Wood Lathe

[1967redrider]

Shearer, would you happen to make Lignum Vitae pommels for Marble's fixed blade using your lathe? Thanks!

John

NO
Lignum vitae is a wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum, and in parts of Europe known as Pockholz or pokhout, from trees of the genus Guaiacum. The trees are indigenous to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America (e.g: Venezuela) and have been an important export crop to Europe since the beginning of the 16th century.

I live in Australia. The timber would be hard to find and the shipping would be to high.

Grant

Yes indeed, but thanks for your reply.

[TPK]

Great workmanship! It all turned out really nice! Looks like fun!

[WillyCamaro]

Awesome turning gents, you boys got it down to a tee.


Was planning on learning turning, when I had my shop set-up, but if you know my story, that kinda fell apart (of the time being).
I am going to pick it back up, when I have more time, energy, and money. Right now, just too many things on the plate...
You all know how it goes, when you're getting going as a young dude, resources are stretched thin.

[desmobob]

When I hear the words "wood lathe" I think of something that makes me smile...

When I was a young man and about to head off to Navy boot camp, a friend's dad who was a WWII Navy vet gave me some advice. He told me not to volunteer for anything.

He said he had been given that advice himself but, at one point in his basic training, his company commander asked the recruits if anyone had any experience operating a wood lathe. His father was a woodworker and, without thinking, he quickly raised his hand. He was then handed a box containing a hundred pencils and was told to sharpen them.

I tried to heed his advice and remembered his story but, like most other recruits, eventually got tricked into volunteering at least once.

[Unk]

Mr. Watch, that's a very nice turning. Love that burled walnut. (correction - maple).

lol - and Desmobob - I am safe - I never volunteer for anything!

[fergusontd]

Learned to use a wood lathe in 9th. grade shop class. I made a few projects, still have flashbacks from some experiences that went horribly wrong. I won't even go into my experiences with the metal lathe in 12th. grade metal shop! ftd

[mrwatch]

Mr. Watch, that's a very nice turning. Love that burled walnut.

lol - and Desmobob - I am safe - I never volunteer for anything!

Thanks, that is when you wait for a really good day. Spinning at that speed if the gauge/tool would would get lodge it would shatter into pieces. I turned it at the seniors center wood shop, screwed to a flat plate on the big Delta wood lathe. The face side on first to turn the backside and then turned it around. Thick and rough.

[keithlong]

Hey Unk, I have been turning wood and other items for 12 years now and absolutely love it. I started out turning pens and still do, I have made 1000s of them. I also like to turn bowls, lided boxes, platters, razors, bottle stoppers. The best way to learn is to practice, practice, practice. Sharp tools is a must, and if you are like me, I hate sharpening tools, so I ventured into carbide insert tools, there are several brands on the market now. They are basically all the same, but once you figure out the learning curve, you will be amazed at well they work. I have turned about every HARD wood out there and they cut it like butter. One of my favorite materials to turn is deer antler and I turn a lot of it. Buying the 4 jaw chuck is an excellent choice also. My favorite woods to turn are Walnut, Osage Orange, Cherry, Pecan, fruit woods. I love to turn bowls out of green wet wood, it turns so easy, as a rule of thumb though, I will rough turn a bowl and leave the wall thickness about 1 inch thick, so that I can finish turning the bowl when it dries out. When I turn a natural edge bowl, I will turn it as a finished bowl, and when it dries it will warp a little giving it that little extra bit of art to it. If you need help with anything please let me know, I certainly don't know all there is to know, but I am always willing to help out a fellow woodturner.

[Unk]

Hi Keith,

Yes, I have looked at the carbide tipped tools. The traditional set I have now has to be sharpened pretty much every time I turn something new. I guess I am going to have to try a set of those carbide tipped tools.

I am left-handed, so it is a little cumbersome when trying to hollow out a bowl. I have just been going to the opposite side of the lathe and working from there. I was wondering if one of the swan-necked carbide hollowing tools might be a little more ergonomic for me.

