Wood lathe best for your project

The best wood lathe work depends on the size of wood that you plan to use for the project. Another consideration for the lathe just make woodworking is the area that you have to work with a lathe. Different wood chisels can offer some great design skills to add to your wood working projects.

There are three specific formats for lathes. The lathe is very intricate pen to refined wood work small projects. You would need to pen a lathe to make intricate tiny work that could not be done with a tool manual. A lathe pen would make it possible to transform wood and manage very fine detail that would not be possible to do otherwise. A mini lathe takes up little space and is easy to be stored without taking up a lot of space in your wood shop work or garage.

The lathe is the next size up. Is used for the manufacture of chucks and other curved designs. Allows you to work on projects that require curved pieces that require turning and shaping wood, while you're working in a particular piece for a project. The lathe is easy to store and can be kept on a shelf in your garage or shop when not in use, saving space for other equipment and working tools.

The larger size is the lathe. It is a machine that sits on the floor and runs the largest pieces of wood for larger projects. Is still small compared to other wood working machines, but occupy more space than the lathe or lathe pen that can be stored on a shelf. Lathe plan in most cases is easily stored.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Chucks - Not Necessary But Very Nice

Woodturning has been around since at least the time of the great pyramids of Egypt. In all that time there have been very few innovations in the craft. However, in the last few decades, the four jaw, self centering, wood lathe chuck has come into its own with myriads of jaw sets and sizes as well as competing manufacturers. While the chuck may not be necessary, it is certainly nice to use and makes some tasks easier and more enjoyable.

Consider if you will, the making of a salad bowl, one of the mainstays of a woodturner's repertoire. Traditionally, the top of a bowl blank would be mounted on a screw chuck or a faceplate and fastened to the wood lathe . The outside would be turned and the bottom flattened. Either a wood block would be glued to the bottom to handle a faceplate for turning the inside or the bowl would be fastened to the faceplate with screws leaving hole to be filled or covered later.

Most if not all of the new four jaw chucks come with a wood screw attachment. A hole is drilled in the center of the top of the bowl blank for the wood screw. The screw holds it to the chuck with incredible power. The outside of the bowl is turned, the bottom levelled and then a shallow mortise is cut in the bottom. Once the bowl is removed from the screw, the screw attachment is removed from the chuck and the chuck jaws are opened into the mortise on the bowl bottom. Again the holding power is awesome. Now the bowl is finish turned, sanded and finished. Instead of screw holes in the bottom there is a decorative mortise that is simply left as part of the artistic design of the bowl.

One of the difficulties of turning bowls is that they are generally turned of green wood. This leaves a very thick bowl that must be dried before finish turning. As it dries it warps and twists making it hard to remount on the lathe for final work.

With a chuck it is possible to leave a mortise on the bottom as with dry wood and to leave either a tenon or a mortise on the inside as well. The chuck is opened into the now oval internal mortise or onto the now oval tenon. Because of the power of the chuck, the hold works and it is now safe to once again turn the outer mortise and to flatten the remainder of the base. All that remains is to flip the piece around and final turn the outside and inside of the bowl. Once it is turned, sanded and finished it is time for the next one.

Is the four jaw wood chuck for the lathe necessary? No, but it does make some things faster, easier, and above all safer.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Setting Up Your Wood Lathe: Where Will It Fit In The Shop?

If you have a little, portable wood lathe, setting it in the woodworking shop is not a huge question, it can always be moved. However, most are large machines and will remain in one place for a long time. There are a few considerations when selecting a spot for it to live.

Kitchen design has long decided on using a work triangle to position major appliances. A cook will wish to be near the sink for water; a counter area for cutting and mixing; the refrigerator for supplies and temporary food holding; and the stove for cooking. These all should fit into a triangular arrangement for easy movement and efficiency. Similarly, such a triangle is needed for a woodturning station.

In general the positioning for work preparation is not a great need to be immediately in the triangle because the wood is prepared for the lathe and mounted but the preparation area may not be visited for some time. This is particularly true for large pieces but a different case may be in order for small pieces. If your turning tends to be mainly of small, repetitive projects such as pens, tea lights or ornaments, it is good to have either a work preparation spot or a materials holding spot in easy walking distance.

Tools need to be in a spot that is out of the way but easily reached. They need to be out of the way simply because they are sharp and a sharp tool cuts if walked into or hit in the wrong way. However, woodturners are often reaching for a different tool and they should be at arms length. It is a good idea to have them racked with the tips down and distinctive handles for easy selection. Also, any accessories such as chucks, faceplates, centres and the like should be nearby.

Sharp tools are an enjoyment to a turner and dull ones are a dangerous curse. However, the reality of the craft is tools dull quickly and need to be sharpened often and well. The sharpening station needs to be a step or two away and all the sharpening needs with it. At a minimum, any jigs should be set and ready and a wheel dresser handy to keep the wheels in good shape.

We sometimes forget that sanding and finishing is a big part of wood turning. Sand paper should be stored near the lathe in appropriate grits and sizes along with whatever sanding aids are typically used. Finishing supplies may be stored for safety but brought out to the turning as required.

Not absolutely necessary but a good addition is a small bench to hold extras that are needed for some projects. This area should be kept clean except when needed.

While all these need to be within the work triangle, room needs to be left around the lathe to work in safety. Sometimes an extra step to get a piece of sandpaper or run a new edge on a skew gives just the bit of a break that is needed to catch a breath and enjoy the whole woodturning process for which the lathe was set up in the first place.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

CNC Wood Lathe

CNC wood lathes can come in handy for many different wood working projects. You can create one-of-a-kind projects, beautiful spindles and stair rails, among other things. There is no more hand turning or cranking. This computer operated machine does all of the work for you.

The CNC wood lathe can be a great addition to any woodworking shop or hobby shop. If you are into furniture making or remodeling homes, this can also be the perfect machine for you. You can use this machine to not only sculpt and mold the perfect spindles or stair railings; you can use it for many other things such as putting designs into other projects.

The CNC wood lathe can also be used with other materials. Aluminum and brass works great with the wood lathe. The materials can stand up to the numerous and continuous turning process and this gives you even more possibilities for creativity and design. This machine could be the one addition to your shop that induces more creativity and customers, as well as income.

The CNC wood lathes are available in various sizes, and the one that you want will depend upon the type of work that you normally do. Smaller models can be mounted onto benches and are semi-portable. Portability offers new avenues for your business.

Remember that lathes operate on a spinning process; therefore, you must always practice safety precautions when working with a lathe. The CNC wood lathe means that it is controlled through the computer and once the machine begins to start it will continue to make the number of turns that the program specifies until it is done. This could cause major safety issues if one is not careful when working around it.

Make sure you do not wear loose sleeves that could potentially get caught in the machine. Do not wear any watches or rings. These too can get caught in a machine like this. Always make sure that you wear safety goggles to help protect your eyes, even if there is no flying debris. It's just a good habit to get into. Another good idea is to wear earplugs around any type of machinery.

Other safety precaution could be simple things like making sure that the machine has completely stopped before attempting to make adjustments or changing the speed of the spindles on the machine.

When it comes to the CNC wood lathes, make sure that you always have the correct cutting tool for the material. This is a major factor in determining how precise and finished the product will turn out once the machine has finished its process. The wrong tool can lead to disastrous effects.

To learn more about the CNC wood lathe and the process that it entails, ask your dealer. They will be able to answer any other questions that you may have. They will also be able to instruct you on the type and size of the machine that you will need for the jobs that you want to do.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Turning Tools - Are The Different Steels Necessary?

While there are a myriad of wood turning tools for the myriad of lathes now available, the quandary of which tools to purchase can be broken down by knowing a few simple rules. For the beginning wood turner this can be invaluable so as not to break the bank buying tools that will never be used or used so seldom as to be not worth the purchase price.

First it should be noted that all turning tools follow the same pattern regardless of their being a gouge, chisel, skew, parting tool or what have you. They all have a handle for control, a shaft to hold the cutting tip and the cutting tip itself. The shaft and cutting tip may be one piece or the tip may be inserted into the shaft as in the case of an Oland tool, or screwed on to it such as is the manner of many scrapers.

The differences in the cutting tips are generally obvious. Bowl gouges, for instance, will have a deeper flute in the shaft than will spindle gouges. This results in a deeper cutting tip with heavier wings than the shallow gouges used for spindles.

Not so obvious is the type of steel used to make the tool. For all intents and purposes there are three types of steel used for wood turning tools; high carbon, high speed and specialty. Until fairly recently, most woodturning tools were made from high carbon steel but now the vast majority use high speed steel.

