Brand new to turning! Any advice appreciated!

[L2wis]

Evening all! Today I brought my first lathe! Been busy in the shed clearing space for it this afternoon. If anyone have any advice on setting myself up to turning my first piece would be greatly appreciated. Going to bury myself in google searches.

 

[Steve Jones]

I'll do it before anyone else does

Get yourself a copy of this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Woodturning-Fou ... 1861081146 nearly all recommend it on these boards for new turners.

Happy turning

Steve

 

[L2wis]

Thanks for the advice, the chap who sold me out its actually going to drop a woodturning book round to me which I'm looking forwards to reading cover to cover .

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Lewis

Welcome along! I guess it depends how best you learn, some learn best from books, others from DVD's and demos, others from one to one tuition.

I'd say join a club and watch some demos, get a couple of books (Kieth Rowley's is the place to start) and a couple of DVD's, Gary Rance's is probably best for spindle work and Jimmy Clewes for everything else IMO.

Lessons are the dearest option, so have a play around, find what sort of stuff you enjoy and what you struggle to do then book a lesson with someone who can help.

Woodturning mag might also be worth a read too!

Cheers

Richard

 

[L2wis]

Thanks for the advice Richard, I'm currently working my way through the sticky threads for beginners. My dad works in health and safety so he's also been digging out some hse documentation .

 

[Jonzjob]

I will go along with Steve, but must admit that the cover shown is a bit different to mine.. Obviously a newer publication.

Good read and good gen!

That looks like a Record DML and if so you are taking the same route onto the slippery slope as me!

A big welcome from me, I am sure you will enjoy!

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

My tips.... as another relative noob.
Full face shield rather than goggles for maximum face protection, and a good quality mask for dust protection.
Buy the best tools you can afford. It's surprising what you can get by with if the tools are good quality.
Start with green timber, and be prepared to make firewood.
Try to get as good a finish as possible with tools, to save the tedium of sanding.

and finally....

enjoy yourself.

 

[Melinda_dd]

My advice... don't get disheartened when things don't go the way you want them to, or break, or just that you've had a bad afternoon turning....
give yourself a rest and get back on it!!

Mainly enjoy yourself and welcome to the forum

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

don't get disheartened when things don't go the way you want them to, or break,

Like my oak goblet yesterday. Turned the whole thing, with a nice long, thin stem and a couple of captive rings. Got it nicely sanded and oiled, then came to parting it off and BANG! Splinters everywhere.
Consoled myself by turning a box instead.

 

[L2wis]

Thanks for the kind words and the encouragement! I'm going to finish mounting it to my worktop later this evening. I've got a brow guard (face mask) and some disposable dust protectors coming in the post. The lathe is indeed a Record DML 24 .

I've need to get myself a bench grinder to keep my chisels sharp! Is there any other way of keeping them sharp?

 

[Jacob]

......
Start with green timber, and be prepared to make firewood.....

Agree! Green timber turns very easily.
I'd also suggest using any free stuff you can get, firewood, garden prunings etc. 2" cuttings makes nice knobs, tool handles etc.
Go for slow speeds at first.
Be prepared to scrap everything and delay buying expensive blanks as long as poss!

 

[OldWood]

Welcome to the slippery slope of wood turning. I will say that it is not as bad a diving for stressing the bank manager but it can go that way.

I've got one particular tip I would like to give as it took me rather long after reading it to really get to the point of really taking it on board.

Your book, whatever beginners' book it is, and I preferred Mike Darlow's book for beginners, will tell you to rub the bevel before raising the tool handle to engage the cutting point. As turner's progress that becomes a one movement, but it is the key to tool application to the wood. Every time you get a catch it is probably because the cutting edge was engaged before the bevel.

Ironically it was reshaping my bowl gouge to a finger nail profile well over a year after I started that finally got that into my thick skull.

Re.sharpening, you would be well advised to get some guidance on how to do that is I suspect that many beginners drop by the wayside because of blunt or incorrectly sharpened tools. You do need a grinder with the right sort of stone for a start and really some jigs for holding the tool correctly while shaping it.

