Thread: The best 100 turning "tips"

Read this in magazine
If your chisels are not cutting and the lathe is running and your chisels are definitely sharp.
Your lathe is properly running in reverse

Do a final sand with the lathe stationary , rubbing in the direction of the grain .

Ted

Good one, Ted!

Along similar lines; don't be cheap with your sandpaper!

When 180 grit wears out it may only sand as fast as 240 grit, but that doesn't make it into 240 grit. It's still 180 grit, just doing a bad job.

Throw it away and use the right grit for the next stage of the job!

And:

HSS is not necessarily better than good quality carbon steel. In fact, carbon steel can hold a sharper edge for longer. It's just not as forgiving when sharpening.

Which leads to:

When sharpening, only take a couple of passes, don't overheat the tool and let it cool down for a few seconds between passes. Don't quench it, let it air-cool.

This isn't really necessary for HSS, but it's a good habit to get into; especially when you're using a mate's tools and he does have good quality CS tools. If you already sharpen as for CS tools, then you won't blue 'em and won't get your mate yelling at you!

From Wolverine Grinding Jig & Accessories

Professional turners have two distinct advantages over the hobbyist turner when it comes to sharpening tools:

• Professional turners have a lot more experience at the grinder, so are more qualified to sharpen tools.
• Professional turners have more experience at the lathe, so they are better equipped to handle tools which behave differently. If they don't get exactly the same shape on their tool after they grind it, they can easily compensate, while the hobbyist may have more troubles from their tools if they don't behave in a predictable fashion.

Too true and one statement that made me spend a fortune on sharpening equipment for students.

Now we are starting to get somewhere! Thanks people.

We've had lots of great tips, mostly on sharpening and sanding. Keep 'em coming and I promise to put it all together - for the next new guy. Poor bugger, but I hope he gets the bug.

What gaps are there? I don't see a lot of purely "turning" tips.

I recall one trip down to DJ's place at E. Warburton, when DJ was turning some S & P grinders out of fiddleback redgum, he tried the skew with a planing cut. Plenty of tear-out. Then he switched over to a bowl gouge (BTW, both tools Tormek-sharp) and no worries. I can't explain the theory but it worked. Another good tip for novices.

And some "cheating" ways would be good too - you don't necessarily have to roll tiny beads with a skew or gouge. Use the parting tool instead - thanks Ken W.

I'm sure you guys have some more secrets to share. Again, it may seem mundane to many of you, but not for those working alone without experience, not so.

Thanks again

Jeff,

You must have been reading my mind ( or whats left of it) I was just thinking today as I beavered away at the lathe that I have a few things that I've learnt and work for me.

• Lemon juice (99% pure stuff , not cordial) that can be purchased in plastic bottles at the supermarket makes the best hand-cleaner, better than any soap, also excellent for finding those little nicks and cuts!
• Tighten your chuck more than once at each tool point before you start.
• Maintain tail stock presure through-out the job.
• Worn out sandpaper only makes the timber hot - hot wood cracks.

Bruce.

If the timber is cracked, don't turn it. If you think I'm kidding look at my avatar

DONT

- keep a chisel under one arm whilst using another on the work.

DONT

- have chisels resting on the lathe bed - vibrations do happen.


I frequently see turners adopting such bad habits and it is only
a matter of time before a chisel drops and causes injury.

Allan

Sanding

• "never turn what you cannot sand" Vic Wood
• Use the 50% rule for choosing sandpaper grades; e.g. if you start sanding at P100 then the next grade to use would be 100 + 50% (50) = P150. Next is P150 + 75 (50% 0f 150) = 225 or P220. Next is 220 +110 = 330 or 320, and so on. I start at P80 then 120, 180, 240, 320, 500, 800, 1200....Tim Skilton
• When sanding, remove all traces of dust from the work before you move onto the next grade". (Dusty with an air gun, but it works!) DJ's Timber
• Take a handfull of shavings and polish the wood with it while the lathe is running on his highest speed. Wilco Flyer
• Do a final sand with the lathe stationary , rubbing in the direction of the grain. turnerted
• When 180 grit wears out it may only sand as fast as 240 grit, but that doesn't make it into 240 grit. It's still 180 grit, just doing a bad job. Throw it away and use the right grit for the next stage of the job! Skew ChiDAMN
• OZ hardwoods do not like heat. When sanding, slow the speed down to minimum revs. Sandpaper is meant to be used at or near to hand-speed. And if your fingers are getting hot, so is the wood - and it will/ may crack.. belllyup and jefferson