High carbon steels take a sharper edge than do high speed steels but it does not last long under the stress of turning that modern wood lathes give. While many woodturners use it for tools just for the last finishing cuts, high carbon steel tools are not recommended for the beginner. They are tricky to sharpen without losing the temper and the edge does not last.

High speed steels, on the other hand, can handle a lot of abuse at the grinding wheel and it is believed that they can not lose their temper under the conditions of a general home woodworking shop. While they will not become as sharp as will high carbon steels they will hold a sufficiently sharp edge for a lot longer. This is the recommended steel for most turners, whether beginner or experienced.

The specialty steels tend to hold an edge for a long time. Whether they can be sharpened to a finer edge than high speed steels is open for debate but they can certainly be sharpened to a sufficient sharpness for wood turning. They are more expensive than high speed steel and purchasing them may be more a question of cash flow than of actual need.

Regardless of the steel used, a sufficient array of tools to make the necessary cuts at the wood lathe need to be purchased. In most cases, high speed steel tools are a good buy and will make for an enjoyable time at the wood lathe.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Choose a wood lathe: there is a lot of advice available, some of which is good

There has been an increase in the popularity of the lathe in recent decades, and with it the manufacturers of woodworking tool are placed on the new market with a wide selection of wood lathes in all price ranges. For the beginner woodturner so there is a confusing array of choices when buying a lathe. While there is a lot of advice provided in the choosing a wood lathe to a beginner, the Council must be sifted with reason.

One of the things that makes it so pleasant lathe is the camaraderie of the population. Turners like to share information about the tools they use, the manner in which they sharpen, as special projects and of course turn on their return. Beginners can learn a lot about simply asking other lathes wood Turners and standing back to listen. Not a lot of confirmation will be required.

The difficulty here, of course, is most people consulted will be practicing some Turners years experience. You have formed opinions, both good and bad, not only in general but especially lathes that or those on which they run. Their personal lathe that may not be ideal for the beginner.

First of all, many Turners gradually tend to specialise in certain forms or types of lathe, often without realizing it. The lathe which is perfect for a Turner pen may not even be close to meet the needs of a bowl turner, while beginners will probably want to try both. Some of the things that can now wish in a wood lathe can also be so esoteric to the needs of a beginner that are intangible in beginner's desires for a working tool.

Secondly, most of the Turners will want to introduce a friend to the joys of transforming wood, but will forget about the early days of his place and tries to convince the newcomer to the craft that they need the lathe itself as the Turner with experience. The budget for the beginner and the woodturner rarely reaches its second, third or higher lathe.

Still, Turners in their stores and on the web have a lot to offer good advice from what is required for reliability, availability, and enjoyment are concerned wood lathes. An introduction to local clubs lathe is often filled with invitations to try out other people's lathes, a precious help to someone trying to buy their own. There is also the possibility of someone in the club having a lathe for sale as they update. In addition, Turners know what else you need to start and get advice on where it is easier and more purchased locally.

As with all free information, you get what you pay for. However, information is valuable and having a lot of it will make you a more informed buyer and then one more chance to enjoy the future use of your purchase.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Chucks - Is One in Your Future?

The 4-jaw wood lathe chuck is one of the innovations in woodturning in the last century. For many of today's turners it has become a necessity. Is it in your future or is it a luxury that can wait?

Wood lathes demand that a turning blank be held in place in order to work on it. Traditionally the blank has been held between centers for spindle turning such as chair rungs and on a faceplate for such items as bowls or platters. In more recent years, especially for faceplate turning, the four jaw chuck has been used by more and more turners to take the place of the faceplate. Beginners are often convinced that a chuck is necessary, however the cost is often more than the price of a first lathe.

It should be remembered that woodturning as art and craft has been performed for more than three thousand years. The woodturning chuck of today's craftsmen is less than one hundred years old. Yet there is little made on the wood lathe today that has not been make is some form in the past. Perhaps a quick look at the common salad bowl, long a mainstay of the woodturner's output, would help to see why the chuck is often used.

Traditionally a rough bowl blank would be attached to the headstock of the lathe with a faceplate and wood screws mounted to the top of the blank. The outside of the bowl would be rough turned and the bottom turned to the same size as the faceplate. Then the faceplate would be screwed to the bottom of the bowl and the blank would be hollowed out leaving a think bowl. This would then be waxed and dried so as to warp and twist as wood does. After drying for a few months, the bowl would be remounted using a couple of the screw holes on the bottom and finish turned. Ultimately there would be screw holes in the bottom of the bowl. These would be filled or covered.

With a 4 jaw chuck, the bowl blank is usually mounted first with a screw fixture in the chuck and the outside turned leaving a tenon on the bottom to fit the jaws of the chuck. The blank is reversed to place the tenon in the chuck and the inside roughed away to leave a thick bowl for waxing and drying as before. After drying the tenon is replaced in the chuck and the bowl is finished in and out. Large jaws are placed on the chuck to grasp the outside of the bowl and turn away the tenon. There are no screw holes on the bottom.

It is easy to see how a 4 jaw wood lathe chuck can make things easier and perhaps quicker for the woodturner. Thus it remains a question of economics and sometimes a connection to the history of the craft as to whether this is the right time for you to purchase and learn to use this versatile tool.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Lathe Guide to buying wood

There are a lot of different wood lathes for sale these days, and it can be difficult to decide which is right for you. There are a lot of different factors to consider, such as size, brand, model, price point and what specific features that you are looking for. A good wood lathe will last many years and should not buy one without doing any research first, or you may regret your decision.

If you're buying the first wooden lathe, you need to seriously look at the amount of money you're willing to invest. Ask yourself whether turning wood is a new hobby, or something you have done for many years. You do not want to drop a couple thousand dollars on a wood lathe, only to decide in a few weeks that you're bored of wood turning and wants to hire a new hobby.

If you've never used a wood lathe before you might want to consider a lathe of collectors. These are little more than an Assembly for an electric drill that will allow you to transform a small piece of wood. The benefits are not nearly as good as a regular lathe, but will allow you to enter the wood turning at a fraction of the cost.

One of the biggest considerations when buying a lathe is the size. You're trying to make feathers or legs of the table? If you want to enable some pens or other small projects, a lathe pen lets you do everything you want and are generally much cheaper than lathes full size. Slightly larger have your mini lathes, which can turn small bowls and other small to mid-sized pieces. A lathe full size will be able to handle everything you throw at it, but generally are more expensive than smaller instruments.

When it comes to brands, you'll notice that there is a wide range of prices. Lathes are usually cheaper in China and are not built as well as their American counterparts. This is not to say that I am bad lathes, but quality control and materials will not be quite the same standard. With that said Chinese-made lathes have been improvement in the quality and growing in popularity in recent years, and if you're looking for a lathe at reasonable prices there are many very good models to choose from.

If you're looking for an American lathe, you can expect high quality tool that will last a long time, but you will pay a premium.

It is a good idea to try a range of lathes before making any purchase, ask people you know if you can prove their lathe to get a feel for it and ask what their experiences were not there really is no substitute for first-hand experience. You should also check out the reviews online to get a feel for whether people are satisfied with particular models of the wood lathe.

There are a lot of wood lathes for sale online these days, and the prices are quite good, often with free shipping. If your local selection is not that good, or if you're looking to save a few bucks, I definitely recommend looking at online retailers for your wood lathe. Often you can beat Malta and brick stores with low overhead.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Buying a Used Wood Lathe - Do You Want Accessories With That?

When buying a wood lathe it should be remembered that there is a lot that is seldom included with the purchase. The lathe will generally be accompanied with one or two face plates for faceplate turning along with a spur center and tail stock center for spindle turning. Other tools and accessories are most often not included but are necessary to turn wood. The buyer of a used lathe is often able to get some good bargains at the same time as the lathe is purchased.

Sellers of wood lathes are usually doing so because they are quitting turning for some reason or they are upgrading to a larger lathe. In the first case they have not further use for the woodturning tools and may be convinced to sell them at the same time. Those upgrading to a larger lathe may be finding that their collection of faceplates, centers, and tool rests will not fit the new lathe they have in mind or for that matter have on hand. It is not likely they will want to part with their turning tools themselves, but after the purchase of a new and larger lathe, they may consider a need for some ready cash.

When buying used lathe tools, be choosy about what you purchase. While brand names will give you an idea of quality, most manufacturers have ranges of tools from cheap to expensive and quality will most often vary with the price. Also many turners will put their own handles on tools from many sellers and it will be hard to find a brand name in the first place.

Look for tools with plenty of steel left on them. Sharpening gradually shortens woodturning tools and will eventually make them difficult to use as well as give very little life for the money. Many tools will start with seven inches of shaft. Less that five inches make them a chancy buy and anything from four on down should be free. I think bowl gouges need at least ten inches of shaft and twelve of handle but longer is better.

