Cast Your Minds Back......

[Anonymous]

Do you guys remember?
A few months back I was on this very forum with a budget of £300 and looking for help.
Well I ended up buying a Perform CCL lathe (the 1HP). Who was I trying to kid with that kind of budget I got the lathe £249. with a chuck £100. went to Peter Childs (Big mistake. Not 'cos it's a bad place but it was so tempting :twisted: ) Chris childs was very helpful. (Trend mask.Set of quality chisels, abrasives finishes etc £400) Now I've started to buy some good lumber, and that will have put a very big dent in a grand .SWMBO has been very understanding. But she will soon get fed up with my attempts. There is only so much round wood they will put up with. Still, I am enjoying it. Thanks to all who helped me. Oh and by the way, back then I was Eric. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Anonymous]

Eric,

I know the feeling. I went to Peter Child's and was lucky to be restrained enough to spend only £50 on stuff I didn't realise I wanted until I got there!

I've got the little brother to your Perform lathe and need a couple of days of workshop time to make a proper place to keep it now. Of course, that will mean spending some money on plywood to build a cupboard to keep it on...

Then I'll have everything I could possibly want. Apart from a chuck system, a few more chisels, a drill chuck and drawer-bar. Oh, and it would be really great to get some lessons. And a subscription to a turning mag, and...

Happy turning,

AG

 

[Alf]

Eric,

Ah, I see where we went wrong. We warned you about the escalating budget requirements, but not your SWMBO...
Hmm, maybe just as well? :wink:
Glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the update.

So AG, have you actually turned anything yet? I'm agog and bated here you know. :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Alf,

I've turned some square beech into some round scrap beech

I've got to get the 'shop setup for turning properly. And that means tidying it :shock: so it may be another few weeks/months/years* yet...

AG

* Delete as applicable

 

[Alf]

I've turned some square beech into some round scrap beech

Ahh, so you've been turning decorative firewood.

weeks/months/years* yet... * Delete as applicable

You forgot eons*... :wink:

Cheers, Alf

*The length of time it takes to make a coffee table in ash

 

[Martin]

Afterglow,

I've only been turning for a short while - on and off - but all self taught (i.e. books etc.). One thing that really helped me was buying one of those Record turning kits - i.e. the ones that come with the wood & video from Alan Holtham.

I bought the table lamp kit - and at first was a little worried it was too advanced for me - but the end result looked OK (but a little different to to Alan's version of course).

Of course I ended up doing a lot of doodles using cheap wood before making the kit, but being able to see Alan do it first on screen was a big help (end result posted in the gallery, but it hasn't appeared yet :? )

Anyway, I'd very much recommend them - they may seem expensive (I think I paid about £20-£25), but when you consider that you get the wood, fittings, plan and video it's very good value really, and the video is really worth it.

Cheers,
Martin.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the tip - I'll have to think about that - it certainly sounds a great idea. I've bought the Keith Rowley "Woodturning - A Foundation Course" book and video set, and the video certainly helps the subject come to life, and so I see what you mean.

Unfortunately for the moment, I've got a lot going on outside of woodworking that's really dragging me away from the workshop. I've got a table in need of only a few hours to finish it, but I just can't get back to it at the moment. I also have nowhere sensible to keep the lathe and tools yet, so I've got to build or buy a home for them.

On the topic of where to keep it, I'm thinking about getting one of the bigger Axminster bench shown here:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=TSA33D

If it's as good in the real world as it looks online, it would help clean up my shop and provide a decent stand for the lathe. In fact, I might be able to squeeze two of them in, and have a permanent home for my Tormek and maybe my morticer too.

Cheers,

AG