Thread: Need some advice

To move on from pens I think u really need to go to a turning class.

But better take some valium first.....all them old blokes that know everything tut tutting that a "woman" is in the place

Toni,
There could be many reasons why things happen.But is sounds like your crunching the wood up or maybe its a bit thin.

But if they fly out of the chuck check, how much grip do you have to start with. Always use the full depth of chuck jaws or at least match the depth of the angled tenon section of the jaws.

I use the wood worm screw on my SN2 for all my roughing out of bowl blanks. The only failures have been on real soft dry timber.
http://www.teknatool.com/products/Ch...SpurCenter.htm
Rough it out with a good base to match the dovetail on the SN2. Then do the inside. When doing the edge or lip of the bowl consider not only how it looks but also a shape that can be held easily by your Longworth Chuck.

Often I use power grip jaws.
http://www.teknatool.com/products/Ch.../PowerGrip.htm
but mostly the 100mm or 130mm dia bowl jaws on the base while doing the inside
http://www.teknatool.com/products/Ch...ries/130mm.htm
CL is a soft wood and going real thin is a bit dodgy.... as you have found
I never go under 3mm with it in general use.If you can make the bottom thicker so as to give more grip it will help to hold the bowl together.Also w it will make it more stable when its finished

Longworth chucks; I use mine just to finish the bottoms of bowls. I take light..real light cuts and take my time to finish here and use the chuck in compression only. Expansion is not really very successful...I know I have tried a few times

Some times on real thin and delicate bowls I put an old towel folded several times on the bed or place them in a cardborad box of similar size while I get organized.


Failing all that have a look at the links below
http://www.turningtools.co.uk/
http://www.woodturningonline.com/Tur...es.html#design

Part 1)
make mallets

Part 2)
ensure you have a shoulder on the wod which is butted up against the chuck. The bevel on the wood is only 1 part of a secure grip - the shoulder on the wood is the other part.

Non-serious Part 3)
tell the wood that it's going to be a pen. A very big pen; maybe even a short, wide, bowl-shaped pen, and it will probably cooperate

Cheers,
Andrew

Toni

What wood are you trying? I use mainly blackwood or redgum and on bowls i always use a face plate or face ring to finish the outside and then most times to do the inside i use the chuck in expasion mode. I have the hole about 6 to 8 mm deep and on the same angle (roughly) as the jaws on the SN2 chuck. I then finsh the bowl and to remove where the chuck is i use a longworth or donut chuck and most times i bring the tailstock up to help hold it until the very last bit then slowly, slowly and light cuts.

When i made a cyprus bowl it kept coming out of the chuck in expasion or contraction mode so finished both side on a face plate and machined more off the bottom using the Longworth chuck and tailstock.

Keep trying you will get it. i dont think you need to do the chuck up to tight either.

Good luck

Hi Toni,

You live in a big city now. Go find your nearest wood turning club and join up.
You will not be sorry that you did it.

Terry

All good advice, don't give up too easily. One additional thing to add, very important when hollowing to be certain you are above the centerline, as cutting below centre will create havoc. I know this from experience.

I originally went from pens to perfume holders, perfume sprayers, letter openers, nut crackers etc. I also tried clocks, bowls, plates, vases etc. These are all good items to practice turning techniques and finishes.

Cheers

Edit: I must be going nuts. Sorry Toni, I thought you asked another question.

Originally Posted by hughie

But if they fly out of the chuck check, how much grip do you have to start with. Always use the full depth of chuck jaws or at least match the depth of the angled tenon section of the jaws.

I'll argue against this... you don't want the piece to use the full depth of the jaws. For "standard jaws," which use a dovetailed tenon, there should be a square shoulder resting against the outside lip of the jaws. (see pic 1) If your tenon is too long then this shoulder doesn't rest squarely...
Attachment 63405
I should point out that although this shoulder doesn't "improve" grip as such it does increase the amount of leverage that can be applied before the piece is pried out of the chuck.

Edit: I just noticed Arose already said this. Smart man.

Also, Toni, you want to look at the diameter of the tenon you're using. Close the jaws without anything in them, until the inside edge makes a nearly perfect circle. Measure this, then add a couple of millimetres to allow for the dovetail. This diameter of tenon is what those particular jaws will grip best. (see pic 2) In theory, for 45mm jaws you want a 45mm tenon. For 55mm jaws, a 55mm tenon. I prefer to measure them myself, just to be sure.
Attachment 63404
I'll repeat: even though they'll hold other sizes, this size is where they grip best.