Examine the steel. Carbon steel is easier to sharpen to a good edge but will not stand the test of time in turning in the fashion of high speed steel. Most turners prefer high speed steel but many have a few tools of high carbon steel because they are a lot cheaper and in days gone by were all that turners could find. In general, high speed steel will be shinier than high carbon and is much less prone to rust. Look for shiny shafts with no rust. Sometimes the shaft will have HSS or M2 or M4 on high speed steel shafts.

It is good to have some idea of what tools are worth when looking at used ones and starting a barter session. Accessories that will not fit the new lathe are usually available at a good price of thirty to fifty percent of new. Turners that are dropping out of the craft will likely throw in their stash for a few dollars more. Always remember that good beginner's sets of tools are often available for less than a hundred dollars before the barter rush hits you.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Woodworking With the Wood Lathe - Learning to Relax

For most of us who work with wood, especially in the home shop where anything from a jewelry box to a full desk may be attempted, the table saw has the honoured position of center of the shop, in importance if not actual geography. However, the table saw is known as a dangerous enemy as well as a welcome friend and a certain amount of tension is always associated with its use. Acquiring and learning to use the wood lathe brings a new relaxation to the woodworking shop somewhat similar to the days when a craftsman laid a rough board on his bench and picked up a hand plane to smooth it down to the sound of shavings gently swishing to the floor.

Like the table saw, many of our power tools exist as cutting tools to which we bring boards to carefully cut them to length and width. That same table saw that has brought precise cuts into the ability level of people who do not have the time or chance for long apprenticeships, also brings with it the chance wood to be grabbed and hauled into the blade with terrible cuts or to be bound with blade and through with devastating force. Band saws have been known to rotate improperly secured wood and rotate a hand into the cut. Routers are the seeming exception as they are guided by hand onto a piece of well clamped wood, but many use them in a more versatile fashion by inverting the tool under a surface and making a router table. All of sudden the very rapidly rotating cutting tool is all to available for an unwary finger.

The wood lathe changes all this. Here the tool does not hold the cutter, it holds the wood. There are reasonable precautions that must be followed for safety, but they are not unusual for the woodworker.

One realizes that wood shavings will fly from the lathe and many will fly at the wood turner. A full face shield is worn which is simply safer than mere safety glasses. Sharp tools are a necessity but this is no new to anyone who tries to cut wood and all know that sharp tools are safer than dull ones. Very quickly it will be realized that hands should be kept away from rapidly spinning wood. As in all woodworking, a proper dust mask should be worn when sanding and a proper mask used for some of the more exotic and dangerous finishes. The only new rule to learn for safety is to turn the wood at a reasonable speed for its size and balance.

Woodturning tools are easy to learn to use and can take a lifetime to master as is true for most any craft. However, the first few cuts and indeed the first few mistakes make one realize that the tool is a safe one. In fact, one of the more difficult things to teach a new turner is to relax ones grip on the tool and generally relax all over. It makes the turning easier and a lot of fun as the shavings come off the swish on to the floor.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

What is a wood lathe?

A wood lathe is a type of machinery, generally used in transforming industrial products for ornamental purposes. In a nutshell, a lathe uses a rotating device that runs parallel to the surface, and with the help of different tools, you can create unique designs and cuts with a solid block of material. Lathe tools reformat an object by cutting, drilling, milling and grinding, providing products designed symmetrically turned on a lathe.

From all types of lathe machinery, including lathes used for jewelry, pottery or wood lathe is the oldest. And without a doubt, the different tools used to turning wood are most lathes. This variety of instruments used with wood lathes consists of several tools used to create unique designs and patterns as a result of wood turning. And the amazing thing of a wood lathe not unique designs or models, but the fact that it can produce a completely finished work entirely on your own. While most of the instruments used in industrial production require tools that are separated from the machine to finish the design, a lathe has its tools chisel stuck directly to lathe, which allows him to do all the work at once.

To better understand the concept, these tools place a wood lathe wood take a solid object and transform into a symmetrical ornament, such as a table or a chair leg. With the help of a setup of wood, a Carpenter will be able to duplicate identical pieces of wood, then every table or chair legs are the same.

Turning wood has a lot of different shapes, styles and designs to offer, through a wide range of accessories for wood lathes. And with today's incredible advances in technology and machinery, accessories are more skilled than ever. The instruments most commonly used in wood turning are gouging chisel, launches, the skew chisel, chisel of separation and the chisel of round-nose.

In order to achieve the best results and products, a Carpenter has to know all the different tools used in a wood lathe and understand their unique characteristics, features and functionality. Understand how each tool is essential for the proper use of a chisel wood, and the best results come with a lot of practice. For more information, search online for different types of wooden lathe tools and read about each tool in detail. And remember, practice makes perfect.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Safety: Five Things To Consider For Woodturning Workshops

Of all the power tools in the work shop, the wood lathe is one of the safest. This is still a powerful tool used with sharp tools and care is needed. Ultimately, safety is in the hands of the user. Here are a few safety tips to consider when turning wood.

One of the first things to look for is the general condition of the lathe itself. Many woodturners are amateurs who have only a few hours a week to spend in the workshop and wish to spend most of it at the lathe so that maintenance takes a back seat. Some time needs to be spent on such maintenance as sharpening spur centers, replacing bearings, making sure mounting nuts are secure, dressing the tool rest and so on. Before the lathe is turned on it should be checked to be sure that everything is tightened down and the wood will clear the tool rest as it rotates. Not only does it make the turning more enjoyable, it makes it safer.

While the condition of the lathe is important for safety, so is the condition of the wood turner. Fatigue causes accidents. A wood turner should be well rested and free of alcohol or drugs. All rings and other jewellery should be removed. It is all too easy for rotating wood to catch neck ties or other loose clothing and draw a turner into the lathe or for a caught piece of jewellery to rip off pieces of skin.

The height of the lathe should generally be set so that the center line of the turning will be at elbow height of the turner. This may vary a little with individuals because of varying ratios of arm to leg length, but it is a good working estimate. A height too great or too little easily causes back pain through undue hunching or stretching. Rubber mats on concrete floors also can be a big help in relieving back pain.

With the increase in artistic turning over the past few decades, more and more wood turners are mounting burls, spalted wood and wood with splits and voids in it, particularly in faceplate work. These pieces of wood tend to be fairly large and unbalanced. This sets up a lot of vibration in the lathe and can be inherently dangerous, especially as chunks of wood may fly off the lathe at high speeds if the lathe is turning too fast. Experience and slow speeds are essential in this type of turning.

There are various charts that are used to determine the speeds at which woods of various diameters are turned. These should be approached with caution as not all woods are of the same density and many have knots, hidden splits or other imperfections that will be aggravated by high speeds. It is best to start turning at a slow speed and increase as circumstances dictate.

There is no way to make working with power tools completely safe but a few simple precautions and common sense can make the woodturning workshop a safe place for a long time to come.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Tool Rests - Upkeep is Easy

The tool rest on a wood lathe is used just as the name implies, a tool shaft rests on it while the wood-turner moves the tool into the work beyond the rest. It is a simple looking device consisting of a welded T that fits into a movable base called a banjo. Yet even this simple device requires a bit of maintenance from time to time.

First of all the tool rest banjo needs to move easily along the ways of the wood lathe. While a bit of paste wax may help, it is better to do a more thorough job. Remove the banjo from the lathe and chick to see that the bottom is clean and rust free. Some turners actually like a bit of rust on the banjo and ways believing that this enables a more secure hold when tightening the banjo down. A good fit will give a secure fastening and good movement prevents frustration.

A bit of fine wet and dry sandpaper will clean off any rust. Future rust may be prevented with an application of one of the rust proofing products sold by automotive tool companies. Most will have a raw linseed oil base. Follow the manufacturer's instructions but most will tell you to just spray it on, let it rest and few minutes and wipe off the excess. I recommend against the use of products also used for loosening rusted bolts and such. The lubricants are not designed to stay but tend to evaporate in minutes or days. We want the ways and banjo to move easily with semi-yearly or yearly applications.

Make sure the tool rest fits easily into the banjo and rotates easily when the bolt is loosened. From time to time burs may occur on either the tool rest post or in the banjo hole. These are easily removed with a fine circular file. A bit of that same rust preventer will go a long way to give good movement.

Tools shafts move along the edge of the tool rest and many turners use the face to rest their hands and give direction to the tool movement. The edge can be dinged with tool shafts and should be kept clean and smooth. While it is not supposed to be sharp it should be a well defined edge. Often a well rounded sixteenth inch is desired by turners. A mill file can be used to flatten the edge, removing any dents and dings, and then can be used to define a bit of a round for a nice feel while turning. A bit of wax on the edge prevents rust, eases tool movement, and is easily redone any time a bit of wax is used to finish a piece on the lathe.