[1967redrider]

Hey Unk, I have been turning wood and other items for 12 years now and absolutely love it. I started out turning pens and still do, I have made 1000s of them. I also like to turn bowls, lided boxes, platters, razors, bottle stoppers. The best way to learn is to practice, practice, practice. Sharp tools is a must, and if you are like me, I hate sharpening tools, so I ventured into carbide insert tools, there are several brands on the market now. They are basically all the same, but once you figure out the learning curve, you will be amazed at well they work. I have turned about every HARD wood out there and they cut it like butter. One of my favorite materials to turn is deer antler and I turn a lot of it. Buying the 4 jaw chuck is an excellent choice also. My favorite woods to turn are Walnut, Osage Orange, Cherry, Pecan, fruit woods. I love to turn bowls out of green wet wood, it turns so easy, as a rule of thumb though, I will rough turn a bowl and leave the wall thickness about 1 inch thick, so that I can finish turning the bowl when it dries out. When I turn a natural edge bowl, I will turn it as a finished bowl, and when it dries it will warp a little giving it that little extra bit of art to it. If you need help with anything please let me know, I certainly don't know all there is to know, but I am always willing to help out a fellow woodturner.

keithlong, do you happen to make wooden fixed blade pommels? Thanks!

[keithlong]

Unk, if you have a machine shop near by, they can make you a left handed swan neck carbide tool.

[keithlong]

I also want to let you know that I have a carbide insert tool that I had a machine shop near me make to turn pens, the total shaft length is 6 inches with 2 inches being round to fit a handle. It is made from 1/2 inch square key stock. I have not had any issues with the softness of the key stock, and I have turned pens with it for 12 years. It is cheaper than buying them from a vender. I buy my inserts from globaltooling.com. You have to buy them by the box which has 10 inserts. They will last a long time. You can sharpen them by just placing them upside down on a diamond stone and rotate them in a figure 8 motion for a couple of minutes and then it is good to go again.

[Unk]

Thanks for the suggestion Keith. My oldest, bestest friend owns a high-end machine shop. He's made quite a few things for me over the years. I'll have to talk to him about it.

[Unk]

Really enjoying the lathe. I picked up a new live center along with a Jacobs chuck, and some carbide chisels. The carbide set had 4 tools, but only 1 handle. It is a little cumbersome to swap the handle when you want to change tools, so I made my first wooden tool handle (the middle one in the first two pics.) I bought the brass ferrules from Amazon. I will make a couple more so that I don't have to swap handles. I have also been practicing turning some live edge bowls.

[Steve Warden]

Mike, I like!!

[doglegg]

Wow Mike you have been busy. First make your own handles for your tools and then turn out some beautiful bowls. Wonderful work and thanks for sharing.

[WillyCamaro]

Mike, I like!!

[Unk]

Thanks guys.

I watched a few Youtube videos on making tool handles, and I used the "Benjamin's Best" handle in the picture to copy the design. One of the video's said to drill a small relief hole in the handle to expel the air and excess epoxy when you push the metal chisel into the handle.....as it kind of makes a syringe effect. I thought, nah, I don't need to do that. When I pushed the handle in, it kept sliding back out due to the trapped air. So I did indeed have to drill a tiny hole on the back side of the handle to relieve the air and epoxy. I finally got it seated, and pressed the air and epoxy out of the hole.
And I also clamped it longwise, just to make sure it stayed seated.

Learning as I go....

The oak tree I am using died from Oak wilt disease. I took it down this fall. The pic below shows what my bowls and handle looked like a few months ago:

[keithlong]

Nice job on the tool handle and I love the live edge bowls. The best wood for live edge bowls is green cut wood that is cut in the winter when the sap is down in the wood, makes the bark stick better on the edge. When I make my tool handles, I buy 1 inch copper pipe couplings and cut them in half, making 2 ferrals.

[Unk]

Thanks Keith.

I checked out a few videos where they made the ferrules out of copper pipe, and had considered doing that. Then I saw these ferrules and I like the rounded-over top. They are pneumatic hose ferrules - Here's what I used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VT ... UTF8&psc=1

[Unk]

Turnin' and burnin'!

Rough turning a live oak bowl. I will let it dry for awhile, and then finish it.

[doglegg]

Turnin' and burnin'!

Rough turning a live oak bowl. I will let it dry for awhile, and then finish it.

[keithlong]

You ar a bowl turning machine. Keep it up. I am waiting on warmer weather.

[cudgee]

Turnin' and burnin'!

Rough turning a live oak bowl. I will let it dry for awhile, and then finish it.

Don't want any trade secrets, but what will you finish it with.

[Unk]

Hi Cudgee

I have been using several coats of Tung oil, and then some wax. I had some old Homer Formby's Tung oil, and recently bought some Minwax Tung oil. 3 or 4 coats over 3 or 4 days, and then some Johnson's Paste wax.

I went ahead and put a coat of Tung oil on the rough turned bowl - hopefully it will help keep it from cracking and warping as it dries. (see pics) I also ordered some Packard's wood end sealer - but it will be a couple of weeks until I get it.

I also turned a little bowl to keep the keys in next to the front door. It has the tung oil and wax finish on it. (see pics)