Beginner - wood lathe, exotic woods

Will

Hi everyone,

I am thinking about getting into wood turning. More specifically jewelry for stretched lobes. Example below;



Anyway I am wondering where is the best place to buy a wood lathe, possibly a decent starter model?
Also is there anywhere I can get my hands on exotic woods such as ebony, pink ivory.

I was thinking about joining the irish wood turners guild but they only meet once a month on the first saturday.

Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.

Will.

dubtom

Hi Wilburt,McQuillans do a range of lathes starting at a couple of hundred up. It's not a very expensive hobby to start,my first lathe,a draper,which I still use,was being sold recently for a €100 new. A variable speed lathe will cost you more. A cheap set of tools,which everyone seems to sell,cost €20 up.
http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/index.html,this crowd do some exotics,no idea of cost, although tbh a walk in the park would give you some free wood to start with, I wouldn't practice on expensive blanks. A course is always a good idea to start,turning looks easy when you see someone accomplished do it,though it takes a lot of practice, even a book would give you an idea of some techniques required,good luck with it.

Will

Well the problem with woods from parks is that they may not be compatible in ears. these will be worn in the ear lobes.

Yeah I'm thinking of getting a book on it all. I'm pretty sure it is a lot harder than it looks.

Thanks for the tips though, very much appreciated.

Alun

Firstly, no it isn't as easy as it looks! I'd definitely recommend doing some kind of course. Attacking a piece of wood turning at 1,000rpm with a very sharp chisel for the first time without some guidance can be potentially very dangerous. Most adult education places do them throughout the year. It'd be a shame to buy all the kit and find out you've not got the aptitude for it.

As for lathes, the sky's the limit really, but seeing as you're only going to be making quite small pieces then a full-blown floor standing lathe possibly isn't needed. Something like a mini-lathe, such as the Jet Mini would be ideal for what you're wanting to do. See http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Jet-JML-1014-Mini-Wood-Lathe-362338.htm

If you're planning on making the kind of stuff in your picture, then some kind of chuck will be pretty much a necessity, along with a selection of jaws. These don't come cheap either so factor that into your costs although the smaller chucks suitable for a mini-lathe aren't as expensive.

I don't know of any sources of exotic woods here in Ireland, so the Internet will be your only source. Be aware though that the dust of many of these species is highly toxic if inhaled, and many can cause bad allergic reactions too, so do your research first. You might be fine wearing a wood in close skin contact, but still be affected by the very fine dust created whilst sanding. If you're going to be turning exotics then a very good face mask with a built in dust extractor is a must. Again, these can be pretty expensive, but a lot cheaper than a new set of lungs!

You might also want to look into the types of finishes that are typically used in these kinds of things. Natural oil based finishes, waxes, synthetic varnishes etc. .. again with anything in close contact with the skin for prolonged periods you'd need to be careful.

Also, I note on the example you showed that there's some carving detail on it. That's a whole separate ball game and can't be done on the lathe, although there are some turning tools that can add textured patterns on turned pieces.

Hope this all helps.

Will

Thanks very much, very detailed answer. Will take careful consideration from now on
pay day is coming soon so will have a nose about town too

cheers guys

ircoha

there are some good dvd videos around as well:

this is a us store chain I use
http://www.rockler.com/index.cfm?cookietest=1
be aware they are NTSC format...

Must concur 100% with Alun on safety: u need to be careful getting started and also make sure the piece is well held in the lathe.

a simple point but once u have it in the lathe spin it by hand to check the clearance with the tool rest and that it is well fixed.

No loose clothing, ties, necklaces, hair etc

The bigger/longer the tools the more control you have over them: much easier to get used to and will be more forgiving if u try take too much material.
Finally, keeping tools sharp is essential so there are now disposalable TCT blades available if u are not into sharpening.

I find them just too light.

Alun

Personally I think that DVD's and videos are great for learning more advanced techniques once you know the basics, but there's no substitute for hands-on learning with a good teacher when first starting out, especially considering the safety aspects.

I have a video by (the now sadly departed) Keith Rowley called 'Woodturning - A Foundation Course' with an accompanying book, that covers all the basics, which I bought before I started learning. I watched it a few times but I have to say it didn't make a lot of sense to me until after I'd had a couple of 'real life' lessons.

Also on the safety front, remove any rings from your fingers too. There's a very nasty injury called, I believe, a de-sheathing where the skin on your finger is pulled off as if it was literally a sheath, if a piece of rotating machinery catches a ring. Nasty:eek:

Frumble

Will,
I live in Los Angeles and the hard woods you mention can be found in parks all over town. No problem getting it in your ear.

slowburner

+ 1 on trying a course first.
You won't have to lay out funds for the equipment, you will get sound advice on a starter package (you might even hear of a deal on a second hand machine with ancillary equipment).
Most importantly, you will learn to do the basics correctly. It can be very difficult to unlearn bad habits if you are self taught - this I know only too well.
As Alun mentions, it can be difficult to make sense of the processes and principles involved without getting some hands on experience first.
A read of Keith Rowley's book is always worthwhile. It is the most complete book ever written on the subject. Tools and machines change but the principles don't and they are all explained with great clarity in the book which will be a constant companion.

slowburner

Here's a link to the toxicity of various timbers.
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

It is a US based source so many of the timbers mentioned will not be commonly available here.

The only native species which should definitely not be used for items in contact with the skin or mouth is Yew (taxus baccata).

Different people can have different levels of sensitisation to various timbers, although more usually, dust is the irritant. I can't stand using Douglas Fir and Cherry, for example.:(

Will

This thread is 3 years old now but thanks for the heads up

Alun

Will wrote: »

This thread is 3 years old now but thanks for the heads up

How did you get on by the way?

Will

Ah yeah, took me the best part of a year but I found a great guy in canada who ships me speciality woods when needed. Have a 3x12" turning blank of amboyna burl on it's way to me.

More or less learned on my own through mistakes and flying wood. Still love it

slowburner

Will wrote: »

This thread is 3 years old now but thanks for the heads up

I was thinking there was something a bit odd, considering how we have already seen some of your work.

Will

Ah sure it happens, recently i posted in a thread that was 5 years old. Didn't notice until later when someone pointed it out to me.