While the tool rest is a simple accessory and often overlooked because of it, simple maintenance is easy to do. It is just one of those things that make an enjoyable craft even more so.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Choosing A Wood Lathe: Accessories Can Make All The Difference

Buying a wood lathe is different than purchasing almost any other stationary power tool. Most come ready to use right out of the box or with only a bit of assembly such as mounting the enclosed blade. Wood lathes generally come without cutting tools of any kind. All that come with the lathe are a faceplate and a couple of centers for mounting wood. However, tools and accessories are readily available and are either needed for turning or will add tremendously to the enjoyment. Still, it is necessary to make sure the desired accessories fit your lathe as it is definitely not a one size fits all proposition.

A good beginner's set of tools will meet most of the needs of beginning and intermediate spindle turners. Generally a bowl gouge or an Oland tool must be purchased or made for spindle turning. Ensure that the tools are high speed steel and have comfortable handles. While a small set of tools makes it hard to turn large objects and a big set makes it hard to turn small ones, a medium sized set with shafts about seven inches long are commonly used for all sorts of sizes of turnings.

The typical shop grinder is easily turned into a sharpening station with a couple of aluminium oxide wheels and a sharpening jig. While some experienced turners disdain the sharpening jigs, others love them and they make life much nicer for beginners.

Accessories will include more centers and faceplates as well as various chucks and gadgets. Manufacturers have long ago noticed the buying power of wood turners and the near addiction to acquiring tools expressed by many. It is necessary to know some things about your lathe before buying.

Generally accessories will attach to the headstock or tailstock. Headstocks come in a variety of sizes expressed in terms of their diameter and screw size expressed as teeth per inch or tpi. Common sizes for beginner length are one inch diameter by eight teeth per inch and three quarter inch diameter by sixteen teeth per inch. Accessories are easily available for both but may not be for some other sizes. In the UK metric sizes may be more prevalent.

Tailstocks and headstocks will generally be bored through and then tapered, usually to a standard called the Morse taper. This will generally be a number one or number two Morse taper expressed as #1 or #2. The two are not interchangable but most accessories will be available in either size. These have been the industry standard for some time. Number three Morse tapers have been used on metal lathes for a long time and are being found more often on some of the larger wood lathes for sale.

It should be noted that having a set of accessories that meet the accepted industry standards allow them to be moved on to new lathes. A good place to start is a beginner lathe with a one inch by eight tooth per inch headstock and number two Morse tapers in the headstock and tailstock. Such standards can have a woodturner looking at the after market accessories for a long time to come.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Using the Wood Lathe - Design to Final Product

Having a workshop project that you want to take from the design stages to final product may include a lot of factors. One of the most important factors is having the correct tools for the job. This article will talk about how to incorporate usages of the wood lathe and when to use this machine with your woodworking projects.

The wood lathe is a great machine for creating projects that require symmetry along a center line. Examples can include bedroom furniture, lounge furniture, vases, bowls, and battens. While it is a great machine to use, there are some important factors to consider beforehand. Having a good plan or technical drawings is crucial before and while doing wood turning.

A good plan should consist of good drawings that are annotated and marked up properly. Getting time on a lathe, unless it is your own, can be expensive. So knowing exactly what you will be producing and working towards templates or drawings will save you a lot of time, cost and material. The last thing you want to do when using a lathe is to take too much material away. This is an avoidable problem with the use of good working drawings.

Having good drawings to work from is nothing, if the execution is not up to standard. Make sure you have the right chisels and wood turning tools to get the best effect. It is often worth making the investment on good wood chisels, as this will save on cost and a lot of time in the long run.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Care of Wood Lathe Tools

In order to get the most out of your lathe you will need sharp, well maintained tools. Wood lathe tools take a lot of abuse, much more so that most of the other equipment in your toolbox. This is simply as a result of the amount of wood they can go through in a short amount of time. Carving a large piece of wood that is turning at high velocity is enough to dull even the best chisel.

So what can you do to keep your tools sharp? The first and one of the most important things you should be doing is cleaning your chisels after each use. This small step will go a along way towards prolonging the lifetime of your tools and keeping them sharp. Taking good care of your chisel set with regular cleaning will result having to sharpen them less often and better results from your carving.

You want to keep your tools as sharp as possible, but you don't want to sharpen them too much. Each time you sharpen your wood lathe tools you are grinding a little bit of them away, and over the lifetime of your tools this will wear them down until they are little more than wood handles with little metal stubs on them. You might not have seen this happen, but believe me it does!

That said, all the cleaning in the world won't stop your tools from dulling if you use them frequently, at some point they will need to be sharpened. The process of sharpening a chisel is a fairly precise art, and the best thing to do is have an experienced wood turner show you how to do it. Failing that I would recommend watching a video of wood lathe tools being sharpened, as there's really no substitute for seeing it done.

With all that said I will give a quick overview of the steps needed to sharpen a chisel. First off you will need a tool grinder, preferably one that runs over three thousand RPM and for your wheel you will want aluminum oxide with something like sixty grit.

You should always wet your wheel with a little bit of water before sharpening, to prevent sparks and keep your tools from catching. Depending on the specific chisel or gouge you want to sharpen you will need to use different angles of attack and pressures to achieve the desired result. Tools should be applied to the wheel, with a light pressure, taking care not to force them as this can result in nicks and scratches, and it can be very dangerous if your tool catches at 3000 RPM.

With regular cleaning and sharpening you will keep your wood lathe tools at their best and your wood turning projects will never suffer because of inferior tools. There's nothing worse than working on a project for weeks only to have a gouge with a nick in it catch your spindle and snap it in two.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Woodworking and wood lathe: five reasons that carpenters can easily move in lathe

Carpenters can get into ruts, but they also like to try new challenges and opportunities to explore their personal relationship with the wood. Getting a wood lathe and learn how to use it to open a new dimension in woodworking. While many of the talents learned in flat wood carry to the world round lathe, new talent in the craft must be developed, which leads to new emotions in an old field.

First, while Turners need additional tools other than a wood lathe and turning machine, for many people this is a requirement of minor. Other tools necessary to prepare the wood lathe are usually present in the form of saws and table saws for the Carpenter. Wood lathe tools need to be refined for use, but most carpenters already have a removal tool grinder Nick by chisels and similar. This is easily transformed for lathe Sharpener tool replacing a wheel grinder with an inexpensive, aluminum oxide, wheel of grana thin doing a jig grinding.

Secondly, once the lathe is set up and ready and sharp tools, the question is: what to spin. Many Joiners this one at first becomes an extension of the plain wood. Making the legs of the table allows you to purchase more individual expression preturned ones from a catalog or making them all lined up straight out of necessity. While there are many variations of Cabinet knobs are available in various materials, personal ones can be transformed from wood, brass or plastic very easily on the wood lathe and many can be easily patterned. Small Cabinet decorated with coats of arms is easily or finials.

Thirdly, after the practice of turning parts for furniture and other Cabinet, many woodworkers will move other types of lathe. There are many ideas for transforming the projects available in magazines, books and web. Many of these will already be in possession of most carpenters. Such a range of projects from candelabra, tool handles and tea lights, pens, bowls, vases and almost all around. Some of these will be pasted up by several parties and once typical Carpenter skills come into play with junction, knowledge capture and bonding.

Fourthly, an aspect that is sometimes overlooked as one contemplates the woodwork is in general the acquisition of wood with which we work. For most carpenters, this is a simple but expensive for local lumber merchant. While this may also be of benefit to a woodturner, many prefer to start with a section of the registry. This type of wood is generally much cheaper to get more prepared timber and is often free. A chainsaw can be requested, but many carpenters have already one, either electric or gas powered.

Fifth and along the same lines is the question that many carpenters have on what to do with all the clippings rather than wood that accumulate in the home? They are often too small to do anything with but too beautiful to throw out. Turners often made of small items that will use many small pieces or glue them together to make turnings segmented. Woodworker with his Workshop and jointer planer this can make it much easier than it is for many wood Turners who do not have these tools.

So the acquisition of a wood lathe can open a new world of woodwork for the Carpenter flat. Many of the skills practiced move easily to the wood lathe and preparation of wood, while the tools of the workshops prove to be very useful in the new craft of the wood. Wood processing is done for fun and adding this new dimension will increase significantly the overall enjoyment.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood lathes-what to look for when you buy your first one

Most people involved in woodworking for a while are in good shape, when are going to buy their first wood lathe. Many of the things to look for in a wood lathe are the same things that a search in other machines for wood, as the quality of finishing materials and heavy. However, there are some things to look like a wood lathe is different from other power tools in typical wood shop.

