Jumping Into This Turning 'Thing' Everyone Talks About! [Archive]

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 03:01 PM

Hello,

Been looking to get into turning for a while now, but never really found a second hand lathe or had the money (or MRS approval) for a brand new one :) Anyway, found one in the paper this morning and thought I'd hit the bloke up about it. And before I knew I had a lathe at home :2tsup: For the record, treat me as a bloke who really knows nothing about lathes or turning! True I did do about 10mins of work on the lathe back in school, but it hardly counts in my view.

So I got this lathe from this bloke this morning - it's a bit rough as you can see by the pictures; needs a serious clean and some lubricating....he said he bought it second hand years ago and has never used it since he bought it. Never seen so many dead spiders in the little cover that goes over the pulleys! haha. So I got the lathe, a set of chisels which have never been used (look pretty cheap too), 2 x scroll chucks (i think that's what they are) one is well on it's way rusting and the other isn't too bad, also the little cheap clamp on tool rest for the disc sander on the other end - $125. I really don't know too much about lathe pricing - did i do ok? On the front it's got "Brook Crompton Betts" on the front of the lathe - can't find any info about the lathe on the net....anyone know anything about this particular lathe or brand?? It seems pretty solid for a beginners lathe though....heavy as!

Couple of questions for all you knowledgeable lot:

- do face-plates usually come with a new lathe (I know mine isn't new, just curious!) or do you have to buy them?
- I have a bench grinder that i can use for sharpening - can you get those aluminium oxide wheels for sharpening from Bunnings? If not, where's the best place to head to?
- Can someone please point me in the direction of a simple homemade jig setup to aid in sharpening turning tools with the bench grinder?
- are safety glasses ok to start with, or should i look into getting a full face shield?
- there's probably more questions....but can't think of them right now!

Thanks everyone.

Cheers,

WILL

Manuka Jock

25th May 2009, 03:34 PM

Will , welcome to the asylem :2tsup:

Your two chucks are for a metal lathe . You could sell or swap then for a woodlathe scroll chuck .

About the lathe itself , dunno , but somebody will :U

cheers ,
Jock

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 03:35 PM

Your two chucks are for a metal lathe . You could sell or swap then for a woodlathe scroll chuck

Well that's handy isn't it! :doh: Shows how much i know...

Manuka Jock

25th May 2009, 03:40 PM

Well that's handy isn't it! :doh: Shows how much i know...

Hey mate , don't beat yourself up about it .
The first dedicated wood lathe scroll chuck was only produced 21 years ago.

Some turners still use wood in the metal ones.

Post those two chuck photos in the metal turning forum and find out about them

Skew ChiDAMN!!

25th May 2009, 03:41 PM

So I got the lathe, a set of chisels which have never been used (look pretty cheap too), 2 x scroll chucks (i think that's what they are) one is well on it's way rusting and the other isn't too bad, also the little cheap clamp on tool rest for the disc sander on the other end - $125. I really don't know too much about lathe pricing - did i do ok?

The price sounds fair. :) They're the great-grandfathers of the GMC lathes... and are more robust & usable than a GMC. They're pretty restricted in some ways though.

If you get bitten by the turning bug, odds are good that you'll want to upgrade soonish. But that's OK. That one will make a great linisher! (Mine did, anyway! :D )

- do face-plates usually come with a new lathe (I know mine isn't new, just curious!) or do you have to buy them?

They usually come with a faceplate.

- I have a bench grinder that i can use for sharpening - can you get those aluminium oxide wheels for sharpening from Bunnings? If not, where's the best place to head to?

Yes.

http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/shopfront/view_by_category?category_id=1107144917 is an alternative. (If you take up turning in a big way, get used to browsing Jim's site. :; )

- Can someone please point me in the direction of a simple homemade jig setup to aid in sharpening turning tools with the bench grinder?

http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/shopfront/view_by_category?category_id=1107144916

I'm partial to the Tru-grind setup, but even the basic grinding platforms (about $50) can make life easier.

- are safety glasses ok to start with, or should i look into getting a full face shield?

A full face shield is better, but I only use safety glasses as I can't stand face shields fogging up.

