An attempt was made . . .

[Tris]

This is why chopping boards should still be wooden!

I admit to taking the Keith Floyd approach to rolling pins, first take a bottle of red...

 

[Andy's Shed]

I was going to ask if Oak could be used for a rolling pin, it's the only type of wood that I currently have excluding the sub 9" firewood logs.

Some time ago I made a wooden spoon from Oak and someone on a forum commented that Oak wasn't a good choice for anything to be used with food, something to do with the open pores harbouring bacteria?

 

[Tris]

It has a high tannin content that may taint food. Sycamore and beech are good, or hawthorn and fruitwoods

 

[Blister]

My advice for what it's worth is = Don't try and make anything , Just practice turning square stock into a cylinder , Then doing beads and coves , Parting off . Tool sharpening etc , Learn the basics then off you go.

 

[Andy's Shed]

Thanks for the tips.

 

[clogs]

Andy
just a small thing make urself a shield for the motor...
so many overheat n burn out when full of dust....
looks like ur machine is cast iron....which is good.....
check to see if it has big"ish bearing on rhe main shaft....then fit a 1-1.5HP motor....
plenty of used ones around....
this will make it very usable until ur ready to trade up....

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It is also a good idea to use timbers which are Naturally Anti-Bacterial.
Bamboo, Pine, Oak and any of the Maple Family are favourite.
This is a scientifically-proven fact.
https://www.rowandsons.co.uk/blog/myth-fact-antibacterial-properties-wood/

I saw an article in a mag more than 20 years ago dealing with tests done by an American university - the worst surfaces for bacteria multiplying were stainless steel and glass. New wood did well, old wood was the best.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I would think the main reason not to use oak is not so much the danger of a taint but that its coarse grain will hold dirt. Most fine grained British hardwoods would be ok.

 

[Andy's Shed]

Andy
just a small thing make urself a shield for the motor...
so many overheat n burn out when full of dust....
looks like ur machine is cast iron....which is good.....
check to see if it has big"ish bearing on rhe main shaft....then fit a 1-1.5HP motor....
plenty of used ones around....
this will make it very usable until ur ready to trade up....

Thanks for mentioning that, I hadn't realised how much dust was on the motor cover until I'd finished.

When you say main shaft, is that one of the shafts on the pulleys or on the motor itself? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with such things.
Also, when searching for a beefier motor, what do I need to be typing in the search box? I think it's an induction motor but I'm fairly clueless about anything else motor related.

Thanks again.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If the bearings etc. are ok I wouldn't waste money changing anything - if you get on with turning you'll want to upgrade to a better (maybe bigger) lathe anyway, and your lathe's having new bearings or a new motor won't make a significant difference to the selling price. Join a club if you can - you'll get a bit of experience with other lathes, different tools and chucking methods, you'll also benefit from the knowledge of more experienced people. They're good places to pick up second hand gear as well.

 

[XTiffy]

I well remember a news article in a UK woodworking magazine many years ago. Scientists were trying to determine how wooden platters (remember them?) or cutting boards trapped germs compared to plastic versions. They actually found the reverse and published it. I believe today this research would be buried as misinformation!

 

[Bob Chapman]

Andy, you mention "the chisel set that arrived this afternoon". Many beginners assume that brand new chisels will be sharp - but they are NOT. Some of the difficulty experienced by new turners is caused by blunt tools.
Whatever, your first attempts look very good - well done.

 

[clogs]

I may have got this wrong but he said he wants to change the motor anyway....
all I ment was that if ur gonna change the motor might as well get something bigger.....
Bearings,
looks like u have a fairly heavy casting on the front of the shaft behind where the chuck sits....BUT that doesn't alway mean big bearings....
I ment to just confirm it has decent large'ish bearings so having a bigger motor and extended use would help him until he's ready for something bigger.....if the bearing were small it'd be a total waste of time.....best leave as is.....
just tryin to help....

Andy
as for motors they are rated in HP and the foot size....bigger the motor means a bigger foot but NOT always.....one size foot carries quite a range of HP.......
There are also face framed or end mounted motors.....
can't really tell but ur's will prob be foot mounted......the dif between the sizes of the foot is the distance between the bolt holes.....
If uve got the sizes u can ask what the seller has ....assuming it's a used motor....
the only other thing is the shaft diameter of the motor.....again bigger the HP the bigger the shaft...

Best find a local motor supply store.....give them ur details / sizes plus a couple of photo's and they will certainly help u find what ya want.....
from experience buying from these guys makes little dif to the cost and u'll prob get a better motor....
Speaking of which often a lot motors are made in Italy now......but Chinese motors can be good.....
The supply store wont sell rubbish motors due to warrenty claims, can't be said of ebay supplers unless a proper suply store...

 

[Andy's Shed]

Thanks again everyone.

The motor can most likely wait until I've got some more experience with the lathe, it's reassuring to know that there are possible options if I feel a need for a stronger motor though. The lathe itself is a really well built solid machine, I was surprised at how hefty the individual parts were.

One thing that I have noticed is that when I'm turning the handle on the tail stock, the tail stock itself is creeping backwards along the base. I don't know if this a feature to prevent over tightening, or if the bolt on the base just needs tightening up.

Re the chisels, I bought a used set from Ebay for around 1/3rd the price of the same set new. They're made by record power, hopefully they'll be good enough for now? There is some wear to the left shoulders of the 3 spindle gouges though, so they could most likely do with some attention. I don't have the proper gear to re-shape them at the moment, unless it could be done with a disc sander?

I'm hoping to visit the local turning club next month, perhaps someone there might be able to help with the gouges.

Here's a couple of pics of the set that I bought.

 

[Agent_zed]

Watched an interesting (well to us at least) video on red oak vs white oak and apparently red oak is very porous and they even blew air through a piece to prove it. The white oak on the other hand had closed pores. Although I would have still have thought oak wouldn't be great for a rolling pin, I'd try beech if I could get it.

I've only just started turning as well and something that I've been making for practice is christmas trees. There are loads of different types so you can practice different techniques and styles.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Probably American, comparing red and white oak. English oak is different to American white oak.

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak/

 

[Andy's Shed]

Are both Red and White Oak native to the UK?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Neither are.

 

[Agent_zed]

Yes, it was american oak. Wasn't sure if european oak was the same as 'red' oak. It's certainly different to the american white oak I've just used for some door surrounds.