Shopsmith Forums

Just to avoid copyright issues, I didn't exactly design these stools. The concept came from a magazine article I read a few years back. A recent post on Lumberjocks leads me to believe it may have been Fine Woodworking and that Tage Frid may be the rightful recipient of the credit / blame. I built mine from memory with my own dimensions but the cool ideas weren't my own.

Go Mike !!

Paul M

Managed to break through the lathe fear factor yesterday and get some turning in. I started the seat tops for the shop stools. First task was to cut out the 12" diameter round blanks and mount them on the 6" faceplate. Used #12 x 3/4" sheet metal screws.
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After truing up the outside diameter, I went to the seat top face using a flat scraper chisel loaned from the SDSSmith collection. Ran into a lot of chatter as I traversed the face that got worse the further out I went. The cut didn't look very good as you'll see. Getting a lot of tear out.
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I was running the Mark 5 on it's lowest speed setting. The tool rest was about 1/2" from the face, and the chisel was held with the handle high at the back (~30 - 45°). Tool rest was below center by about an inch.

Having no lathe recent lathe experience to fall back on, I only thing I could see as a potential problem was a dull chisel. The bevel edge to top surface was not sharp. Here's a close up. Would have been better shot if chisel was rotated a tad but hey.....
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Did a bit of googling on sharpening this type of chisel. Specific info was a scant but I found this short video showing grinding on a wheel and this article(3/4 down the page) on the importance of having a small burr raised in the top surface edge. I'll try to sharpen the tool up tonight and see if I have better luck. (Don't worry Rob, if I hose it, I own it. Oh wait, that means I'll have to pay you)

Comments / suggestions welcome!!:D

Congrat's to your great photographer.

mickyd wrote: . . .
I was running the Mark 5 on it's lowest speed setting. The tool rest was about 1/2" from the face, and the chisel was held with the handle high at the back (~30 - 45°). Tool rest was below center by about an inch.

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Comments / suggestions welcome!!:D

Why so far away? Why not 1/8 - 1/4"
Why so high a handle? Why not near horizontal?
Why so far below center? Why not just above center?

Leaving my self wide open here, but hopefully the 'experts' will set us both straight!!!!!!:rolleyes:

BTW that chisel IS dull - Shame on you Rob!:o What a sneaky way to get it sharpened!:D

Great Photographs - but - I, too, am a novice wood-turner, and what I see is scary. Having the scraper with such a high handle angle looks precarious and dangerous. If it got grabbed by a tear-out the toll would be directed downward and wedged between the tool rest and the piece of wood being turned. I think a bowl gouge would be a better choice of tools. What some videos on youtube.com and try to find a better similar carving example. Also starting at the ouboard perimeter with light passes and working inward would've been my preference (at centerline of piece or slightly higher).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq_DZh2zN4w (watch at 3:50)
also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip0ThPqIgJY

Mike,

Is the set screw above the quill not installed? Maybe it's just the angle, but it looks to be missing in your first turning photo.

JPG40504 wrote:Why so far away? Why not 1/8 - 1/4"
Why so high a handle? Why not near horizontal?
Why so far below center? Why not just above center?

Leaving my self wide open here, but hopefully the 'experts' will set us both straight!!!!!!:rolleyes:

BTW that chisel IS dull - Shame on you Rob!:o What a sneaky way to get it sharpened!:D

First question - Notice the tip geometry with the insert mounted onto the chisel. It overlaps the chisel end. With my type of chisel and my angle of attack, I found that the rest had to be a little away from the wood in order for the bottom of the chisel to ride on the rest. If that issue caused the chatter, not sure what to do.

Second and third questions - Reading how others have done it. As I mentioned earlier, there isn't a whole lot of scraper info on the web that I could find. I'm hoping the forum has some input as to the methods.

I'm game to try anything but my primary concern is SAFETY since this is my first turning project. I don't want ANY grabs, thus the use of a scraper.

ddvann79 wrote:Mike,

Is the set screw above the quill not installed? Maybe it's just the angle, but it looks to be missing in your first turning photo.

'It's in there!'
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mickyd wrote:First question - Notice the tip geometry with the insert mounted onto the chisel. It overlaps the chisel end. With my type of chisel and my angle of attack, I found that the rest had to be a little away from the wood in order for the bottom of the chisel to ride on the rest. If that issue caused the chatter, not sure what to do.

Second and third questions - Reading how others have done it. As I mentioned earlier, there isn't a whole lot of scraper info on the web that I could find. I'm hoping the forum has some input as to the methods.

I'm game to try anything but my primary concern is SAFETY since this is my first turning project. I don't want ANY grabs, thus the use of a scraper.

That angle of attack is what 'bothers' me the most also!
Second is the tool rest below the center(which is really aggravated by the AOA).
The workpiece-tool rest spacing not much.(bothersome to me)

Where are all the face plate turners to-day? [Probably died from laughing at your 'technique']

Man! you sure pick out the toughest jobs for your learning curve! Nothing like jumping in head first! STAY SAFE!

Here's a couple of things to try - however please note that my experience of turning end of pieces is limited to only 2 1/2".

I think the use of a flat shew as a scraper of a large disk is problematic. your tool has made several elevations of the face - showing that you've tried to use the whole end of the tool to contact at the same time. I think you'd be better off with a rounded tool, like a roughing gouge. Or at least try to attack with the heel of your tool first, moving from out to in or center from rim, whichever works best for you. The difference in using the heel first and flat scraping is only a slight difference from flat. You just have to feel the difference.

Try increasing your speed. The chatter is on the cross grain of the wood, while the rest looks smooth.

Probably the most important problem is the high handle on your tool. Try putting the tool rest at the center of the wood and keep your handle a little lower than the rest or at least level with it.

Also noticed your left hand looks like it is not contacting the tool rest while holding the tool. Put you left hand so it is gliding firmly across the tool rest while moving your tool. Also try holding the tool with your right hand and the handle with your left. You can have the heal of the skew either to the left or to the right. Both ways will work!