However, you should be aware that if you're hit in the glasses by a large lump, the glasses tend to make a mess of the bridge of your nose... DAMHIKT.

I've been meaning to buy a wire-mesh brush-cutter sheld instead, just gotta get a round tuit.

Juffy

25th May 2009, 03:57 PM

Been looking to get into turning for a while now, but never really found a second hand lathe or had the money (or MRS approval) for a brand new one :) Anyway, found one in the paper this morning and thought I'd hit the bloke up about it. And before I knew I had a lathe at home

You too, eh? It's weird how you go out one day and accidentally come home with a lathe. :) Yours looks a little prettier than mine (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=97065), but I paid about the same - only cranked mine up for the first time last week.

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 04:00 PM

Yeah Juffy, it's funny how things just 'end' up in the ute sometimes! I'm looking forward to cranking it up tonight and giving it a go, been quite a while since I turned anything.

Cheers,

Will

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 04:10 PM

Thanks for the reply Skew - so you reckon I'm better off just buying a simple jig to get me going sharpening then building something?

Now that I know I've got two metal work chucks, I'm interested to get everyone's opinions on scroll chucks. How much turning can I do and try out with out any face plates or wood chucks? What sort of money am I looking at for something half decent in the way of a chuck? They definitely seem like some serious dollars from the quick look I've just had. Hmmm....maybe better to keep an eye out for a second hand one?

Also, just having a browse through Carroll's Woodcraft supplies - man there is some gear there - I've noticed on the chucks that they say "choose an insert to go with your chuck". I'm guessing that is the insert which fits the thread of the lathe shaft? Seems like a lot of sizes to pick from there....how would I find out the particular details I need for mine?

Sorry for all the questions, but I figure that if I don't ask, I'll just take ages to get to the right answer and wood working related time is pretty scarce and precious these days! And everyone on this forum is very helpful too.

Cheers,

Will

terry arnold

25th May 2009, 04:27 PM

Gooday Will
I had a similar lathe until just before Xmas when I bought a better one from Carbatec.
the biggest problem I had was trying to find accessories with the right tread to fit the drive spindle so you might be able to remove the jaws from one of those chucks an turn it into a faceplate, that will solve 1 problem at least.

All the best with it and remember its all about having fun.

Cheers Terry

Manuka Jock

25th May 2009, 04:30 PM

Also, just having a browse through Carroll's Woodcraft supplies - man there is some gear there - I've noticed on the chucks that they say "choose an insert to go with your chuck". I'm guessing that is the insert which fits the thread of the lathe shaft? Seems like a lot of sizes to pick from there....how would I find out the particular details I need for mine?

Ask Tea Lady , shes' an expert ..... now :U

rsser

25th May 2009, 04:41 PM

Re homemade gouge grinding jig here's one design with links to others:

http://www.harderwoods.com/gougejig.html

For most of your tools a quality flat platform in front of the grinder will do the job. Jim's site has one or two listed.

Juffy

25th May 2009, 05:05 PM

Now that I know I've got two metal work chucks, I'm interested to get everyone's opinions on scroll chucks. How much turning can I do and try out with out any face plates or wood chucks?

Personally I'd answer another question first - what do you WANT to turn? I get the impression a lot of these guys are bowl turners, which leads to the focus on chucks, jaws and whatnot. But if you want to turn spindles (legs etc) you could wander along quite happily with a simple spur drive. And playing with short spindles is a good way to learn basic tool use without a huge threat of things disintegrating across the room at mach 2. :)

I did the same thing with mine - "oh hey, I need a chuck!"...then realised that my lathe came with a simple spur drive and a small faceplate, and I might as well see how far they take me before lashing out hundreds on scroll chucks etc. If you want to use a chuck, do as Manuka suggested and use your metalwork ones. *shrug*

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 05:09 PM

Yeah good points there Juffy. Definitely not going to outlay a couple of Benjamins just yet for a scroll chuck. I'm going to practice just with the spur drive just to get used to the things. But along the line, I definitely would like to turn bowls and the likes more so then spindle related items - even though there are plenty of things to turn with just a spur drive as you mentioned. Just read an article a little while ago about making your own face plates too, so might give that a shot as well initially.

