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Apologies Rorschach, I didn't read your post attentively enough before replying with the same method myself. Good to see that the problem has been solved! Rob.

What you need perhaps is something like this: You mount the wrench on the tap, then put this thing in in the chuck, engage the point with the hole in the back end of the tap and bear down on the quill with one hand whilst turning the wrench with the other. It gives the tap enough support to...

You can get a 0.4-4mm Jacobs style chuck for £7 from ARC Eurotrade and an arbor to match for a further fiver. I suspect that would be more accurate than any 'chuck in a chuck' arrangement unless they were both very well made. The chuck Garno linked to at the top of the thread is almost...

Thanks Mark - that makes sense. Peering more closely at the pics in Rowley's book it looks like the Coronet 3 (dual round bar bed) has a two-part arrangement as you describe, but I don't think he makes any distinction between the the two parts. Obviously his aim is to teach turning, not DIY...

Thanks. I think I'll go for a round rest then as it's easy to make and it sounds like it should work. The first steps in learning a new thing are always difficult - so much one doesn't know, and then the anxiety about the stuff you don't know you don't know... A new vocabulary goes along with...

Thanks for replies and sorry for not getting back earlier. The Rowley book arrived yesterday and I have been reading it avidly, as well as doing other research. J-G - I have indeed been told that that metal working lathes are unsuitable for wood working, and I didn't believe it. I once told a...

Not yet Jacob - I was was waiting on the arrival of Keith Rowley's book arrived before making a decision. It came today and I am eagerly reading. Thanks for your offer - I'll PM you. Apologies to the OP for off topic content! Rob.

Well, coal has a density of about 1.3 tonnes per cubic metre. So half a tonne would occupy about 0.39 cubic metres if compressed into a single lump. James' 32" bunker (assuming 48" height) would be 0.81 cubic metres. So the coal would fit in given a packing fraction of 0.47 or greater. The...

I work mainly in metal, but I'm dipping my toes into the into the scary sea of of wood turning. I don't have a wood turning lathe so I'm seeing what I can do with an engineering lathe. I'm waiting on delivery of Keith Rowley's lathework book before buying cutting tools, but in the meantime I...

Ah, thank you scooby, I see. I'm going to hang fire on this until the Rowley book arrives, but my thanks to all who have given advice. I'll be back I expect! Rob.

Thanks Phil. I've ordered Keith Rowley's book from your link. Weirdly they say that that it will be dispatched within 24 hours and arrive somewhere between 11th-22nd Feb. Maybe it's coming from foreign! I don't understand your comment about tangs - surely all hand-held cutting tools need a tang...

Thanks Fester. I often use carbide tipped tools for metal mangling, but they're nowhere sharp enough for wood and I didn't think that would be transferable technology. But having looked around it seems that it can work with the right tips! As they're so cheap, and I can make my own holders I...

I'd steer clear of the B&Q stuff - I once bought some from them and it was pretty horrible to work with and ended up in the recycling bin. Like you I was nervous about approaching industrial stockholders for small quantities, but when I screwed up the courage I found they were OK - sometimes...

Hi Scooby. I did indeed use the skew on the face in my ignorance! I got the bevel running smoothly on the face then I twisted the tool until the heel started cutting and sort of planed from outside in. It seemed to work well - the trouble started when I tried to cut the chamfer. I think that...

Thanks Scooby - I haven't yet bought a gouge (still waiting for something on eBay/Gumtree to come up), so I was interested in your recommendation of the Axminster. £40 is at the top end of my budget for a single tool, but if that's what a decent tool costs, that's what it costs. When trying to...

Simon - you have anticipated my next question. I'll go for a 3/8" then if I buy a single tool. You are right that I don't want to do loads of wood turning - it's really in support of my metalworking activities. Of course the bug may bite then I'll have to find space and money for another...

Thanks Robbo - I'll look around for a reasonably priced bowl gouge then. I'm thinking £20-30 would be the sort of price to pay for a half decent gouge? So much stuff out there! I have grinding equipment, so no problem re-profiling as you suggest - thanks for the tip. Robin.

Sorry if these are naive questions, but I have to start somewhere... I'm primarily a metal worker, but recently had to make some wooden plinths to wall-mount a project: I turned these from square blanks on a metal-turning lathe using the 'knife tool' shown. It went surprisingly well...

Hi Alan. In the UK RDG tools do a couple of B16 keyed chucks - I think Axminster Tools do them also. My own experience is that keyless chucks can be fine - I have a Rohm in my lathe tailstock which has never slipped or bound up even drilling steel to 18mm. But it was pricey! I use keyed chucks...

I'm doing battle with with an old house. There are many challenges but I'd hoped to defer the kitchen door until I'd gained more confidence. For reasons to do with a dog it's become more urgent, and my wife proudly came home with a a ledge and brace door which might do the job - it's about the...