First of all, seek a lathe that is built to absorb vibrations. Many of the tools of today are manufactured in steel or aluminium. Nor can it be made to have great strength relative to lightness, but both material requires extensive engineering and expensive to absorb vibrations. This is a problem because of the way in which the wood is treated on the lathe compared to something like a bandsaw or table saw. In the case of the latter, usually in the form of uniform, is placed on a tabletop and fed through a blade. There is little vibration involved taking the blade is balanced.

Wooden lathes, on the other hand, hold the wood and turn rather high speed. Often the wood is coarse and unbalanced. This is something like an unbalanced tire at speed on the highway. Just like the car rattle and sway, so will the lathe. In the case of wood, cast iron lathe is the answer and even the beginner lathes at prices below will have some models with the stocks of head and tail. At a price slightly higher than even the ways will cast iron and is generally worth it. Many turners have begun, however, on a model of lathe that has a unique way that consists of a steel tube and even stocks of head and tail. These have worked quite well for many Turners.

The finish must be adapted on the head and tail and large ways. If the modes are finished correctly the rest of stock and tool tails will move well and freely. This makes turning a pleasure. On the other hand, a poor finish on ways to make it a pain to move one and a frustration in a Turner.

Make sure that the head and tail stock line. Put in a centre in each of them and bring them together. They should both vertically and horizontally. Some lathes will take measures to align the centers, but this is rarely seen in the beginner's models.

Now all that is necessary is a good support. Wood lathes level most beginners do not have any support or a poorly done one pressed steel. Make a solid one out of wood or metal, is the best bet in both cases.

These tips should help you in choosing a first wooden lathe. Just remember that, like most tools, it is easy to grow out of the first lathe so get one with a good resale value helps too.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Setting Up Your Wood Lathe: Standing Firm With A Good Stand

Most wood lathes come without a stand although they are designed either as bench models needing a stand or portable models that can be placed on any available surface. When designing a stand for a lathe it is necessary to decide what type of turning you will be doing and then plan around it.

If you plan on mostly spindle turning such as table legs or stair newel posts, then a light stand will suffice. The height of the center line of the lathe needs to be about at elbow level and room for easy access to all parts of the spindle is needed. So most lathe stands will have legs under the head stock and under the end of the bed ways leaving the center free for leg room. The legs need to be connected under the lathe with a shelf at minimum although a box structure will give more rigidity.

The larger the wood to be turned and in particular the larger the diameter of the piece to be turned, the heavier and more rigid the sand needs to be. Also, the more out of balance the piece of wood, the greater the vibration produced and the heavier and more rigid the stand is required to be. In other words, if the plan is to turn bowls and other faceplate turnings from burls and log sections, the stand has to be built to withstand the rigours of rotating heavy, unbalanced sections of wood.

If the stand is to be made of wood, softwood is reasonable but hardwoods are heavier and stronger. It is a good idea to consider making boxes instead of legs for the ends of the lathe. These boxes can be made of plywood skins and filled with sand. Sand is an excellent material for absorbing vibration and will add a lot of weight at the same time. The legs can be connected along the top with another box, again filled with sand and a shelf lower down to hold sand bags. A back connecting the two boxes will add more rigidity to the design but should end at least six inches from the floor to allow for easy access to removal of shavings if the lathe is near the wall.

Some wood turners fasten their lathes to the floor while others might worry that the weight and rigidity of this design are too great and cause concern for the stress on the bearings of the lathe. If the wood lathe will handle the movement of off balance, heavy pieces of wood, mounting it to the floor is the least of the bearing's problem and adds a lot of safety. The decision is yours.

It is important to make sure that the lathe is mounted securely to the stand and that it is level. This should be checked from time to time in case settling has caused things to go out of level or vibration has caused bolts to loosen.

A good stand will bring a lot of enjoyment to all aspects of wood turning and a large measure of safety. There are some good stands on the market but an excellent one can also be made. As in many things, common sense can make all the difference.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood lathes? -A couple of things to think about when you buy a used one

Wooden Lathes are on the market used in fairly regular and can be a great way to get a good wood lathe for the money. On the other hand some of lathes used are lemons. Here are some suggestions for the shopping trip.

First of all get an idea of what you want to do with a wood lathe in your shop. If you are upgrading from your machine this then you have some opinions about what things are necessary. The novice buyer has a tougher road to follow.

There are two main ways to turn wood, Chuck and front. Turning spindle includes such things and the Chair and table legs and is the normal way of carpenters General to enter the world of the lathe. Manufacture turned legs to a table at the end to make a table as an excuse to turn her legs. Faceplate work includes pieces such as round table tops, bowls and vases. Most people who take different types work the desire to transform the bowls and go from there.

Most beginner lathes will be suitable for spindles and bowls. Older wood lathes used a system of work above the bed of lathe chucks and at the other end of the headstock worked "offside" for bowls and the like. This required forms and other materials to have discussions "Lefty". In fact, the hassle of setting for outboard turning the meaning that most of the Turners could not be bothered and settled to make it the biggest Bowl that would fit over the bed of lathe. The producers of today often compromise with a blade that rotates and allows larger pieces using the same equipment company as above the bed.

The problem that arises with this setting is from tornio speed. Generally chucks are made much faster working different types. Blanks large bowl, if unbalanced as most are high-speed, shake a lathe part; cause the lathe on foot through the floor; or transform the wood into a bullet. Low-speed, none of these occur. 600 rpm is just slow enough for a twelve-inch Bowl, but more slowly, is better.

So when looking for a lathe, get one that fits your favorite style of turning. For chucks a solid set of ways that make up the bed lathe are important. Lathe faceplate should be very robust blade, handle a large piece of wood and has a low speed. Remember that a wood lathe is an instrument of power base and look for the finish and quality that normally would have desired a good tool.

Wooden Lathes are a lot of fun in store. There are some great deals on the second-hand market and with a little understanding, a lathe used is a wonderful way to start in craft lathe.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Choosing a wood lathe when it counts: what to look for robust

While it is obvious that the wood lathes, spin around, wood is not always apparent to the buyer of time before spinning, if out of balance, vibra tremendously. In addition, wood lathes could pick up runs very heavy wood sections and should be able to withstand considerable strength. There are a few simple things to try to ensure that a lathe is robust enough for the job at hand.

If you have a small shop and the intention of turning small objects, it may seem as if robustness will not be a factor, but this is simply not so. Most small lathes to turn at high speeds and have an high minimum speed. Just as on a car, an unbalanced wheel doesn't seem a problem at low speeds but vibrates at those tall, the same thing happens on a wood lathe or unbalanced parts with lathe unbalanced. While a small piece on a small lathe can not try to walk through the floor, vibration encourages poor cuts and a good finish.

Lathes larger tend to have lower minimum speed, and then allow for less vibration pieces out of balance. However they are usually bought with the purpose of handling the largest pieces of wood and then more weight. An empty bowl of forty pounds is not unusual on a lathe with a swing of twelve to sixteen inches and can literally walk a lathe light through the floor of the store.

The solution to the problem is to have a robust enough to handle the lathe work. It starts with a good base as a stand that is well done and heavy enough not to move forces turning. The sand is a good vibration absorber and many Turners design their booth lathe to hold hundreds of pounds of sand.

The lathe itself should have a lot of pig iron and steel in its construction. Stamped metal parts tend to give little support. Good welds should be sought. Check with your friends by lathe and discover what lathes used for turning you intend to do and then find out if they are satisfied. Good bearings are a must and even more important are the bays. The bearings are easily replaced, but not where they live in the lathe.

One of the best test of robustness is good sense when looking at the lathe. If it seems solid is probably. This would not only be one aspect of the catalogue, but rather a chance to stare at it and see if the steel is substantial and iron castings are solid and well finished. Mechanisms to hold the rest, Headstock and tailstock tool should be strong and firmly lock. Speed controls should move easily and readily accessible.

The final test of the lathe will happen as you turn on it. Many Turners will push the envelope of size and speed and safety is the responsibility of every individual, but much of it can be ensured by good planning and foresight of a bit.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood lathe tools

High-quality wood lathe equals higher quality projects if the operator is efficient and well trained. Transform wood is an art and craft that many use to calm nerves or to create beautiful wooden objects. An integral part of the lathe is the rest of the wood lathe tool can be repositioned as the project becomes smaller.

Wooden actuators can be purchased easily, but the quality of the cutting tool will make a big difference in the outcome of any project of lathe. A lathe cutting tool which is made of high quality steel will create marvelous results. But if the Turner not knowing how to correctly sharpen them, they will not cut correctly; the operator that cost a lot more time to bring the wood to final form.