Cheers,

Will

orraloon

25th May 2009, 05:29 PM

Welcome to turning Will,
Check out this site Wood turning lathe tips:techniques: woodturning instruction (http://www.aroundthewoods.com/)
A fair bit of info to get you strted.
Regards
John

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 05:34 PM

Thanks for those links Ern & John - there is a sharpening jig that looks pretty straight forward on that Around The Woods site which I might have a shot at making. I figure that if I can get the sharpening going pretty well at the start it'll help in the long run and I won't get discouraged with blunt chisels :2tsup:

Cheers,

Will

rsser

25th May 2009, 05:41 PM

No worries. Just bear in mind that you only need those jigs to put a 'fingernail' grind on a gouge. This isn't essential. You can sharpen a deep fluted or bowl gouge on a good grinder platform. That's a bit more difficult with a shallow fluted gouge in my experience; a swept back cutting edge gives you better clearance and a jig helps you produce one consistently and evenly.

Manuka Jock

25th May 2009, 05:46 PM

. If you want to use a chuck, do as Manuka suggested and use your metalwork ones. *shrug*

That was not what I said :no:

Juffy

25th May 2009, 06:08 PM

That was not what I said :no:

Some turners still use wood in the metal ones.

Umm...yeah, you did.

If you were suggesting it's a BAD thing, you might want to actually make that point.

Manuka Jock

25th May 2009, 06:20 PM

Umm...yeah, you did.

If you were suggesting it's a BAD thing, you might want to actually make that point.

Nowhere did I advocate their use . If you care to read properly , I suggested that Will sell the metal turning chucks , or swap them for wood turning chucks .

My reason for mentioning that they are still in use by some wood turners , because Will was thinking that he had made a mistake.
He may have been misinformed , by the person who sold him the lathe .

Skew ChiDAMN!!

25th May 2009, 08:18 PM

Just read an article a little while ago about making your own face plates too, so might give that a shot as well initially.

Please do! :2tsup:

Scroll-chucks are "the new kid on the block" and it wasn't that long ago that everything was either done between centres or on a faceplate.

Even if a faceplate isn't truly centred or planar, it's still usable. You can often just bolt a sacrificial disk to it and turn this disk round & flat for mounting other things onto.

It's all about the ingenuity of the turner. :wink:

issatree

25th May 2009, 09:10 PM

jackliveshere

25th May 2009, 09:43 PM

Hi Will,
Like they have all said, Welcome. Firstly, go to the local library, & maybe you can find some books on turning. A Keith Rowley book seems to be the best for Starters, can't think of the title right now, but someone will know, Richard Raffans book " Turning Wood " could be a help. Peter Child has one as well, but is getting a bit old now. There are also quite a few DVD's that are excellent. You will most likely grow out of the lathe you have & I notice your tool set as well, would most likely be Carbon Steel, as most of us now use High Speed Steel ( HSS ) Don't get a fright when you see the prices for most Turning Gear, so just buy a piece at one time.
By no means last, see if there is a Woody Club in your area, Approx. $35 for a years Subs. or someone may know of a Turner close handy. Well that is my lot.

REGARDS,
ISSATREE.

Thanks for the welcome. Been reading plenty on the net today, got a hold of a couple of books too. And I know where I can get a copy of Richard Raffans Turning Wood book & DVD :; There is a turning club up here in Townsville that I know of - so that is always an option too. I definitely think that the cheap-o turning tools are carbon steel, not HSS. But they'll get me going won't they?

Gave the lathe a quick going over tonight, everything works well, albeit some parts are pretty grimy and some decent bits of rust. But thankfully it runs pretty quite actually, which is great as I don't like running most of my woodworking machines past dark, but would probably run the lathe later then normal due to the lack of noise. Still chasing a grinding wheel to sharpen the tools before I get going, Bunnings was all out tonight so will have to look elsewhere tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to order online and wait a bit.

Cheers,

Will

Ed Reiss

25th May 2009, 11:27 PM

You too, eh? It's weird how you go out one day and accidentally come home with a lathe. :) Yours looks a little prettier than mine (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=97065), but I paid about the same - only cranked mine up for the first time last week.

