Novice Turner

Re: Novice Turner *LINK*

Fred Holder

>Hello Richard,

The kew words in learning to use a lathe are: practice, practice, and practive. If you have a firewood pile, mount chunks of firewood on the lathe and convert them to shavings. They work well to help start the fire. Don't try to make anything at first, just make shavings.

It sounds like your tools are not sharp enough so your decision to by the Wolverine Jig system was an excellent choice. It doesn't take a lot of sharpening experience to get a good edge with the Wolverine System.

Concerning your spirals. The gouge will normally leave little spiral grooves if it is moved too fast. If it was spiral ridges, it was likely chatter or flexing of the wood as you turned. Again, to avoid these, the word is practice!!!

Welcome to the world of woodturning. Although I'm not a great fan of Jets, that is a pretty good lathe you have in terms of less expensive lathes. Good luck with your turning. Join a club if there is one around your area and spend a lot of time making shavings.


Fred Holder's Domain Site

Re: Novice Turner

Bill Hale / The Wood Spinner

>I agree ! Lots of shavings. I tell my students that when they have made a 10 x 10 x10 pile of shavings they are likley to be getting pretty good.

Firewood is the mainstay. Maple and Walnut are great for learning on. Not to soft and not to hard.

Good turning and be safe

Bill

Re: Novice Turner

Mike Schwing from Maryland

>Richard, there's nothing wrong with that lathe. I just had different needs and desires for a lathe than that one could satisfy. I've still managed to turn out a few OK turnings, and could continue to do so long into the future with the 1440 if I decided to keep it. For the kinds of things a new turner generally does it is more than adequate, and the few flaws it may have has taught me to pay more attention to certain things than if the lathe were an "invisible" part of the process, as I'm hoping my new one will be.

The "spirals" as stated, are likely to moving the tool too quickly for the rotational speed chosen. On that lathe it might be a couple of other things though.

I've forgotten to tighten the headstock down so there is just enough forward and backward movement to cause the uneven/rough spirals you mentioned. Also, several folks have reported there is a bit of forward/backward play in the 1440 spindle, which will cause the spirals as well. They would likely occur more towards the wide diameter of a turning than on the inside.

You can't really have a tool thats too sharp, and you might be surprised how often resharpening is really needed to retain that good edge. Occasionally just a touch on a leather wheel or slipstone will return it to a razor sharp turning tool rather than a trip to the grinder. I get several of these quick honings out of a sharpening before I have to regrind the tip.

Many, maybe most folks go right from the grinder to the lathe, but I've found a quick 15 seconds on the leather wheel definitely adds to the tool's performance.

Regarding the little burr on the tool, you won't find a sharp knife in your kitchen with a burr on it, nor will you find a razor blade with one, right?

Don't worry about your 1440, it'll work just great for you.