Safety

• Wear safety gear
• Don't wear ear-muffs when turning. Listen to the wood. If you hear a "tick", stop the lathe and find out why...."
• dont leave in your live center or drill chuck with a bit in it while hollowing out a bowl. Broda
• Not a good idea to drink and drive...also not a good idea to turn after having a few. Ed Reiss
• If the workpiece rattles, step aside before reducing the speed. bookend
• If the timber is cracked, don't turn it. funkychicken
• Don't keep a chisel under one arm whilst using another on the work. Allen at Wallan
• Don't have chisels resting on the lathe bed - vibrations do happen. Allen at Wallan

Turning

• The Universal Turning Truths Russ Fairfield
• "if you decorate with lines, only use two, otherwise you have to measure" Vic Wood
• Ken W. was showing me how to hot melt a piece for a box onto a waste block. He first put a centred dimple in the piece at the tail-stock end, brought the tail stock up, ready to go. Then he put hot-melt on the waste block, leaving a gap in the glue for the air to escape, then quickly bringing the tail-stock up to "clamp" the wood on the waste block. Because of the dimple, it went in dead-centre.
• If you applying a large amount of hotmelt glue soften with a heat gun just before contacting it with the mating piece.
• Also hotmelt glue doesn't like shiney/slick surfaces a few stokes of 60g sand paper gives it a key to bond too.
• If you can't see it, you can't turn it. Skew ChiDAMN
• When hollowing "manually", the tailstock makes a good support for your right elbow. Texian (Richard)
• If you have a catch, switch off the lathe and turning it by hand do an "autopsy" on why it did it.
• To test if a blank has been roughed down to round, place the back of the roughing gouge on top of the blank while it is still spinning. The sound will tell you quickly if it is round yet or if there are still some flats left. Works for both spindle and half-log bowl blanks. Saves time turning the lathe off to visually check or applying the hand to the spindle before it's round.
• Tighten your chuck more than once at each tool point before you start. belllyup
• Maintain tail stock presure through-out the job. belllyup

Scrapers

• The sharper the scraper, the more delicate touch you need

Bowls

• Before turning the inside of a bowl, drill a depth hole with a twist drill (shallow point). Then you don't have to check every few minutes to see if you have reached the bottom yet. Texian

Skew

• Don't expect to accurately turn beads with the skew 100% of the time. For beginners, the spindle gouge is a much safer option

Chucks

• If you can't afford two decent chucks, buy one with two different sets of jaws. Put up with the inconvenience of changing jaws. Or learn to use faceplates". Sources: too many to mention, starting with Ern and Ken W.
• When purchasing a lathe (or chuck), ask the retailer to demo the item before you hand over the cash. Check out whether the head and tail stocks align. For chucks, make sure there is no run-out. Ed Reiss.
• Preferably, use a chuck in contraction rather than expansion mode. And ensure that the tenon (almost) matches the 'round' diameter of your chuck. Use a bigger chuck for bigger work. (Source, Vicmarc manual, , Ken W, Calm..... and a long list thereafter)

Sharpening

• Time spent on sharpening tools is never wasted; it becomes time saved while turning. Skew ChiDAMN
• Digging requires muscle power. Turning requires sharp tools. bookend
• If it's not cutting well it will not magically get sharp on it's own...stop and sharpen it. Ed Reiss
• When sharpening, only take a couple of passes, don't overheat the tool and let it cool down for a few seconds between passes. Don't quench it, let it air-cool. This isn't really necessary for HSS, but it's a good habit to get into; especially when you're using a mate's tools and he does have good quality CS tools. If you already sharpen as for CS tools, then you won't blue 'em and won't get your mate yelling at you! Skew ChiDAMN
• Professional turners have two distinct advantages over the hobbyist turner when it comes to sharpening tools:
• Professional turners have a lot more experience at the grinder, so are more qualified to sharpen tools.
• Professional turners have more experience at the lathe, so they are better equipped to handle tools which behave differently. If they don't get exactly the same shape on their tool after they grind it, they can easily compensate, while the hobbyist may have more troubles from their tools if they don't behave in a predictable fashion. From Wolverine Grinding Jig & Accessories