Lathe tools come in many shapes and sizes and allows the operator the perfect angle for turning wood while working at many different angles. There are so many different shapes for cutting tool that can be too confusing for a newbie. We recommend that you learn the lathe and tool sharpening techniques from a qualified professional. they can teach you so many different methods and tricks using their own experiences.

Turning professionals and instructors of wood can teach you how to sharpen wood turning tools, which is an element that some novice Turners never consider important. But if you have ever tried to cut a piece of wood with a butter knife, you'll understand how critical can be the art of sharpening tools wood lathe.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Quick Wood Lathe Chucks - Wood and Glue

Wood lathes have been around so long that pictures of them can be found on the walls of Egyptian pyramids. During the thousands of years that we have been using them, various ways of holding work on the lathe have been developed. One such for faceplate work is the glue and paper joint but modern glues have made it even better.

Both the old style and the new start the same way. A piece of scrap wood is screwed to a faceplate and turned round and flat. Now a piece of wood suitable for a bowl or platter is selected. For consideration purposes, let us assume it is for a platter.

A piece is selected that is deep enough for securing to a faceplate with short screws. This is done to the top of the piece. First the outside is turned round and the bottom is turned flat. While the piece turns a pencil is used to make a ring the size of the scrap wood on the faceplate.

The old method of using the chuck involved gluing a piece of craft paper to the waste wood and then to the platter blank, carefully centering the chuck in the pencil lines. A clamp or weight was put on the assembly, making sure it did not shift, and it was left for at least eight hours to dry before being remounted on the lathe. Once the top was turned the chuck was removed by inserting a chisel at the paper line and splitting it, leaving paper on both chuck and platter. It remained to scrape and sand off the paper. While the system worked well, drawbacks to this method involved the long glue curing time and the inability to work with green wood because the old glues did not stick to wet wood.

The same hot glues the crafters use allow us to adopt the old method easily to dry wood for platters. In this case the paper is omitted and hot glue is applied to the waste block which is quickly centered on the pencil ring on the bottom. Hot glue is very strong with the stresses of turning but has little shear strength. This means that once the top is turned and the piece sanded, a chisel can be inserted at the glue line and a quick mallet rap will separate the waste and the platter. Remaining glue is easily cleaned up and the pencil ring sanded away.

Cyanoacrylate glues, sometimes referred to as super glues after a particular brand name, allow the same procedures for green wood. Again, they have excellent strength except for shear applications and can be separated with a mallet rap. If accelerator is applied to the piece and cyanoacrylate applied to the waste the work can be immediately mounted on the lathe as can dry wood with hot glue. In both cases the waiting time is inconsequential and there is no paper to scrape away.

Sometimes the old ways are the good ways. With a little innovation they can be even better and allow even greater enjoyment in the craft of woodturning.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Setting Up Your Wood Lathe: Lighting Makes A Big Difference

When the wood lathe moves into the woodworking shop or when a new shop is set up around the lathe itself, lighting is a big consideration. Like most stationary tools, wood lathes are heavy, powerful and dangerous. This is only aggravated by poor lighting. With the alternatives offered to day, adequate lighting is inexpensive and easy to acquire.

Good lighting will make a difference to way you turn, sand and finish your woodturnings. The best is available daylight. If possible it good to situate the lathe in front of a large, south facing window. If this is not possible, any other window will do. Some turners so like the idea that they take their lathe sout on the lawn for the summer. However, not everyone has a window handy and daylight only helps in the daytime, so artificial light will be needed.

An overhead fluorescent fixture is a good starting place for shop lighting. If one is not available where it is intended to set up the lathe one can be easily obtained. Shop light fixtures are easily and inexpensively obtained in styles that either require wiring into the lighting system or may be plugged in. Both are good. The plug in style may be more convenient to start with but a wired light is better in the long run, especially if an extension cord needs to be used.

These lights should be shielded from projectiles by a screen. It is possible to get a catch and launch a piece of wood at one of the bulbs, showering glass in all directions. Most shop lights have protective covers available.

Incandescent lighting on stands that are fastened to or near by the lathe add a different aspect to the lighting. This can be especially important when turning small, delicate pieces or when sanding before a finish is applied. Light from different directions tends to lay shadows that display unseen scratches from tools of sandpaper. These scratches will show up when the finish goes on. Good lighting prompts the removal of the defects with the proper sanding.

While the lighting needs to show the work in progress it needs to be set up so as to not glare in the turner's face or distract from the work being produced. Flexibility in the set up is a good idea as much as is possible.

Good lighting is not only an additional tool for the wood turner, it is also a safety feature allowing more comfortable and safer turning. In other words it adds to the enjoyment of an already enjoyable craft.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Chucks - Do Not Forget the Jaws

These days when woodturners speak of wood lathe chucks, they mean the new style 4 jaw chuck. Most of these lathe chucks come with a set of middle size jaws and many others are for sale. Extra sets of jaws can make a versatile tool even better.

The middle size jaws are used to hold objects that range from about 1 1/4" diameter to 2" diameter. This of course varies with different manufacturers but is a pretty good guess. Check with your supplier before you buy. For a long time, this size of jaws suits many if most turners. It will permit the turning of bowls to fifteen or sixteen inches as well as a variety of smaller items.

Smaller jaws are available for all the major wood lathe chucks on the market. These allow for pieces from 3/8" up to 1" in diameter. While this may seem extremely small to non turners or to those new to the craft, there are a great many items such as scoops, candle sticks, or ornaments where these jaws are used. This allows for a very secure hold on small pieces that are turned at high speeds and otherwise may be knocked from the lathe. It also circumvents the need to develop some far more complex way to hold small items for turning.

Large jaws are obviously used for large pieces. It should be considered when buying large jaws that can open to three or more inches that some pieces may call not only for large jaws but also for a larger, stronger chuck. Manufacturers usually have more robust versions of the chuck for large, out of balance pieces of wood. With that said, a large set of jaws can be used with discretion to hold many items for turning.

Jumbo jaws are sold for many of the 4 jaw wood lathe chucks on the market. These are not used for holding large, unbalanced chunks of wood but rather for turning the bottoms of bowls by holding the finished bowl at the the top. This solves a lot of problems for may turners in completing a bowl to satisfaction and a good bowl is the mainstay of many woodturners.

All in all, more jaws of various sizes can make you versatile 4 jaw wood lathe chuck even more versatile. Of course this makes the craft itself more versatile and can stimulate your creativity as you look for more uses for both chuck and jaws.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Woodworking And The Wood Lathe: Moving With Wood Turning Projects Into The Craft

Seasoned woodworkers who have gotten a wood lathe are often confused at what to do with it after they get it. After all, most woodworking confines itself to flat work with the occasional decorative curve. The wood lathe operates somewhat like a potter's wheel on it side, demanding thought in circles and spheres. The transition can be a freeing moment and a dramatic turn in the enjoyment of working with wood.

For many flat woodworkers the first move is to attempt turning a piece that compliments their regular woodworking, such as a table leg. This is an excellent transition project as it is an example of spindle turning where the wood is held on the wood lathe with centres, two points that jam into each end of the wood. The wood itself is also generally a square which flat woodworkers deal with on a regular basis, making sure it is a true square with flat ends. Most legs leave a square section and transition to various beads and coves, the mainstays of a woodturner's decorative efforts on a spindle. Thus this is excellent practise for moving on to other projects with more elaborate decoration.

Speaking of the word practise, it quickly becomes evident to the new wood turner that almost any wood can be mounted to the wood lathe and turned to elaborate shapes. One of the best exercises for most projects is to go first to the wood pile and get some free wood to make a sample project or two. If the whole project is not practised, the various coves and beads can be cut a time or two before more expensive wood is used.

Once some table legs have been made and perhaps a decorative finial or two, many woodworkers will wish to proceed to projects that focus on the turned wood itself. It is an easy step to move from the table leg to a candlestick for instance. Some new techniques will be necessary to learn, such as cutting a cup for the candle to rest, and this in turn adds interest to the process. Very quickly, it will become evident to the new wood turner that an endless possibility of decoration exists in the development of various cuts, beads and coves that can be made. Old habits of looking at line and space will readily adapt to looking at curved lines and round spaces so as to prevent the opportunities to decorate from becoming the perils of gaudy overdecorating.