...kinda "Twilight Zone'ish" that two guys get used lathes the same day and place similar posts on the forum:oo: ...anyhoo, welcome to the "darkside" of woodworking and the forums.

The advise that Rssr, Skew, and the others have offered up is right on. Your "metal" working chuck can be used to hold square pieces of wood for spindle work.

thefixer

25th May 2009, 11:42 PM

G'day Will and welcome to the forum.

Many of us started with a lathe very much like the one you have there. I got mine at bunnys for $99.00 a few years ago. I bought it for much the same reason as most did I guess and that was to try turning and see if I like it without spending too much money. I wish I had done it when I was your age though. Didn't take long before I was hooked and upgraded to a better lathe.But not one to ever let anything go to waste I transformed the lathe into a disc sander/linisher. First photo. And I used the banjo from said lathe to make a platform for chisel sharpening. It can be adjusted further and closer to the wheel, raised and lowered and rotated on the X and Y axis. One advantage of being a hoarder I spose. Made from what I had lying around the shed. Anyway, just a couple ideas I got from the very knowledgable members of the forum that you may want use.

Cheers
Shorty

Skew ChiDAMN!!

25th May 2009, 11:56 PM

Your two chucks are for a metal lathe . You could sell or swap then for a woodlathe scroll chuck .

I meant to add, earlier, that it might be an idea if he kept one of those chucks. (And sent the better one of the pair to me. :D)

Seriously! Maybe not in the beginning, but once he gets to intermediate levels of turning then an independent jaw chuck is a very, very handy thing to have.

The piece can be deliberately mounted off-centre for ornamental work, or if a blank has ovalled over time and needs remounting, well... this fits the bill nicely.

(I've been keeping an eye out for one to suit any one of my lathes at flea-markets, garage sales, etc. :wink:)

thefixer

25th May 2009, 11:58 PM

Hmmm, just had another thought. I wouldn't bother trying to find a scroll chuck for that lathe. Take Skews advice and learn to turn spindles and such between centres and other stuff on the face plate. Then when your hooked get a better lathe and scroll chuck. And don't put anything too big into it, those tube steel beds tend to flex a bit as does the tailstock. As Skew says DAMHIKT:oo:

Cheers
Shorty

RETIRED

26th May 2009, 08:54 AM

rsser

26th May 2009, 09:18 AM

Agree. Still a good read for not-so-beginners. Good stuff on jigs, drilling and fluting spindles etc.

jackliveshere

26th May 2009, 09:20 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys...this board certainly is a great help :U

But not one to ever let anything go to waste I transformed the lathe into a disc sander/linisher. First photo. And I used the banjo from said lathe to make a platform for chisel sharpening. It can be adjusted further and closer to the wheel, raised and lowered and rotated on the X and Y axis.

The lathe I have has a disc sander on one end currently. If I made a tool rest to go with it, could I just use the disc sander for sharpening turning tools? Seems nice and convenient right next to where you turn. Or should I just stick with going down the grinder route?

I meant to add, earlier, that it might be an idea if he kept one of those chucks. (And sent the better one of the pair to me. :D)

Seriously! Maybe not in the beginning, but once he gets to intermediate levels of turning then an independent jaw chuck is a very, very handy thing to have.

The piece can be deliberately mounted off-centre for ornamental work, or if a blank has ovalled over time and needs remounting, well... this fits the bill nicely.

(I've been keeping an eye out for one to suit any one of my lathes at flea-markets, garage sales, etc. :wink:)

Yeah was going to keep the better one of the two - as you have mentioned and others have indicated, all these things seem to come in handy. But if you are keen Skew, you are welcome to the other one even though it's not in tip top shape. Let me know if your keen and we'll work something out.

Hmmm, just had another thought. I wouldn't bother trying to find a scroll chuck for that lathe.

How come shorty? Remember I don't know a whole lot about these things...but don't you buy the scroll chuck and then get the correct insert to fit the shaft? Or do you think that there wouldn't be an insert to fit this particular lathe?

And don't put anything too big into it, those tube steel beds tend to flex a bit as does the tailstock. As Skew says DAMHIKT:oo:

What do you classify as big? This lathe as un-pretty as it is, seems like it's got a fairly rigid bed with some thick gauge steel for the tubing. Also, what is DAMHIKT??? Been trying to work it out since Skew said it in an earlier post :U

& Ern - is that the book by Keith Rowley??