Maintenance

• if you find your toolrest/tailstock hard to move, instead of buying fancy smanshy extra virgin, homogenised, depulped and expensive waxes for it, just rub a bit of greaseproof paper over your bed. works really good.
• There is no such thing as a sacred toolrest. File it smooth. bookend

General

• Woodturners are artists and craftsmen who share unlike many other artists, an unselfish lot. So be sure to listen, watch, ask and give back.
• Lemon juice (99% pure stuff , not cordial) that can be purchased in plastic bottles at the supermarket makes the best hand-cleaner, better than any soap, also excellent for finding those little nicks and cuts! bellyup

Originally Posted by bookend

...


Another one on a similar line to Skew's:

Sight is not the same as vision.

very very insightful

Groggy, well done!

Thanks a heap.

I'm sure we can get some more tips, but that is a great summary thus far.

Can I add (or amend earlier suggestions) to one under the sanding heading:

"OZ hardwoods do not like heat. When sanding, slow the speed down to minimum revs. Sandpaper is meant to be used at or near to hand-speed. And if your fingers are getting hot, so is the wood - and it will/ may crack.

Moral to the story is take your time, have a cuppa (or beer) when you start at the high-end grits. And spend as much time with your finishing as your turning". (Sources too many to mention, all from the Board).

Or is that too long-winded?

(I learnt this one after cracking the base of a nice blackwood box. Of course, I asked the question here and the forum answers came flooding in within the day. ).

Enough said.

That's what this thread is about - for me anyway. Helping the next aspiring turner along his or her way.

Another one:

"When you start turning, take lessons from at least two respected (but different) turners. A "production" turner is a good start. Both will teach you different ways and give you alternatives to what suits YOU."

And yet another:

"Don't expect to accurately turn beads with the skew 100% of the time. For beginners, the spindle gouge is a much safer option". (Again, too many sources).

And another:

"If you can't afford two decent chucks, buy one with two different sets of jaws. Put up with the inconvenience of changing jaws. Or learn to use faceplates". Sources: too many to mention, starting with Ern and Ken W.

And another:

"When purchasing a lathe (or chuck), ask the retailer to demo the item before you hand over the cash. Check out whether the head and tail stocks align. For chucks, make sure there is no run-out. (Source: Ed Reiss).

And another:

"Preferably, use a chuck in contraction rather than expansion mode. And ensure that the tenon (almost) matches the 'round' diameter of your chuck. Use a bigger chuck for bigger work. (Source, Vicmarc manual, , Ken W, Calm..... and a long list thereafter).

More tomorrow, no doubt.

There is so much to learn and tell......

(Tea Lady, where is your entry on turning finials?)

Truth be told, I probably have all the gear anyone would need. But I think newbies on a tight budget need some advice from expert turners that turn well "on a budget". (That's you Andy, so do tell some more!)

What if all you can afford is a $1000 lathe? Please, tell these potential new turners all the pitfalls. The pros and cons of fixed v. variable speed etc.

I am blessed, I know it, but even with all the gear - without the knowledge - it makes little difference. Sure, I love my LB VL300 and Calm's Stubby 750 but that's not "entry" level.

So let's continue and try to add to the forum "corporate knowledge bank". The advice doesn't have to all agree.

No grammer or spell check here, so I hope the above makes sense.

When turning wood held in the chuck, always allow extra waste for parting off or reverse mount to finish the base. Do not try to turn right down to the jaws.

It's not good for the jaws, the tool, the tool-rest or your fingers when steel touches steel.

Originally Posted by jefferson

(Tea Lady, where is your entry on turning finials?)

Its there isn't it?

Here's a tip or two.
A small point but not actually said yet: if the sand paper is getting hot its probably not cutting anymore. Its rubbing. So move on to another spot. Will help the wood not get so hot.

To get the feel of an action or nack of doing something, do it a lot. Don't be afraid of feeling like a production turner. If it can become second nature that is when you can turn that beautiful one off peice out of that amazing piece of wood without stressing too much, and without wrecking it. (This comes from my pottery days. I had a part time job throwing pasta bowls. After a couple of hundred I nearly felt like I knew how they went. ) And its good being able to just think about the form and design, not the technique. And it IS in fact enjoyable and relaxing.