Lathe Question

stickthrower · Post by **stickthrower** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:44 pm

So i have been just doing some basic turning, learning what I am doing and making a mess.

But I have been starting to try to make things, and I have a couple questions. I read through the Power Tool woodworking for everyone, but it didn't answer some of them.

1: the only drive I have is the spur drive. It is the one that came with the SS (I have a greenie). If I am going to want to make much more than a mess, I am assuming I am going to have to pick up a few different centers? To make bowls, platters, vases, anything like that, I am going to have to pick up a chuck, correct? Would it be a good idea to pick up a screw center?

2: I have been trying to make some basic spinning tops. I thought they would be a good easy starter project. I get part way through making it and the wood goes flying. I have turned the speed down all the way becasue I felt like it was going to fast when I had it up higher. Part of it I am wondering if the wood is just too dry, but I am wondering too, with it on the lowest speed, is it just newbie screw ups?

3: With the spur drive, today I was working on making a handle for a new tool I was given. It was a 1 1/2 x 1 1/2x 12 piece of bloodwood. I know bloodwood is hard, but man, even using a rubber mallet, I couldn't get the drive driven in far enough for it to really hold on the wood. So I kept having issues with the wood stopping. I kept having to readjust the headstock and the quill. Made for a long turning session. Any suggestions on what I can do in this case next time? i have a piece of black mesquite that is going to be the next tool handle.

I found a thread on here about working on my headstock lock. So I am going to be working on that. I also need to work on teh sliding support because that lock isn't holding either. I think they have been overtightened too much. I will take part of the blame on that one. But I am thinking I need to do a good thorough cleaning and lube job on it.

stickthrower · Post by **stickthrower** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:53 pm

Oh, I also got a kick out of this. Over the years, my parents have bought me two sets of lathe tools (mini lathe) but I didn't have a lathe. they thought they were chisels or something.

Anyway, I was digging around in the garage the other day and found them and pulled them out. They are both shopsmith! I have no idea where they found these at. Wish I did! But they were great. I use the full size for the shaping, and I have started to use the mini ones for soem final work.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:13 pm

Saw two grooves(kerf) for the 4 drive spurs to 'grab'. Drill a small hole for the center point to locate to.

derekdarling · Post by **derekdarling** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:16 am

JPG40504 wrote:Saw two grooves(kerf) for the 4 drive spurs to 'grab'. Drill a small hole for the center point to locate to.

Yup, what he said. You might also think about lubricating the tailstock end with some light oil, unless you have a live centre.

Also, get a chuck, check this: http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2012/Main/137 middle of the page shows a few 3 and 4 jaw chucks with 'unthreaded' mounts... that is what you want. Oh, and get a live centre, you will thank me later.

Derek

RobertTaylor · Post by **RobertTaylor** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:26 am

i would not use oil to lube a dead center as it would wick way into your piece and affect color and/or your finish. i would use beeswax. parafin or fels naptha soap would good also.

curtis george · Post by **curtis george** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:30 am

Pen State also has a lot of stuff that you may want to buy.
I woud get a face plate,added to that list.
You can make your own jam chucks from wood or alum. make them fit the 5/8" shaft of the SS. and... go from there. Good luck and keep praticeing. ;-)
C.A.G.

stickthrower · Post by **stickthrower** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:18 am

It has a live center for the tailstock. I have been using that. It has a regular center too, but I haven't used that.

the SS came with a faceplate with a piece of wood mounted to it. If I wanted to mount a piece of wood do that, would I just center it on the piece of wood mounted on the faceplate and then screw from the face plate to the mounted wood?

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:58 am

stickthrower wrote:the SS came with a faceplate with a piece of wood mounted to it. If I wanted to mount a piece of wood do that, would I just center it on the piece of wood mounted on the faceplate and then screw from the face plate to the mounted wood?

That wood wood be more than likely be for gluing your piece to it.

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:01 pm

Stick,

Welcome to the madness of turning.

For a lathe to work properly You have to be able to securely hold the turning to the power source (Headstock and Quill) as a minimum. If using a tailstock, that needs to be securely held against the tailstock but still allow the turning to spin freely. That's it.

I have seen some very creative ways to accomplish this.
SS has 4 centers: 4 pronged drive spur, Screw drive center, Live Center(tailstock), and cup center (tailstock).

SS also has faceplates of different sizes.

Other options for driving work include but are not limited t the ones listed below. Most of these requires some sort of adaptation to work with SS. Some are spendy, some aren't.

Scroll Chuck (Needs Adapter to work with SS)
Collet Chuck (Needs Adapter to work with SS)
Cole Jaws (these can be anything from home made setups to very expensive purpose built chucks) These are used to hold a bowl by the wide part and allow you to finish the bottom.

Jam Chucks These are the easiest to do your self and are typically home made. These rely on friction/pressure between the headstock and the tailstock (Live center is strongly advised here to keep things spinning freely) and some times are the only option for bowls or other irregular shapes. I often use a piece of stock on a face plate, the stock is turned to match the inside profile of a bowl. I use some drawer/shelf liner (the foam stuff that has perforations) between the block and the bowl for a snug (Jam) fit on the bowl, the bowl bottom is then pressed against the live center with pressure from the quill. This is particularly useful when taking a bowl that warped from drying and making it round again and dressing the bottom tenon so it can be mounted on a chuck again.

Scrap Block gluing used for faceplate turning. PTWFE has some pretty good descriptions of how to do this. I use white glue and newspaper. Although now that I have a Scroll Chuck I seldom use this technique. The paper is used to prevent the the scrap from completely adhering to the bottom of the bowl and allows for a cleaner separation.

Your only limit is your imagination and safety when it comes to holding things on the lathe. Whenever you try a new to you holding method, Put on all of your personal protective equipment, start at the slowest speed and stay out of the line of fire should that item break loose. Once you're sure it's secure then you can try cutting on it.

Lathe Chisels. LEARN TO SHARPEN!! The edges of lathe chisels are typically dull when new and will dull rapidly when turning. The sharpening method you choose is not important as long as you get the chisels properly sharpened to take the right cuts.

Do your research regarding technique and tools choice. While YouTube, the Internet and books are great sources of information and can be helpful, there is no substitute for hands on learning from an experienced turner. Look for a turning club in your area and see if you can find someone to mentor you. People really do like to share their skills and knowledge with others.

Practice is a great idea too and you have already started that. I can't tell you how many turnings I have turned and just thrown in the burn bin as I'm out of room to store items and SWMBO was tired of practice turnings littering up the house (Mostly because they were crap and done as practice). Use inexpensive or free wood for practicing. (Tree removal companies are a pretty good source for large trunk sized pieces and I find if I ask nicely, the guy will cut off a manageable size piece and halve it for me. All I need to do is take it home, finish removing the pith and seal it for future use.) You don't want to practice on an exotic piece of timber that cost a bunch of money. Practice the design and techniques on a piece of firewood or pine stock first. Once you have mastered achieving the desired form, then spend money on the more expensive exotic stock.

Again, welcome to turning madness.

brad_nalor · Post by **brad_nalor** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:15 pm

This is an old site but great source for one getting started.
Introduction to Woodturning

Also, I suggest searching youtube for lathe turning and you have a 24/7 shop class instruction. Vids range from a waste to advanced but surely have visuals that are easy to relate.

So many facets to the hobby but first, do get serious about safety, then enjoy the fun. Expect surprises along the way and don't just rely on a piece just because its securely mounted.