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Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 6:02 am
by woodworkerswife
My husband and I recently took a bowl turning class at a local wood shop. He has the Mark V and I wanted to know what attachments are needed for bowl turning. He has turned pens so far on the Shopsmith. We bought the tools but I don't know what we need as far as attachments. I wanted to surprise him for Christmas. Please help.
The Woodworkers wife.

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:03 am
by algale
I'm not much of a turner, but there are several options. You can use the faceplate which comes standard with a Mark V (or buy one if missing http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... plates.htm). You can screw directly into the bottom of the bowl or add a sacrificial piece that is glued to the bottom of the work piece with a piece of newspaper in between. See the section on faceplate turning in Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone. http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/latheturning/index.htm

You can also buy from Shopsmith a Nova chuck with a variety of jaws, including Cole jaws, that will allow big bowls to be turned. http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/nova_g3.htm

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:32 am
by wa2crk
Right now either Woodcraft or Rockler has the Nova G3 chuck on sale for a good price. Check their web pages for a good bargain.
A chuck is not absolutely necessary but it is a GREAT convenience!!!
Bill V

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 8:54 am
by reible
Some of this depends on just how much you want to spend but if you (or husband) are interested enough in the hobby it could be worth it to get it all.

There are a few things like a face shield that are safety related and that might have already been purchased but if not don't turn without one. Dust/chip extraction is another must, and a dust mask is also useful and required. Not to sure how equipped you already are but safety first.

Starting at the headstock, as has been mentioned you can use the faceplates that came with the shopsmith or you can add as a major upgrade a chuck. The shopsmith has a 5/8" spindle so a chuck will need an adapter for mounting. It is critical that you get the right adapter. For Nova chucks it is quite easy as they make an adapter and if you buy from shopsmith that will insure you have the right one. If you buy from someone else, well just make sure it comes with the shopsmith adapter. The G3 is a nice chuck but often you can find the SUPERNOVA 2 for the same or a better price and that is a better chuck. There are other brands but others can better address those. I would not buy anything less then the G3 because cheaper is cheaper but quality levels will not be there.

Now I don't know what sort of center is being used with the pen turning but again if you don't have a live center I'd think that might be a good investment and can be used with other turning as well. Shopsmith sells one (505602)again I would stick with at least this quality. Nova also sells a live center with some added features. You can see it here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0064 ... w_c_x_17_w

Now we can talk about lathe tools all day long and if you have only the set that came with the shopsmith you will have to get at the very least a bowl gouge. The shopsmith comes with a spindle gouge, that is not the same animal. Shopsmith use to sell a bowl gouge set but I haven't seen that in a while. You have the option of going to carbide like Easy Wood Tools, or stick with conventional steel tools.

Of course to make life easier for you.... if you go with conventional tools you have to have a way to sharpen them. Shopsmith makes a couple of jigs to help with this, one that can be used on the shopsmith with the addition of a sanding disk and another that requires you to have a strip sander. The market place has a lot of grinder options and you can get carried away on this but know you will need something to sharpen on if you don't already have it.

Shopsmith also sells a set of Specialty Tool Rests, a shorter one, a 90deg, and a "S" shaped. You can find them here:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... estkit.htm

To go with that they have an upgrade to the tool rest that can be found here:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... pgrade.htm

The more ultimate version of this is the Universal Tool rest. It's a 35 pound monster and you can find that here:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... olrest.htm

You would think we would be done by now but we are not...... The standard shopsmith has a low speed of 700rpm. Sometimes even that is too fast, especially when turning. So to slow things down shopsmith sells a Speed Reducer. This gives you a low end of 100 rpm. You can see that here:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... educer.htm

The other more expensive option is to get a Powerpro headstock which gives you a low end of 250 rpm and a lot of other nice features. I expect that might be too over the top but I wanted to mention it.

Now preparing the blanks can also be an issue. It is nice to have a bandsaw to use and it is so useful for other projects as well. If you don't have one then I seriously think about adding one to the mix. Of course shopsmith sells one as do a lot of other companies.

I don't know if you know how to find the Shopsmith online catalog but it is at:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... _index.htm

It's pretty easy to spend thousands on woodworking tools so maybe a few lower level items and gift certificates might be another option. Most of us didn't buy it all at one time but got things as we needed or wanted them and it doesn't seem like such a big deal.

The only thing you really have to get is a bowl gouge(s) or Easy Wood Tools, you can see the products at:

http://www.easywoodtools.com/

(Again a reminder, do not use spindle gouges in place of a bowl gouge, (of course there is a youtube video that shows you what can happen if you don't believe me).)

The rest can be added as time goes by.

If you narrow things down a bit we might be able to give you more details at that point.

Ed

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 1:05 pm
by ecom1
That was very well said Ed!

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:03 pm
by terrydowning
What Ed said!

I concur on the safety equipment start there! Full Face shield is highly recommended over safety glasses. I have damaged a face shield from a piece breaking off and was glad I was wearing it. I would not turn again until I had a new one. $15-$30 versus a trip to the ER, well? You do the math.

Dust and chip collection with a lathe is tricky at best (but doable). Skip it if working with green (wet) wood though. The wet stuff will just gum up your dust collector. Use a broom.

Tooling
A conventional scraper can be used for bowl turning. Bowl gouges can be catch masters if not used properly. see below re: Learn Learn Learn.

