Thread: Jumping Into This Turning 'Thing' Everyone Talks About!

Originally Posted by Juffy

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

That was not what I said

Originally Posted by Manuka Jock

That was not what I said

Originally Posted by Manuka Jock

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.

Originally Posted by Juffy

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 .

Originally Posted by jackliveshere

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!

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.

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.

Originally Posted by issatree

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

Originally Posted by Juffy

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, 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 ...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.

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

Originally Posted by Manuka Jock

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. )

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. )

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

Cheers
Shorty

Originally Posted by issatree

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.

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

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

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

Originally Posted by thefixer

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?

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

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. )

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. )

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.

Originally Posted by thefixer

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?

Originally Posted by thefixer

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

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

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

Cheers,

WILL

Yeah, K. Rowley Woodturning- a foundation course, or somesuch. 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.