Cheers,

WILL

rsser

26th May 2009, 10:33 AM

Yeah, K. Rowley Woodturning- a foundation course, or somesuch. www.skillspublish.com.au (http://www.skillspublish.com.au) carry it.

And yes, if you determine your spindle thread specs, then see if Vicmarc or Teknatool have inserts to fit their chucks. If not, you should be able to get 'blank' inserts from them and have a thread cut to suit.

Texian

26th May 2009, 01:56 PM

Guys,
Maybe I missed it, but do not see anything in this thread about turning speeds and the adjustment thereof. Probably Will could use some info on that subject. And whothehell is Jack (that lives there too)?

rsser

26th May 2009, 06:05 PM

True, but there's Google, and plenty of time.

madcraft

26th May 2009, 08:39 PM

Woodturning-A foundation course. Best learners book written in my opinion.

I agree its what I started out on and it explains in non-woodieturner speak

madcraft

26th May 2009, 08:46 PM

Jack

on the spec plate there should be a model # if you do a google on that number you should be able to find something { thats how I ended up here on the forum }
, your lathe looks like the old dynalink one {number on that was 99-something } I used to use I,m pretty sure it had a 3/4 " x 8 thread on it

Good luck with the turning , I've all but given away all other woody stuff but turning now and even that is mainly pens at the moment still a few bowls and boxes when I find a special piece of wood , I invested in a chuck even when I was unsure of how to use it or apart from the vague idea of doing bowls and boxes , I'm glad I did because it made me realise that I liked turning boxes without having to go out and invest in a new Lathe until I knew what I needed the lathe to do , I upgraded to a WL38 and never looked back

Glenn

jackliveshere

26th May 2009, 09:36 PM

on the spec plate there should be a model # if you do a google on that number you should be able to find something

Yeah that was the first thing I did when I got it home - came up with nothing; took that as a sign that the lathe was such an awesome piece of gear that no one wanted to stop turning on it to write about it on the net :laughing1:

Cheers,

WILL

jackliveshere

26th May 2009, 10:28 PM

Had a bit of time tonight to get into the lathe and clean it up a bit. A spanner didn't come with the lathe to fit the spindle, and couldn't find a spanner to fit on the spur centre which screws onto the spindle. That spur drive would not budge for the life of me. Closest thing I could find to fit was a collet spanner that came with one of my routers. Managed to finally get the spur drive off after about 30mins. Doing a quick measure I think my spindle is 3/4", but have no idea how to work out the other bit.....like 10 tpi or 8 tpi or whatever else I've read.

Still haven't got a new sharpening wheel for the grinder, but couldn't wait to try out the lathe! So I grabbed the closest piece of scrap timber (turned out to be a bit of the pallet from Weisyboy's Pallet Comp), slapped it on and fired er up. Twas 8pm at night, but I thought the hell with it, just give it a quick chisel to try it out. Man those cheap-o chisels are blunt! It was like trying to turn with the toolrest they were so blunt! Timber was just chipping out all over the place instead of cutting. But still, very cool :U haha, can't wait to get that wheel to sharpen up these tools and give it a good go. Having a look over those chisels though, man they are cheap as, maybe a $2 bargin from Overflow back in the day - so might have to get a mid-range HSS starter set sooner rather then later - any recommendations?

It's also a dog changing speeds on this lathe. I can't for the life of me loosen the motor and change the belt while the metal cover is open, I need to take the cover right off to do it. Any tips out there from you pros who have used older lathes?

Cheers,

WILL

rsser

26th May 2009, 10:40 PM

Onya Will for not letting minor matters get in the way ;-}

Re figuring out the spindle specs, there was a thread on this just a while ago so scroll through the headings.

There have also been posts about 'economical' sets of turning tools and about which you need for basic kit. The search function is your friend.

thefixer

27th May 2009, 12:31 AM

It's also a dog changing speeds on this lathe. I can't for the life of me loosen the motor and change the belt while the metal cover is open, I need to take the cover right off to do it. Any tips out there from you pros who have used older lathes?