I have the Universal tool rest and cannot say enough about how great it is. That being said, it is pricey, so hold off on purchasing and use the standard tool rest until you can justify the expense.

I would love to have a speed reducer. For the price you see these used, you might as well buy new. If working with larger blanks, this is a must! I have borrowed one and it was absolutely required. A 14" diameter wet and unbalanced blank turning at 700 RPM is truly frightening and down right dangerous! So start bowl turning with smaller blanks (less than 6") that are mostly balanced.

Live center absolutely!

Scroll Chuck? - do some face plate work first then if you really like bowl turning, look to purchase. The Nova package from Shopsmith is good. but can be had less expensive on Amazon, even the SS specific adapter can be purchased from Amazon. I use a Penn State Industries Barracuda with their SS adapter. It does the job but if I had it do again, I would go with the Nova. My next chuck will be a Nova (I have no decided between the G2 or G3 yet. I also have a smaller lathe (1939 Dunlap 9x45 spindle lathe) and the G2 is probably too big for that lathe, so still deciding while I save my pennies.

MY Recommended order of purchases
Safety Gear, don't turn with out it!
Live center (can be used for spindle work as well)
Bowl Gouge (less expensive than a chuck and if used properly can yield excellent results)
Scroll Chuck (not essential but convenient and can be used for spindle work as well)
Universal Tool Rest (It also adds weight to your SS and Weight is a lathe's best friend)
Speed reducer

Learn Learn Learn!
Find a turning club in your area and learn from those with experience. Learning by You tube and trial and error can work but can also be dangerous (a lot of information and any yahoo with a cell phone can post videos on line, I have seen some incredibly dangerous on line videos) Online videos usually result in less than optimal outcomes at first.

Learn the different types of work holding for a lathe.

This is a good book, even though it is for conventional lathes, the principals work well for Shopsmith
https://www.amazon.com/Fixtures-Chucks- ... athe+chuck

Enjoy and be safe.

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2016 12:08 pm
by algale
Woodcraft is having a HUGE sale on the G3 with multiple jaws included. The insert will have to be bought separately but this is an absolutely great deal IMO.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/150699 ... 5nz0a2squi

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 10:24 pm
by BPeter61
1st I would recommend use what you learned in the class. 2nd will need a good set of turning chisels (spindle / pen are not same that are used for bowl turning) 3rd take a look on you tube Doug Reid has 6-7 videos on bowl turning using the shopsmith ... good luck like to see some pictures of the bowls that will soon be made

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 1:22 am
by woodworkerswife
Thank you so much Ed. You helped more than you know.

I know we have the safety equip & the bowl turning tools. Rich bought them at Woodcraft during the class and didn't get the bottom of the barrel ones but I'm guessing the the top of the line either.

I noticed the Nova G3 chuck on sale with a Pin Jaw set and a SafeLock Woodworm screw with a special Shopsmith insert adapter. I was also considering the Lathe tool rest.

What do you think about the drive center, live center and 6"faceplate?

Re: Bowl Turning attachments.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 2:36 pm
by reible
Hi,

If you get the Nova chuck, be it the G3 or other versions they sell I believe they come standard with a 50mm set of jaws. They may throw in another set as well like as you mentioned the pin jaw set. Depending on the size of bowl to be turned the 50mm might be too small or at least not the optimal size. So here is a handy chart with some options:

http://www2.woodcraft.com/pdf/Chuck%20R ... mphlet.pdf

(this chart might not be up to date but I could find a newer one, I see sizes missing)

Note that the standard 50mm jaws are good for turning bowls of 12" in diameter and 4" thick, if you were to want to do a 14" bowl you will want a larger set of jaws. You will also note that this is for when you expand into a recess in the blank. If you are attempting to grab an external tendon then the numbers change.

If you feel unsure then this might be a good addition:

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/146082 ... w-set.aspx



The other handy addition to the chuck for finishing the bottom of the bowl is the cole jaws, and you can find them towards the bottom of the chart. Again they have size limits so more choices. You can see one of them here:

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/15M83/ ... w-set.aspx

For driving things like spindle turnings they have a few attachments that mount right in the same nova chuck. They come in three sizes so again you might find you only want to start with one size the 7/8" might be good. All the Nova stuff is on sale at Woodcraft, can't promise the best prices but that is a good starting point. So here is the item that I mentioned:

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/162029 ... -9020.aspx

They also have a simple spur center that is shown here:

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/111190 ... enter.aspx

I have the three flex point drives but do not have there spur point but I'm sure it works fine as well.

The other addition if you go with the Nova system are these, you drop one and can't find it you are done for the day.... and I know this for a fact. Yes I did find it after much effort the next day but I also put an order in the evening so it wouldn't happen again. The item is spare screws for the jaws. Not much of stocking stiffer but go so great to have.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/417753 ... -jaws.aspx

Hope this helps a bit more.

Ed
woodworkerswife wrote:Thank you so much Ed. You helped more than you know.

I know we have the safety equip & the bowl turning tools. Rich bought them at Woodcraft during the class and didn't get the bottom of the barrel ones but I'm guessing the the top of the line either.

I noticed the Nova G3 chuck on sale with a Pin Jaw set and a SafeLock Woodworm screw with a special Shopsmith insert adapter. I was also considering the Lathe tool rest.

What do you think about the drive center, live center and 6"faceplate?