Thread: Help needed on Wood Turning Chisels

Originally Posted by Christos

Great news to locate a club. Hoping you will find them helpful.

Yeah, really looking forward to it.

I started making the mobile base for my Lathe today. At the pace I work, it will be an antique by the time I finish it, but then
"My lathe is mounted on an antique mobile lathe base" doesn't sount too terrible .... Does it?


Steve

[QUOTE=Ticky;1784025]JUST RECEIVED MY NEW ROBERT SORBY'S FROM JIM CARROLL

Thanks Jim. They look beautiful. I'm too scared to use them now.

I have also found a club and I'm going along on Saturday.

Steve
Attachment 317303[QUOTE]

Take the tools with you and get a little instruction on sharpening. They will be more beautiful after the finish is half worn off from being used.

I do understand how you feel. I had bought an almost new Easy Finisher for $90, still in the plastic case. I treated it with reverence until I had a spectacular catch on the big Woodfast which knocked a chip out of the tungsten carbide bit and put a nice notch in the pretty stainless steel shaft. Now it is just one of the tools I grab when needed.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j...03279486262074

Funny isn'y it, I paid $250 for an old Radial Arm Saw, bought a new blade for it, made a mobile trolly with folding wings for it & set it up all true & square & couldn't wait to try it out.

Now I pay $240 for a set of Chisels, & I don't want to scratch them. Somwhow, $240 for a set of Chisels seems to have more value than ONLY $250 for this great secondhand piece of machinery..... Go figure


Steve

I went to the club yesterday & met the people, they all seem friendly & keen to welcome new members. I learnt how to sharpen turning chiesels & the bloke teaching me is a Ret TAFE woodwork & Turning teacher.

Unfortunatly, the bloke teaching me was in very high demand, so this is all I got done all day. Anyway, I have my lathe, I have my Chisels, so I'll get out & have a bit of a go myself.


steve

Originally Posted by Ticky

I went to the club yesterday & met the people, they all seem friendly & keen to welcome new members. I learnt how to sharpen turning chiesels & the bloke teaching me is a Ret TAFE woodwork & Turning teacher.

Unfortunatly, the bloke teaching me was in very high demand, so this is all I got done all day. Anyway, I have my lathe, I have my Chisels, so I'll get out & have a bit of a go myself. steve

That is OK. You learned one thing this trip. After you have turned for a bit you will have a question and can be shown or an explanation given. Then you go home and turn some more, which will raise another question.

At some point you will be able to ask a question here, and having enough hands on experience to ask a good question and understand the advice.

After a while you may outgrow the need for a club, other than the companionship.

Originally Posted by Paul39

That is OK. You learned one thing this trip. After you have turned for a bit you will have a question and can be shown or an explanation given. Then you go home and turn some more, which will raise another question.

At some point you will be able to ask a question here, and having enough hands on experience to ask a good question and understand the advice.

After a while you may outgrow the need for a club, other than the companionship.

To be honest Paul, I'm not really a club kinda bloke. I was once a member of a Shotgun Club, Simulated Fiels & Game, & I loved that & I was also a member of a Sport Fishing Club, but my best mate that shared the same interests has crossed the great divide, & it doesn't hold the same appeal for me any more. I used to ride, GPZ750R, but had no interest in joining a club.

I think it's a bit selfish of me, but I prolly wont stay on, however, I have a reasonable collection of Vids that I will donate a copy of, as I dont want to take & give nothing back, & I will help out in any way I can.
But who knows, I might get bitten by the bug & become a regular.

I think I will go & buy a 100mm (4") Scroll Chuck tomorrow. Leda have one for $160 & I wasn't sure about it but the guy at the club recons its a goer so who am I to argue.

I know there are better ones around, but I'm skint so Leda's will do for now.

Steve

I bought my Scroll Chuck today, & then I shot up to Carbatec & grabed a Pen Turning Mandrel.

I Bought a PKMS2SET. Not sure if this is a good one or not, but it looked a bit more robust than the cheaper one. I also bought a bag of 5 Pen 1 kits to get me started.

mandrle.jpg


I am also keen to have a go at a small bowl. I have some nice bits of tree that I have been collecting so it seems I really should try & do something with them.

It's been a couple of weeks now since I bought my cheap lathe and after throwing about 3 times the original purchase price at additional required equipment, I think I am finally ready to plug it in & see if it spins.

I'm as keen as Mustard to have a crack, but like everyone, I have to find the time.

Steve

I am also keen to see your first turning even if is just a practice piece and shavings.

The first piece that I made was a snowman after heaps of cuts on scrap to make heaps of shavings. It was a very simple design and the proportion not quite right.

Then I made a second one much better this time. I thought I was on a roll so onto my third attempt as you can guess worst than the first. I fixed it by turning this into shavings. What I am getting at is you have outlay a lot of funds into wood turning and not made any shavings. Don't be discouraged if your first pieces don't turn out so well. We are all at different levels of this craft we call wood turning (Wood Working).

Above all have fun.

Originally Posted by Christos

I am also keen to see your first turning even if is just a practice piece and shavings.

Above all have fun.

Thanks Christos,

I had a day of supervised pen turning about 18 months ago, so it will be my fist time solo. I'm a little worried that I wont remember how to set it all up, but with a bit of luck, it will come back to as I go. I'll try & cut a few blanks later & maybe get them drilled & Glued.

I have been watching some You Tubes on Basic Bowl Turning so I want to have a crack at that. I prolly should get a bit of instruction first, but we will just have to see what pans out.


Steve

Well Christos, here it is.


"Dad... I dug a hole" (Pick the movie)

turn 1.jpgturn 2.jpg

They are about 6mm too long, Whats the best way to approach this problem?

Steve

Originally Posted by Ticky

Well Christos, here it is.


"Dad... I dug a hole" (Pick the movie).....

Tell him his dreaming.

Originally Posted by Ticky

They are about 6mm too long, Whats the best way to approach this problem?

Longer is good. Or so they say. A longer blank does help in many ways (drilling and CA finishing) and is often only an issue when you a trying to align grain or pattern.

Search the forum for “squaring”, “squaring off” or “trimming” and you’ll find lots of threads on the subject and a number of ways to handle things.

Pick one method that suits your gear on hand and maybe think of changing when or if you gather more toys. Actually, that will be when not if.

Finished body/blank/tube length is critical on some pen types so try not to take too much off.

Did you seal the tubes before glueing ?
I didn’t notice anything blocking the tubes to keep excess glue out. Some people use dental wax. I pour a thin layer of paraffin wax (because I have heaps on hand) onto a sheet of baking paper, which I re-melt and re-use over time. Potato works too. Either way, it’s easier to keep glue out first than to remove it afterwards.

Check out better pen making sources than carbatec. Their range is limited compared to the many other options, many of which are also WWF sponsors.

Thanks Dabbler, Ill check that out.

I didnt seal the tubes, & fortunatly, I didn't have much of a problem. Gotta have a bit of luck now & again ... Hey?

I was checking out a few You Tubes last night & I saw a bloke that uses a couple of Nylon blocks on his Drill Press to assemble his pens. I thought this looked like a good idea & a lot cheaper than buying a pen press... Any reason why this should not be used?

This is a very interesting learning curve

Steve

Hi ticky,
I ain, t no pen maker but could you use
your lathe and wind in the tailstock , as a press
just a thought!