The same is true when you're using them in expansion mode, except you close the jaws until the outside edge is a nearly perfect circle and measure that... subtracting a couple of mm to allow for the dovetail.

Even with the best grip you can possibly have, you'll still encounter UFOs. This is where you start improving your tool technique to take light, quick cuts instead of trying to remove lots of wood quickly. One thing about turning: no matter how good you think you are, there's always something new to learn!

Hi Guys, I feel much better later on tonight. I am now proud owner of 2 bangles and 2 rings I have made tonight on the lathe without it flying out.

I am fine with small things that are close to the chuck like making the bangle I got it tonight. but for things like goblets or boxes well nine time out of ten it a goner.

as for joining the local club. I have done that. I am just having trouble with time.
bye Toni

Hi, Toni. My first bowl-bottom jigs were made from a plywood disk on a face plate (found in a woodturning book), with a groove turned to mate with the rim, then masking tape wrapped around to the back of the disk. I bypassed the Cole jaws and went directly to the Longworth chuck. But I still use the tape to prevent launching. Filament tape is a bit more robust. Two to four wraps of tape, missing the bottom by a few mm to permit a clean cut on the bottom edge. For cross-grain bowl mounting, a bowl gouge is more user-friendly. Joe

Originally Posted by lubbing5cherubs

Hi Guys, I feel much better later on tonight. I am now proud owner of 2 bangles and 2 rings I have made tonight on the lathe without it flying out.

And here I was just about to tell you how to make them.


Just remember, if I can make bowls and platters and boxes and bangles on my GMC lathe, you should be able to do thrice on a Nova.

Hello Toni, thanks for raising this thread, I too am wanting to turn other things, but you are way ahead of me. I think I will try to get an experienced turner come over and show me basics before i try anything-by basics i mean just putting something on the jaws! I know it will be simple when once it is done. BTW, show us a picture of those items you made, Amos good luck.

lidded boxes,salt and pepper grinders ,pot pouri thingys,clocks,40 year calendars, there are so many things you can do on a lathe,maybe we should have a post on (what you make) on your lathe
would be interesting to see what people make ,and also get ideas. dont give up .bob


_)

Originally Posted by lubbing5cherubs

Hi Guys, I am at a real loss. I am trying to branch from something beside pens. Made a bowl yesterday well it looked beautiful from camphor laurel. I could see it was thin as with the sun behind I could see the light. Well I went to load it up on the cole chuck so that I could finish the bottom well as I was lining it up I dropped it and the side came out of it. So today I tried to make a bangle I thought how hard could that be. Well it smashed in too pieces. Guys can you give me some really basic idea that I can do because at the moment it looks like pens is all I am destined to do. I have a nova 16-24 and I love to be able to use it full capacity. But every time I try to make something they come off the chuck and become flying catapults through the air. I have tried slow I have tried fast. I tried different angled on the bevel. I just don't think I got the wrist strength to get a tight fit on the chuck. So I am after some basic ideas that I can play with. I right at the moment is feeling quite beat by this bloody lathe and i love turning I just would like to make more than pens kind of waste my lathe a bit.
any suggestions I am just really bummed need some ideas because all of mine keep going to the chitter
bye Toni

My wood turning lathe experience is only what I did at high school many years ago ,we made spindles , salt and pepper shakers and stuff but I remember turning a wooden bowl , we had an old Woodfast if I remember correctly , it had a face plate with a wooden face on it amongst other tooling..
We cut our blank and made it as round as possible and marked the centre ,there was a screw in the centre of the face plate that just stuck through a little as a locator .
We cut some white paper and glued it to the face plate with pva glue and then glued the blank on top of that locating the marked centre on the screw and clamped it up to dry.

We turned up the bowl and and did the back of the piece as far as we could ,and did the finishing .Then we removed the face plate from the lathe and used a chisel to split the bowl from the face plate ,the paper under the bowl split in half.
Then we finished the bowl bottom with a no 4 plane.

I know this method dosn't meet the advanced technological standards of today ,but it worked for us .
Maybe this is worth a try .
Does anyone use this method today ?
I would be interested to hear if any one knows or uses this method still.

Kev.