Of course, one of the best sources for woodturning projects lies in the preceding work of other wood turners. These projects can be found in abundance in books, magazines and web sites as well as other venues. There is no lack of possibility or direction for the wood turner either just beginning a transition to the wood lathe or having years of experience and just looking for new ideas.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Choosing a wood lathe: remember the budget

Buying a wood lathe sounds like a simple proposition. Control the budget, look at the back in the category, choose the one that looks good and go away. However, like most things in life, it is not so simple. One of the hardest things for the beginner or first-time buyer, you know how to evaluate the budget in the first place.

Wooden Lathes are more individual than many other woodworking tools. While there are certainly many tools templates as table saws, for example, there are some features in particular expected price ranges and saws will be fairly uniform in that range. It is expected that one can buy one, put it in the shop and go to work. The wood lathe is a different proposal.

While most wooden lathes in a price range determined to be generally similar in quality is not always so. A mini lathe is usually better quality than a full-size lathe in the same cost range, for example. Two lathes of same price may have different mechanisms for the control of speed and overall quality of the lathe with speed regulator more expensive will probably be lower than other machine. It is necessary in the budget to the question what is wanted in lathe for weight, build quality control type, size and speed, among other things.

All other things, equality between lathes, there is the extra effort on the budget to take into consideration. This table saw will be ready to work right out of the box, but this is not the case for most lathes. Typical wood lathe arrives with the base machine ready to be executed and with centres and a front to hold the wood, but without tools to cut the wood, nor any way to keep them sharp. Again in contrast to the saw table that came with a knife that rarely needs sharpening and then by a professional shop, lathe tools comes without any means to sharpen them though will need frequent sharpening. Often comes as a surprise to a wood Turner start that in some circumstances, instruments must be sharpened every couple of minutes.

So the budget you will need to stretch to a set of tools, lathe, a grinder and a set of wheels of aluminium oxide at the very least, not to mention accessories like sandpaper and finishes. All these should be allowed for the budget before shopping for the wood lathe. It should be noted that a decent set of lathe tools or a four-jaw Chuck each are more expensive than wooden lathe beginner.

You can start to turn the wood with a modest budget. Reasonable planning is required, but many turners have started on light lathes and used them for many years.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Choosing a wood lathe tool: make sure you enter the shop

Wooden Lathes are generally substantial tools that are going to be part of a general store. As such, some consideration should be given to ensure that it adapts well to the store. At least three areas need to be looked at, namely the type of shop, the size of the workshop and the woodturner concerned.

Wood shops come in a variety of shapes, sizes and characters. Form the beginning and over time develop a personality depending on the work that is done in them. As was introduced, lathe or develops in them have ten to fit into three major groups. One is the furniture store, the other an all-purpose wooden shop and, finally, the Centre of tornio.

For the furniture shop, a wood lathe will probably shoot small objects like doorknobs specialty items bigger as the legs of the table. A typical lathe for this store would be one that can turn a spindle of twelve inches in diameter up to thirty-eight centimeters in length. Needs to be remembered that small objects such as doorknobs can be turned on a lathe for large, but a great item cannot be on a small lathe. The ability to make a strong bench lathe is inherent in a furniture store and can be manufactured to hold a lot of tools and accessories necessary to transform the wood.

All purpose wood shop will take probably a lathe similar to the furniture store, but may want to be able to make larger pieces. Many of today's lathes can swing blade and handle large pieces for different types of outboard. If this is desired, it is a good idea to get a lathe that will have a minimum speed of 400 revolutions per minute or even less to reduce vibration.

The Centre of tornio dedicated you will need at least the second type of lathe and can be better served with a family of lathes that allow for various work be happening at different times. A lathe can be dedicated to Chuck's work, while another without modes are designed for the work of various types. Yet another mini lathe may be available for the small jobs at high speed.

With these considerations is the need for the lathe or CNC lathes to adapt to the store. Not only a larger lathe requires more space for its footprint, also needs a fair amount of room around it for the woodturner to move safely while turning. Also must adapt itself around other tools to give you a good feel for the workflow.

Finally, each woodturner will develop their own style and desire of lathe. While the first lathe rarely really reflect this except for the case, the second and subsequent lathes can be chosen to make the choices you prefer wood, turning so maybe safer and more enjoyable.

Wooden Lathes are tools that tend to be a part of the store wood for a long time and due consideration should be given for their purchase. It is an opportunity to reflect on our craft and in itself can be a fun part of the process.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Used Wood Lathe For Sale? Is it a Bargain Or a Bust?

So you have seen an add for a used wood lathe and you are on your way to see it. Will you find a bargain or a bust? What should you look for before parting with your hard earned cash?

Wood lathes are very basic woodworking machines. They have a set of ways on which the rest of the lathe is built. These are usually reinforced angle iron set exactly parallel to one another. Make sure they are:

1. Flat. Use a straight edge to ensure that the surfaces are flat and sight along them with winding sticks to make sure they are coplanar.

2. Clean. A little rust is OK and minor amounts of finish on them is to be expected. These are easily cleaned with a little fine wet and dry sandpaper and is general maintenance. However, a bit of heavy paint can cover a hard to fix ding or a place where rust was able to cause serious corrosion.

Most wood lathes have the tail stock on the right and the headstock on the left. The tail stock holds the tail center for spindle turning and may be used to hold other items such as a Jacob's chuck from time to time. Make sure:

1. It moves easily along the ways and locks down securely when fastened. This will happen with a bolt that connects to a plate below the ways and may be secured with a handle or a wrench. Once fastened down you should not be able to grab it and move it.

2. It does not wobble in the ways. They are parallel and the tail stock needs to be kept parallel within them. A few tail stocks have adjustments to correct them but not all.

3. The Morse taper is clean and in good shape.

4. It lines up with the headstock. Put a center in both and make sure the points are in the same plane vertically and horizontally. If not and there is no adjustments available, walk away. This is no bargain.

The tool rest and banjo between the tail stock and head stock need to move easily along the ways and be sturdy. They are easily maintained and corrected for minor dings and hits.

The headstock is the heart of the lathe. It is also the part that can be fixed most thoroughly. Belts and bearings are usually inexpensive and reasonable to replace. Make sure:

1. The motor works well.

2. It is secure to the ways.

3. If it rotates it has to lock down well.

4. The Morse taper is clean and in good shape.

5. It lines up with the tail stock. If it does not, walk away.

There are a lot of good bargains in used lathes and more come up as wood turners upgrade to larger tools. Looking for a few minor things can allow for the bargains to keep from being busts.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Wood Lathe Safety: Getting the Woodturner Ready To Turn

Woodworking is a reasonably dangerous hobby or occupation. By that, I mean that a bit of reason does a lot to remove many dangers. Wood lathes are among the safest of woodworking stationary tools because, unlike table and band saws, instead of wood heading into a moving blade, a hand held blade is directed into the moving wood. However, it is still necessary to do some basic preparation in order to ensure safety at the wood lathe.

While woodturners are good to ready the lathe by making wood and machinery secure and the tools sharpened, they also need to prepare themselves for a safe experience. Amateurs in particular turn wood when opportunity presents itself, often after a hard day at work. This can mean a drowsy period and it should not be spent near power tools. Such time is better spent first having a nap or even cleaning the shop. Sometimes all that is needed to clear the cobwebs is a bit of simple movement in a pleasant atmosphere.

It should not need to be said, but the woodturning shop with its chain saws, wood lathes, and band saws is not the place for alcohol or drugs, including prescription drugs or over the counter medications. Check with your doctor for side effects including drowsiness before turning while using medications.

It is necessary to dress for woodturning. Loose clothing can easily catch on spinning wood, especially rough or burled pieces. A turner can easily be caught and hauled into the lathe. Considering that even small lathes often have half horsepower motors, this can be extremely dangerous. Neckties and jewellery are particularly to be avoided. Even rings can be caught on the spinning wood resulting in an accident called degloving wherein the bone is left on the finger and the skin and muscles are removed. A small turned box near the lathe for rings and other jewellery is a good reminder of safety first.

Clothing that is tight at the cuffs and neck prevents annoying and distracting shavings from becoming an irritant against the skin. Face masks and goggles prevent flying wood from doing damage to the face and eyes while dust masks can prevent damage to the lungs.

Many turners forget the dangers of chemicals in finishes. Latex or vinyl gloves help prevent contact problems and a good chemical mask can prevent lung damage. Even better is the use of finishes that are safe for breathing and contact.

Safety is an issue that faces all of us at the wood lathe. It is possible to use common sense and be safe in this very enjoyable craft for a lifetime of shavings.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Mounting Wood On The Wood Lathe: Using A Glue Block

While one of the great advances in woodturning in recent years has been the development of the four jaw chuck to mount wood for turning, the price tag on a good chuck is a shock to many turners. In fact the price for a decent four jaw chuck often accedes the price of many starter lathes. One of the things that a wood turner needs to remember when going into faceplate turning is the use of the old fashioned glue block for holding wood.

