You all make this place outstanding. I have asked so many questions over time, in varied types of wood things, and every time, the advice and patience is helpful and tolerant , a great resource. Thank you.
Woodturning Beginner
- Thread starter Ptofimpact
- Start date
I wouldnt start with green wood, Find some firewood. A spindle gouge should be your first tool to get it round. They are very forgiving and easy to learn. There are lots of great youtube videos out there as others have mentioned. Watch some basics videos and then give it a shot. Its all about feel and practice. enjoy!
I have a 7/8" roughing gouge made by Carter & Son. It takes a good enough edge, with 120 grit, that provides a smooth enough finish that I can use it to where I can start sanding at 220 - provided the profile isn't too complex. It's understating the name, calling it a "roughing" gouge.
Try to find a local turning club. Lots of great knowledge and usually a lot of people eager to help.
Good luck.
Thank you for that kind Offer Dee, yes think I watched his vids
My suggestion is to get a chisel set so you have the basic ones to learn with. I started with the "high end" purplish/brown handle from Harbor Freight and it was more than sufficient to learn with. I was able to learn how to use different types of chisels and how to sharpen them without being stressed out about it. You can make a booboo sharpening HF chisels and not lose your mind because of the cost. Being cheaper steel the edge needs sharpened more often but that also allows you to learn to sharpen while learning to use the tools. Spending less money on a starter set to learn is ideal then you can begin to buy the higher quality tools as you are ready and have the cash to get them.
Like I said, this is how I started out and was quite happy with the tool set. Since then I have acquired more tools than I need, as most of us do, but have found uses for most all of them. Depending on where you are in NC I would be happy to work with you and help you learn the art of turning, distance does provide a potential barrier.
Like I said, this is how I started out and was quite happy with the tool set. Since then I have acquired more tools than I need, as most of us do, but have found uses for most all of them. Depending on where you are in NC I would be happy to work with you and help you learn the art of turning, distance does provide a potential barrier.
Thank you so much for the Offer, and your knowledge, surely will take your direction and put it on the list of What to learn.
I am in Coastal Carolina, outside the back gate of Camp LeJeune, a distance from you.
I am in Coastal Carolina, outside the back gate of Camp LeJeune, a distance from you.
Another question, I am looking at Chuck's for the lathe, to use for cups, bowls,
what type would serve me , the Jaw type, etc, without being high priced
what type would serve me , the Jaw type, etc, without being high priced
Nova is a great choice, lots of support locally, lots of different jaws. They offer bundles like this:
There are other makes that are great, but I don't know much about them.
I'll start off by saying that I have learned that in woodturning, there are many ways to skin a cat, or to do just about anything else. Richard Raffan claimed in one of his videos that he never uses a spindle roughing gouge. He takes the corners off spindle work with skew chisel, making peeling cuts. Earlier this week, I watched a turner making the smallest, most delicate cuts with a spindle roughing gouge.
When I first started turning, a little more than a year ago, I would take one tool, and make myself learn how to get the most out of that tool. I started with the spindle roughing gouge, then progressed to skew chisels, before ever picking up a spindle or bowl gouge. The spindle roughing gouge was very easy to master, and I am amazed at the very accurate and fine finishes that can be made with that tool. The skew took a lot of practice, but there is so much that can be done with a skew. It takes a lot of practice, and you can't just put a tool down for weeks and weeks and expect to pick up where you left off with it.
I started off practicing on nominal 2x2's cut from 2x4 studs. Then I glued 2x4's together to make larger pieces. Spruce is an inexpensive wood for practicing. To this day, if I have a complex plan for something that I want to turn. I will glue up 2x6's in spruce and prototype it first. Especially if I am trying to duplicate something.
Watching videos on YouTube are informative, but you need to practice a lot. Don't do anything that is dangerous, but practice over and over. In time, those cuts that you struggled with in the beginning will be second nature.
You will not really need as many tools as you might think you do. That is being said by someone who has far more tools than he needs. You can turn a bowl with just a 1/2" bowl gouge. I have done that many times. If you have just a skew chisel, you can do some incredible spindle work. If you add a spindle gouge, and a parting tool, I can't think of much that you can't do in spindle work.
There are a lot of very experienced turners in this forum, much more experienced than me. They can steer you in the right direction. Good Luck.
I turned my first bowl with a screwdriver, still have the bowl, don’t know what happened to the screwdriver. Over the years I have got better tools and better lathes, but that first bowl is still very beautiful to me.
Thank you Pete
Mike that says you will find a way, and Thank you
Thank you
I use Record Power chucks, which I have been told are manufactured by the same company that makes Nova chuck. The jaws for both Record Power and Nova chucks are interchangeable, sometimes with a switch of the numbered alignment from one brand to the other.
Thank you
I'd love to see that bowl.
I didn’t have a Chuck. This was glued to a wood block that was screwed to a face plate on a $90 Big Lots lathe. That lathe was given away in Georgia when we moved up here 35 years ago.
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I would be pleased for such a result, and with a screwdriver
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