster!"

I will admit- my heart hurts less these days when a client expresses the desire to remove a tree.

love
nick

TreeClimberNick

13th April 2013, 04:43 AM

Here's a bowl I made last week. It's lemon. The bottom sucks. I need to get some bigger jaws so I can fix it. Right now I "just" have the Nova G3. Is there something better I should consider? The one I bought is gonna get returned. To the store.

262888

love
nick

Trent The Thief

13th April 2013, 04:50 AM

TreeClimberNick

13th April 2013, 06:42 AM

Hah!!!! I'll let you know how it goes!

love
nick

Pat

13th April 2013, 08:11 AM

Nick, there is nothing wrong with the G3, for it's size, it's good for small to medium projects. To clean the bottom up, you can use "Cole" jaws, amongst other techniques. There are about 40 different Jaw sets for the Teknatool range. How about you also get a Supernova2 chuck and just buy more jaw sets.

What ever you do, you must be comfortable in doing it, if you have a feeling of unease about a technique, stop. Consult someone preferably, then look at it with the job piece mounted and lathe off, do a dry run.
Turning is a relatively safe hobby, when you know your limits, use PPE and don't try to rip the envelope:;
(Pushing the envelope is good, that is how we learn and improve, besides having artistic skill)

TreeClimberNick

13th April 2013, 11:57 AM

Thanks, Pat! I am considering the supernova2. I have a feeling I'll get it so I can try something different.

I'll google cole jaws to see what they are all about.

Here's a pomegranate (green) I just shaped

262926

And here is a Acacia melanoxylon that I rescued from the firewood pile. Sanded up to 400 grit, then finished with beeswax.

262927

I like it. It looks like its melting.

love
nick

Paul39

13th April 2013, 12:36 PM

See: Finishing the base of a bowl (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?163738-Finishing-the-base-of-a-bowl)

I like a jam chuck. See photos below. A groove in face plate mounted plywood or medium density fiberboard to snugly fit the rim. I made the groove too big and used pieces of tape to shim. Cloth or paper also works.

Fit bowl in and put tail center up to hold bowl in.Turn off and sand all but nubbin. Remove and cut off nubbin and sand and finish.

One can also tape the bowl on and finish the whole bottom. In this case I got tape goop on the bowl which I had to get off, removing part of the finish.

I bought the big jaws with rubber knobs for my Oneway chuck. The bowl was not perfectly centered and unless you have another chuck body changing jaws back and forth is a pain.

RETIRED

13th April 2013, 01:51 PM

Just a small tip about taping a bowl to a plate.

I don't use "duct tape" because it can stretch and the bowl can move a little bit.

Far better to use "gaffa tape" as it does not stretch.

TreeClimberNick

15th April 2013, 12:19 AM

Here's a small one I made of pomegranate!

263299263300

love
nick

Paul39

15th April 2013, 05:12 AM

Nick,

You are progressing very quickly. Nothing like practice to get better.

TreeClimberNick

16th April 2013, 01:46 PM

Thanks Paul!

Here's how obsessed I am.....

So I grab a piece of loquat out of the firewood pile. Cut it to length. Split it sortof squarish with a hatchet and load it up and rough out the edges.

263551

I started shaping it and its coming along fine...

263552

Once it was more or less done, I sanded it to 400 grit, then gobbed on some beeswax, and used brown paper to melt the beeswax and polish the piece.

263553

Then I took the far end off, repolished that end, then took off the end closest to the head stock, inserted the piece into the jaws (deep into the part that normally holds the woodworm screw) and got it centered, then polished up the other end-

263554

And what's it for? There's this stick that hangs on a string on our truck. It's a toggle for one of the big doors. The stick is the opposite of elegant. And it slips off sometimes...

263555

And I replaced it!

263556

Total project took about and hour and a half. Now I want to just open the door and toggle it!

I will be splicing a new piece of that yellow cord so that the cord matches the elegance of the toggle!

love
nick

Paul39

16th April 2013, 01:56 PM

You are hooked!!

All this time wasting silly stuff is what makes you more accurate and faster. Besides, it is fun.

TreeClimberNick

24th April 2013, 05:31 PM

Here's two I did today.

264682

264683

The first is an 8" willow (salix babylonica). This one was started last week. The wood is super stringy and loves to tear. I might have to turn it one more time before sanding. But I'm happy with where it's headed.

The second is a smaller 5" Italian cypress (cupressus sempervirens). It was a joy to spin after deal with the willow. I got great shavings of the cypress. I did make a boo-boo and drilled too deep for the woodworm screw. So now there's a hole in the bottom that I'll have to deal with somehow.

Either way- it was good practice!

That one only took about 45 minutes start to finish. I've spent hours on the willow.

love
nick