G’day From south west VIC

Hey I’m Brent 26yrs old and just got my second lathe had one when I was younger but didn’t motivate myself to use it and just recently got one given to me just a cheap GMC one. Got a few old tools from the op shop and had a shot at making a baseball bat as you do turned out pretty crappy but it works haha. Now I’m addicted to making things 3 days down and I’ve got a bat 2 spinning tops and a mini shot glass. Always wanted to make a bowl might need some better tools though. Where does everyone get blanks from for turning? I was going to get a few old bits of hardwood 90x45 and glue them all together with dowel but I’d really like a nice big chunk of jarrah or red gum any ideas where I can acquire such timbers at a reasonable price? Cheers Brent

Welcome.

Welcome to the forum Brent.

Regards
Keith

Welcome aboard Brent

Welcome to the forum Brent.

Ross

Welcxome to the Forum Brent. You will find heaps of knowledgeable woodturners on here willing to give you info
as you get into the hobby. It is many years since I visited Mortlake but would think there is a local woodyard in
the near vicinity. For a couple of dollars buy a redgum flitch with a mix of heartwood and sapwood and give it a go.
I purchased some from my area and sold them to my club members for the same price ($2 each). Lots of fun!

Welcome Brent. I know what it's like when you first get into woodwork/woodturning, you wonder where everyone gets their wood from. If you let people know you are after wood you will find that lots of people will have bits and pieces they will offer you and you are more watchful when travelling around looking for wood that is just laying around.
Be careful not to get something that is too large or heavy to put in a GMC lathe as it doesn't have much weight in it and the lathe will start to vibrate badly if you have something out of balance which they will normally be when you first mount it.
If you end up gluing pieces together get the faces that are to be glued together nice and straight so there is no gaps when you place them against each other. Forget about the dowels as they are not required and will only restrict how you turn your piece so they don't show up. Use a good quality PVA glue (Selley's Aquadhere or Titebond 1 or 2) and coat both faces to ensure you get a full contact of glue. Clamp the pieces together for 24 hours to ensure full strength is reached. If done correctly the glue will be as strong if not stronger than the wood.
The lathe you have got will get you started but you will soon find that a lathe with a cast iron bed etc is what you will need to move up to should you get hooked on this hobby as the weight and strength will reduce the vibration and flex considerably. Having a morse taper in the tailstock and headstock is a major advantage which you won't have in the GMC.
Good luck with your turning and put some photos in the Woodturning forum so we can watch as you progress.

In Mortlake?

Yes necromancer I am in mortlake are you local?


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G'Day & Welcome to a top forum "Brent",
There are a stack of members in Melbourne & across Victoria plus the rest of the world.....
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [Work In Progress] photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork.
Cheers crowie

Sorry for the late reply, I'm in Ararat.

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