Cheers,

WILL

To change speeds just push the belt across with your left hand while turning the shaft with your right hand one pulley at a time, and one V groove at a time if that makes sense. With the power disconnected of course.Its a fairly tight squeeze for a finger or two to fit between the belt and pulley. Oh, and the first thing I did was get rid of that bloody cover:oo:

Cheers
Shorty

jackliveshere

4th June 2009, 09:05 PM

Just thought I'd give an update on my discovery of turning :) Don't know if anyone is interested, but hey, maybe anything I work out with this particular lathe and turning can be used by other beginners.

A couple of pictures :2tsup:<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype class=inlineimg id=_x0000_t75 title=Tongue stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" alt="" src="images/smilies/tongue.gif" smilieid="653" border="0" v:shapetype o<>

Picture 1: I decided to lash out and get a starter tool set instead of using that junkie set that came with the lathe. I read on the forums of a half decent tool set that you can get around the place like Carbatec etc. Found basically the same set but in a half nice wooden box at A Man's Toyshop up here in town. Seems to have everything basic to get me going.

Picture 2: after a week of stuffing around town I could not for the life of me get a grinding wheel to sharpen up the tools. So I had it hit up old mate Jim @ CWS and got one sent up. Unfortunately just more waiting. Ah well, it's here now and on the grinder :2tsup: Also knocked up a quick sharpening jig in about 5 mins using scrap particleboard lying around. Man it's easy to sharpen those gouges with it. Just gotta build a tool rest now so I can sharpen my skew :think:

Picture 3 & 4: finally after nearly two weeks of getting set up and waiting for things to come I had some sharp tools and thought it was about time to try out a simple project. Had a lump of timber that I got from somewhere, don't know what it is though. Turned out a little mallet - timber was pretty dry and it was quite prone to chipout, so I found it challenging to try and get a smooth surface - did ok considering it was only the 3rd piece of timber I slapped on the lathe. What do you think? Came up ok? There are some tool marks from a few newbie mistakes, but they are on the other side of mallet :; Didn't put a finish on it as I just didn't have time tonight and wanted to finish up.

Picture 5: on the weekend I thought I better make a run to the dump with some rubbish - had a sissy little load though as I didn't have much garden rubbish around! But of course the ulterior motive was to go seeking out some 'free' logs from the dump green waste! Scored a couple as per the photo - i think that two are Mango, but I don't know what the other is, some red hardwood by the looks of it. Only had a bit of blue spray paint lying, so slapped that on to slow the cracking. Now I just have to work out where to get some more rubbish from to take another load to the dump and do some timber hunting :2tsup:

Thanks for listening!

Cheers,

WILL
</v:shapetype>

madcraft

4th June 2009, 09:59 PM

Good one Will

I've still got the first Candle holder I made , Your Mallet came up alright , Wheres the Mans toyshop in T'ville { Be up there in a month visiting Mum and might have a look } especially if Mr Rudd comes through with his July Package , How did you get on with the chuck and the spindle size { the way to work out the other bit is count the # of threads {turns} in and inch of the thread and thats the thread size eg if there are 8 threads in an inch of the spindle you have a spindle size of spindle diameter { say 3/4 x 8 tpi } I would say thats what it is as that was pretty much the spindle size when they put out those style of Lathes

Ed Reiss

4th June 2009, 10:19 PM

And the fun begins!

Yep, your well and truly hooked by the turning bug...you'll never look at a pile of firewood the same anymore!! :2tsup:

jackliveshere

4th June 2009, 10:32 PM

Wheres the Mans toyshop in T'ville { Be up there in a month visiting Mum and might have a look } especially if Mr Rudd comes through with his July Package

How did you get on with the chuck and the spindle size

Hey madcraft, A Man's Toyshop is in Langton Street (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=langton+street,+garbutt&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.038806,79.101563&ie=UTF8&ll=-19.267275,146.773095&spn=0.009905,0.019312&z=16), Garbutt. Got a reasonable selection of gear - not a great deal of woodworking stuff, but I'll take whatever I can get in Townsville!

