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Some novice questions

Some novice questions (post #159686)

musashi on Fri, 12/03/2010 - 18:54

Turning and Carving

I am a woodworker who is just getting into turning. I turned one bowl last summer, and my 9-year-old son and I were both instantly hooked.

Last week, someone gave me a Central Machinery floor standing lathe. It has no chuck or centers on either the headstock or tailstock. There is a 1" x 8 thread on the headstock, and a #2 Morse Taper on the tailstock.

Here are my questions: What do I need to get started turning bowls? I am looking at face plates, for around $20 or so, and chucks, which cost many times that. Is a 3" face plate enough to get me going? As I get more serious, I could get a chuck later on. (Money is a major issue at the moment!)

Also: Do I need a center in the tailstock? Or is that only for turning spindles?

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Alex

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx

Alex, You can get by with a (post #159686, reply #1 of 3)

by JiminFla in reply to musashi [original] on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 10:58

Alex,

You can get by with a face plate to get started with, but you'll eventually want a chuck. Face plates are screwed to the wood and it is possible to hit the screws if you aren't paying attention. Live centers are inexpensive and you should get one (and a drive center too). Often you will need to turn a block of wood into a cylinder to begin the bowl and I use a live center to provide additional support at the far end.

Jim

www.jimreedy.com

Thanks for the reply. I (post #159686, reply #2 of 3)

by musashi in reply to JiminFla [original] on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:40

Thanks for the reply.

I have been doing a lot of online research this week, and I came to the same conclusions. Yesterday I ordered a drive center, a live center for the tailstock, and a 3" faceplate.

There is all kinds of interesting stuff out there on using faceplates with a backing block, using jam chucks, using green wood...

My wife can't drag me away from the computer this week!

Alex

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx

I'm not sure where you live, (post #159686, reply #3 of 3)

by JiminFla in reply to musashi [original] on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:44

I'm not sure where you live, but if you're near a Woodcraft store they offer one-day courses on bowl turning. If you are just getting started this may be a good way to learn to turn safely as well as some new techniques. Turning is addictive because you can turn out a finished product quickly.

Jim

www.jimreedy.com