Keep an eye on Ebay as many tools and materials appear there - not as cheap as it used to be but you can sometimes pick up batches of wood quite cheaply. My best was a 6ft long trailer load from a guy giving up for under £60.

Rob

 

[nev]

I've need to get myself a bench grinder to keep my chisels sharp! Is there any other way of keeping them sharp?

yes but its more expensive :shock:
a bench grinder, the appropriate wheel and a (home made a la keith rowley) jig will be more than ok until you win the lottery and can afford a sorby pro edge or tormek type thingy
agian peter childs web site has some useful free info pages including this...
http://www.peterchild.co.uk/grind/grindinfo.htm

(if youre buying new the record power grinders normally come with one white stone as standard)

 

[Leo]

All good advice above !!!

Can I add that tools are not cheap, I ground away some very nice tools to learn how to sharpen them. If you can get hold of some second hand/cheap tools, use them to practice on, it will save a lot of money. Some cheaper tools however are not hardened properly all the way along the shaft, so may dull quicker during use. I found also that some tools on the market are too thin for turning and can bend, especially while you are learning to turn and getting catches.

Mainly enjoy yourself and don't let those catches put you off, practice is the key and much of it as you can.

Just my 2c.

Leo

 

[drillbit]

As a newbie myself, I may be able to offer some insight into the first steps..

Join a club. There may be one nearer, but if not, Tudor Rose are in daventry - at least two of them post on this forum and are both top blokes with loads of experience.

Resist the urge to buy everything in the Axminster catalogue. At first it seems like everything needs a different tool, but then you start working out that you can already do it with what you have.

Read this forum every day. There are amazingly helpful people here who can explain things really well and patiently when you need help.

YouTube has loads of videos on woodturning which are really useful for getting ideas for initial projects and seeing the order in which to complete them.

Learn to sharpen your tools as quick as possible. Blunt tools pretty much will mean you struggle with any kind of face turning because your wood will fly off all the time and nothing will frustrate you more (except learning to sharpen a bloody fingernail grind...)

You are near Nuneaton. The woodturning chap at axminster there is really helpful and will discourage you from buying expensive items you dont really need.

If you are married, consider getting a divorce as early as possible. You can't afford a lathe and a wife.

Hopefully something there might help.

 

[L2wis]

Fantastic tips and advice guys it's just what I was after! That thing about the rubbing the bevel took a couple of timesof reading until I got what you mean but I get it now.

I whipped my face mask on and took to a piece of walnut (i think). Aces of eight who sold me the lathe threw in Tonnes if these blanks. I throughly enjoyed myself, started on the slowest speed and didn't touch full speed at all.

Anyway! Here is a pic of my first creation! (no wax or oil to show off the grain )

 

[Melinda_dd]

Ahh bless ya, it's beautiful!!

I still have ALL my firsts! even my first ever spindle (translated... a pen blank that i stabbed with the tools not knowing what the hell I was doing and it snapped in half! I glued it and still think it's lovely!)

Keep the pictures coming... we like pictures

Well done

 

[L2wis]

Haha thank you! it started off testing out the roughing gouge and then I thought I'd slice some more off. The parting tool was partially blunt .

 

[wasbit]

I would bring the lathe feet to the edge of the bench.

Normal advice is to have the lathe centres at elbow height but I like mine a bit higher especially when using short handled tools, thus you may possibly need some blocks under the feet as well depending on the height of the bench.

I'll bet after a few weeks you'll be cursing the centre leg under the bench as well.

Regards
wasbit

 

[jimbrown61]

You might consider this helpful, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEARN-WOOD-TU ... 492wt_1395
if that is sold when you look the bloke sells them all the time

I purchased the video when I first started turning and found it a great help and found this on ebay at a much reduced cost than I originally paid a few years ago.

Also if you look round you will find plans to build jigs for sharpening chisels although they are not fancy like the sorby jigs they are just as capable of doing fingernail grinds the same every time as long as you take the time to set them properly.