Brand new turner questions...again

[Ashes]

Courtesy of Groggy, I have his old lathe sitting in my shop at home. A solid example of the generic MC900. I bought the lathe as a cheapish way of getting into turning and it should see me either through my beginner and intermediate years or until/if I lose interest in turning..

First priority is to get some turning lessons however.

Can I ask for some opinions on what I might find to be the most useful acessories and particular brands/models. No doubt I'll turn a few pens but also want to have a go at some bowls, furniture legs, handles etc.

I guess as a starting point I might need

scroll chuck
drill chuck
face plates
various drive and live centres

I don't mind buying good quality accessories if they hold their value and can be easily sold if need be. I'm asking now so I can start to keep an eye on the 2nd hand market sale opportunities.

[mick61]

G`day I would suggest a vicmarc scroll chuck vm 100 as for face plates at least 2 one dedicated for jam chucking you can get some nuts and some 6mm-10mm steel and weld some up your self or get a mate to do it for you a few beers.The lathe should have had a spur drive and live center,a hollow dead center if you want to make lamps.Join a club most clubs have some one who can teach you the fundamentals some have days that you can go and get some Free tutoring. What part of melbourne are you.Clubs are always looking for members.
Mick:D

[arose62]

No. 1: SAFETY!

Do you have a facemask and some protection against breathing in dust?
If not, then these should be at the top of your shopping list!

You've said "cheapish way of getting into turning", so how about seeing how much you can make without/before buying extra toys?

You can make a lot of stuff just turning between centres: mallets, gavels, toilet roll holders, ring stands, Christmas ornaments, snowmen, spinning tops, etc. etc.

Having said that, (and that was my approach), I do find my chuck spends most of it's time on the lathe. To choose a chuck, have a look at what accessories/jaws are available, check that you can get an adaptor to fit it to your lathe, and see if you can actually try opening and closing the jaws. Some chucks use 2 tommy bars (so you need a third hand to hold the wood), others use a single key to open or close.

Once you have a chuck, you can make your own faceplates out of wood.

If you have a drill press, you can probably use the chuck from it on your lathe (assuming they both have the same taper).

Hit your local libraries and bookshops - I've seen a book called "Workholding on the lathe" which shows a stack of ways of holding wood which don't need a visit to a shop, or to part with any $$$.

My most used accessory is a set of vernier calipers - you want to make a tenon that's a snug fit in a hole, you need a way to measure simply and quickly. On that note, a few cheap open-ender spanners make a great way to quickly turn to a known diameter - just grind the round outside of the head down until you get a sharp point with the inside edge of the head.

And for finishing your items, Shellawax from our sponsors!

Cheers,
Andrew

[Rum Pig]

I still consider myself a beginner and my advise would be get some lessons under your belt first, As you said you may not like it and you do not need to spend more money than you need. If however you do get addicted like me and many others you can then buy the extras as you need them. There is no point buy pen turning stuff if you do not like turning pens etc. so get those lessons first and go from there, they may even be able sell you second hand or cheaper new stuff. Either way hope you enjoy turning.

[Ashes]

Yep, got the safety covered with a full face shield and dust protection and workshop dust extraction.

Got tool sharpening covered as I recon blunt tools cause far more safety problems than sharp ones.

I'm not focussed on making money from this, I have a day job for that. Looking mainly to just get the enjoyment out of creating something from nothing.

I love reading so will definately get stuck into a few books over the next few months.

I live out in Melbourne's west so will start to have a look for a few clubs, any suggestions are welcome as well

thanks

[RETIRED]

Werribee Woodturners. Sorry, don't know a contact name but someone here will.

[Ashes]

Did a google and managed to come up with a contact of Brian Richards. Not sure if this is still current but sent and email and will see.

[arose62]

I'm not focussed on making money from this, I have a day job for that. Looking mainly to just get the enjoyment out of creating something from nothing.

When I started, I didn't know if I'd like turning or not, so I started with a real cheap-n-nasty lathe, and kept a total of what I'd 'saved' by totting up the prices of bought version of what I made.

Eg: toilet roll holder - $15 in Kmart (crappy and fell apart as I looked at it). My one $0 from free wood.

Once the lathe had "paid for itself" I let myself think about buying new tools/accessories/good wood/books/etc

BTW, what's your day job? Mine's IT, and making real things is a nice contrast to the intangibility of software.

Cheers,
Andrew

[Ashes]

BTW, what's your day job? Mine's IT, and making real things is a nice contrast to the intangibility of software.

Cheers,
Andrew

[TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC ON] I also work in IT (as a manager) and woodwork for me is a chance to wind down and absolutely an escape from the virtual world that is software development and maintenance [/TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC OFF]

I understand where you are coming from in looking at cost building yourself vs buying an item. I must think more in those terms, thanks. I paid for all my Triton kit (table, saw, router table + bits and pieces) by building an adjustable shelf system in our study (4.5m wide by 2.8m high) to house the kids toys/games etc. instead of getting it built. A biggish and time consuming job but not difficult. Still happy with how it turned out and still standing after 7 years and I still have the Triton gear I used!!

Not sure I'll get the same payback on wood turning. I recon my father is about $5,000 dollars out of pocket on wood pens which he catalogues, files and still collects more blanks for..Nice pens though!

[hingston]

The best thing I did when getting into turning was to go and get some lessons a the local TAFE. Learning from a book or a tape is not the same.

The most important part was to learn how to sharpen. Properly sharpened tools make turning much easier.

[joe greiner]

The best thing I did when getting into turning was to go and get some lessons a the local TAFE. Learning from a book or a tape is not the same.

The most important part was to learn how to sharpen. Properly sharpened tools make turning much easier.

And much safer too.

Chucks with tommy bars aren't so bad. Use the tailstock as your third hand. In fact, using the tailstock for recentering is almost always a good idea, no matter what is at the other end - exploit the divot formed by the drive centre. Chucks with tommy bars typically have a limited adjustment, and are substantially obsolescent, so used or surplus can often be acquired for a song.

Joe