The use of the glue block arises from the desire to not have screw holes observed in the bottom of such items as bowls and platters. Generally such an item is made by first rough turning it from green wood and then letting it dry in the shop for some time. Later it is remounted to the wood lathe and finish turned. It is during this remounting that it may be screwed to the faceplate, thus leaving holes in the finished product. These holes then have to be filled or covered in some way. In addition, the length of the screws determines a certain depth of wood that cannot be used or the tools would hit the screws themselves.

A simple solution, and one centuries old, is the use of a glue block to hold the wood to the lathe. First the bottom of the bowl is flattened using a plane or other tool. Second, a waste block of wood is screwed to the faceplate. Third the waste block is flattened. Third, the waste block is glued to the bottom of the bowl using carpenter's white glue.

Generally a piece of craft paper is glued between the waste block and the bowl. This enables the bowl to be finish turned and then a chisel blow between the block and the bowl splits the paper down center. Then the waste paper can be sanded from the bottom of the bowl and the bottom finished. If desired, the paper could also be removed from the waste block and it could be used again.

There are a few draw backs to this system. While glue has a great hold but it needs to be clamped and let dry for at least eight hours. Also, the wood used has to be dry so this can not help with green turnings. In addition there is the fuss of sanding away all that glue and paper, a combination known for quickly clogging sand paper.

Thankfully, a couple of modern glues rise to the occasion. When turning dry wood such as a dried bowl blank, hot glue can be used to glue the wood block to the bowl. Withing a couple of minutes it is ready to mount on the lathe and turn. Either the block can be parted from the blank with the lathe running or the whole assembly can be taken off and the waste block removed with a a sharp rap of a chisel at the glue line. Any remaining glue is easily pealed off.

Similarly a medium thick cyanoacrylate glue can be used to bond a green blank to a waste block. The glue is applied to the waste block and accelerator to the blank and the two are pressed together. Again, a couple of minutes are sufficient to hold the work for turning and again a sharp blow at the glue line will separate them after the turning is done.

Modern adhesives simply allow the old methods to work in today's shops. While the technology advances us a little we are still working in the historic fashion. The old ways may not always be the best, but they certainly work and work well.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

An introduction to the wood lathe Chuck

Wood Lathe spindle can be an excellent addition to any wood lathe. A spindle to turn smaller pieces of wood with a high degree of flexibility, avoiding the inconvenience by supporting wood with tailstock.

Many people use the wood lathe chucks for smaller projects. Are an essential tool for all those who would turn the wood bowls or similar items.

You can choose the wood lathe chuck from two different options. Three-jaw chucks wood lathe Centre in automatically and are particularly suitable for symmetric projects. That is why these chucks basically immobilize wood, meaning that any rounding will be towards the true centre of the wood. These are the morse lathe with which most carpenters first experience. They produce great results, even though they are somewhat limited in what they can do.

Four-jaw lathe Chuck wood offers more flexibility. These spindles allow the user to move the wood lathe during the process of turning. This allows the operator to create rounded pieces that are not necessarily symmetric or centered. These chucks are suitable for those who manage aspects of very specialized and custom projects for artists who do not want to find yourself limited more than necessary.

Suppliers provide three-jaw and mandible four spindles in multiple formats. A jewelry maker can find himself using a tiny, one-inch. Meanwhile, a Turner of a big bowl of wood can work with a Chuck with a diameter of two feet! There is a spindle for every project and every preference.

The choice of one, chuck size must be governed by two factors: the size of lathe on which you will use the spindle and the size of the wood pieces you intend to activate. Before buying a wood lathe spindle, double-check your lathe and capacity determine the intended use of chuck. That will help you ensure the right tool for your specific needs.

Lathe Chucks can produce some amazing effects. Any use of lathe Carpenter will be able to find a number of uses for these tools.

At the same time, it is important to note that these devices are better managed by experienced users lathe. This is especially true for manually manipulate four-jaw Chuck. In addition, numerous accidents occur when spindles are blocked. Anyone who uses a wood lathe spindle should make security a priority and should know the proper procedure for the management of a spindle blocked.

If you are seriously woodworking lathe and love, you can make it even more flexible and fun with the addition of a Chuck jaw of three or four-jaw to the mix. These great tools allow you to use the lathe to complete a series of beautiful products.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

By making a pen with your new wood lathe

So you've just purchased a wood lathe but I do not know what type of project should begin with. Not just the right amount of skill is achieved, chunks of wood can be created with a wood lathe. However, before you get too much over your head, it is recommended to start with a basic project lathe. My recommendation would be starting from carving your pen very personal.

Pen turning is a common hobby or past time. These pens at home can make excellent gifts for any event. Pen spinning is a fun yet practical project that can help you get a glimpse of the ability of your wood lathe. The following are some suggestions in preparing your wood lathe that will help you make the first successful experience wood lathe.

1. choose an empty wooden interesting. One of the great things
information about pen breakthrough is that you can use any type of wood you want, including pieces of scrap from other projects. Take a piece of wood with interesting understanding. Be aware that some wood changes appearance with exposure to light and air and will begin to seem tedious with time, as Paduak wood or Purple Heart. If you're not familiar with a piece of scrap wood there are numerous wooden spaces that can be purchased in all types of exotic woods.

2. examine your wood. It is very important that you examine the wood that you use for your project. Make sure that the wood is dry and without defects or cracks. Damp wood and cracked will make for a terrible pen, if you can even make one out of that type of wood at all.

3. it's better to be oversized than undersized. If you have to choose between an empty wood oversized and undersized blank, always choose the oversized. This will give you some room for manoeuvre in case you make a mistake.

4. Have an idea. As with everything else in life, your pen will be better if you have an idea about what you want to create before you start. Decide before you use the wood lathe on which type of shape you want to the pen.

5. mark the wood blank before cutting. It's nice to put a pencil across the grain of the wood before you start. This will make it easier to match the grain after it cut the wood.

6. make sure that the ends are square. If the ends of your white wood are not perfectly square before using the wood lathe, there will be the possibility of cracking when the pen is assembled.

7. smaller wood lathe. This tip is really only meant to make your life easier. Any wooden lathe is suitable for pen turning; However, the smaller the wood lathe easier your job is.

8. keep it simple the first couple of times. It is tempting to want to make some forms of fun and intricate pen the first couple of times but stick to the basics to understand just exactly what it is that you're doing.

A pen is a simple project that can help you with the opportunity to start your new wood lathe. After conquering, creating your own pen, there are several other projects to begin with, as the table and chair legs, wooden bowls, wooden candle sticks, Hammers or even pieces of a chess set. Just remember to start with a simple project with the wood lathe to get use for your new instrument before attempting to projects more difficult.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Turncrafter Plus-PSI wood lathe review

For the last few years I've thought about buying a wood lathe. I have always been very interested in wood turning and thought it would make a great hobby, but I never really got started.

A friend of mine, Chuck, is a wood Turner very experienced and qualified and occasionally I get the chance to experiment with your lathe, and I've always liked the experience. He is always happy to let me use it and willing to teach me everything that I want to know, but I feel bad for him.

I never really had any serious and did my research on wood lathes since always felt that it was too expensive a hobby, and I really couldn't afford it. I knew that lathe Chuck, a large model by General, cost him several thousand dollars and just thought that was the normal price range. This has kept me away from touring for several years!

Recently I started to look at prices of wood lathe, only to find that there is a large market for much smaller lathes less expensive. After watching several reviews online and find most of them positive, I decided to invest in to Turncrafter plus\r from PSI.

This lathe was marketed as an inexpensive beginner lathe, and that is what really stood out for me. It cost just over $ 150, so don't expect too much. I was thrilled with the purchase anyway, since then I would be able to enter the wood turning, and if it didn't work then it wasn't as if I had made a great investment.

When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. The Turncrafter came well packaged and looked great out of the box. It was very small, only about two meters in length and half a foot deep, but that it was perfect, since I don't have a lot of space in my shop. I was impressed with how heavy and solid seamed, since I was worried that for the money I would get something easy to break or fragile.

I attached a small piece of wood using included downtown alive and lit. Runs very quietly and smoothly, if you have it on speed faster or slower. I bought a set of tools for lathe with it, and have cut into my Chuck smooth like butter!

I turned a handful of pens and a candle on it so far, and I have not had a single problem. It holds the spindle runs very well and without sliding or choking. I couldn't be happier with this lathe. There are some limitations, mostly due to the small side, so maybe at some point I want to upgrade to a lathe, but for now is perfect.

If you're looking to get into wood turning I highly recommend the PSI Turncrafter as an economical alternative.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.