Yes I did work out the spindle size thanks mate. It is 3/4" Whitworth (10tpi) - hopefully that'll help anyone else who picks up a similar lathe and is wondering! Can get inserts for most chucks from what I can see, but ain't got the cash at the moment to buy a chuck. My uncle has a 3/4" tap that I'll get off him on the weekend, then I'll make some of my own timber faceplates and various jigs. Still ain't got a steel faceplate either, so I'm limiting to the spur centre till I can fashion something out of timber.

And the fun begins!

Yep, your well and truly hooked by the turning bug...you'll never look at a pile of firewood the same anymore!! :2tsup:

Firewood? What's that?! haha. Been in Townsville for 22 years now and the only firewood I've ever seen up here was at a blokes BBQ and on this forum! haha. I'd love to live somewhere with a proper winter where we could have a fire going :D

Cheers,

WILL

Juffy

5th June 2009, 12:46 AM

Nice work, Will! Good to see I'm not the only one who's suddenly started finding excuses to go scrounging wood. The curse of the turning blanks... :U

Haven't had a lot of time to play with mine recently, but did find some lovely pieces of ghost gum left over from a council pruning...

Dodgyboy

5th June 2009, 11:56 PM

They are good chisels I have the very same set

Sawdust Maker

6th June 2009, 04:22 PM

And the fun begins!

Yep, your well and truly hooked by the turning bug...you'll never look at a pile of firewood the same anymore!! :2tsup:

or trees for that matter :D

jackliveshere

welcome to the wonderful world of making big bits of timber smaller and roundish bits. once you get into it, your excuse to go to the dump will be to dispose of your waste dust and curlies

oh and grab a carbitec cattledog so you can drool over lathes, chisels, chucks, jaws and other bits and pieces which are, no doubt, vital to every turners shed :cool:

jackliveshere

14th June 2009, 06:58 PM

Got some good shed time in this weekend which was awesome considering how little time I get these days! I was determined this afternoon to have a crack at a bowl. Pictures are attached. Just a little fella, made from some of that timber scrounged from the dump - I think it is Mango, based on the bark and the leaves at the dump, but can never be too positive. It is a very very light coloured wood though. What do you think? Not bad for first effort? Also do ya reckon it's Mango?

Don't have any chucks yet so did it all mounted on a glue block. After a couple of hours work into it I really wasn't looking forward to parting it off - still haven't mastered that! Anyway down to about an inch of wood left and the parting tool caught and the bowl separated at the glue line! Man I was packing it and going :upset: the bowl flew off and across the room and landing on the concrete - thought for sure it was going to smash everywhere, but only cracked the rim about an inch into it. i can live with that for the first effort! haha.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers,

Will

Juffy

14th June 2009, 10:32 PM

Oh yeah, it'll do for a first effort.... :U

Someone been teaching you, been reading books or did you just go "yeah, I know how this works" and whip out a bowl?

jackliveshere

14th June 2009, 10:50 PM

Oh yeah, it'll do for a first effort.... :U

Someone been teaching you, been reading books or did you just go "yeah, I know how this works" and whip out a bowl?

Haha, yeah you got my number Juff-man - read through a couple of books from the library and watched a few videos on you-tube and around the web at various places. Without doing that I'm sure my first bowl would have been a disaster!! I reckon the handiest video I watched on bowl turning was the Woodsmith video podcast called from log to bowl in under an hour (http://www.woodworkingonline.com/2006/12/22/podcast-7-bowl-turning-from-log-to-bowl-in-under-an-hour/). Didn't care at all for the presenter, but the main thing I got out of it was how to address my square ground bowl gouge to the timber, that is 'pushing' into the timber as he states & rubbing the bevel.

How's your lathe and turning coming Juffy?

Cheers,

Will

Juffy

14th June 2009, 11:52 PM

How's your lathe and turning coming Juffy?

*watches podcast*

Yeah, getting there. Actually replaced my original lathe with an MC1100 yesterday...the original one is a bit weak, shaky etc. Bought both off the same guy - he replaced his first one with the 1100, then found the one he really wanted and bought that. :)

Lack of time is hampering me a bit, but I've got some gorgeous pieces of ghost gum (which cracks like a bastard, just in case you wanted to know) waiting for a free moment. Been reading Richard Raffan's introductory turning book as well, very edifying.