Roughing a blank shortcut

[Robert Feingold]

Has anybody thought about roughing the outside of a bowl blank with a wood shaping disc on an angle grinder running the lathe at a very slow speed. It can be grueling and tiring even with a sharp bowl gouge and good technique.
I haven’t tried it but thought about it.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Sounds like a bloody accident ready to happen

 

[john lucas]

I've tried an angle.grinder and a chainsaw just to see how they work. Still.prefer a bowl.gouge or the Hunter Viceroy or Hercules. With either tool.i use the same technique to get rid of the really out of round areas. I anchor the tool.to.the tool rest with my left hand and then pivot the tool in an arc using my hip. This is a very easy and controlled cut and keeps you from.getting beat up.

 

[Richard Coers]

I guess you are talking about the discs with carbide inserts? They limit the chip size for safety on those. My guess is that it would take 10 times longer with a disc vs a bowl gouge. I remember seeing a right angle grinder attachment for the lathe that was advertised decades ago. It had a feed threaded rod in at least one direction. Still really slow. You are starting on the bottom of the blank and not on the sides, right?

 

[Richard Shelby]

I have used a 4" grinder with a sawblade to take off a knot or "protrusion" from a a large piece, especially if it hits the ways. NEVER with the motor engaged, and only on a piece that is too large to round properly on the bandsaw. Scary and dangerous. Do not try this at home.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Has anybody thought about roughing the outside of a bowl blank with a wood shaping disc on an angle grinder running the lathe at a very slow speed. It can be grueling and tiring even with a sharp bowl gouge and good technique.
I haven’t tried it but thought about it.

I hear that a lot, grueling and tiring... Have you had any lessons and or help with a mentor? Have you joined a club? No matter the size, cut roughly with a chainsaw, you should be able to bring a bowl to round in minutes, without getting tired or beat up... A bowl gouge is the most efficient tool for wood removal, and safest. I would not recommend a grinder or a chainsaw.

 

[hockenbery]

It can be grueling and tiring even with a sharp bowl gouge and good technique.

I’ll 2nd @Emiliano Achaval comment that using a gouge isn’t very tiring when you let the tools do the work.

When I ask a demo crowd of 100 people, “who enjoys roughing” I rarely see more than 3-4 hands. A lot of folks hate roughing because the tools bounce and they beat themselves up using bad technique.

grinder or chainsaw will be a lot more tiring because it weighs a lot more than a gouge and is whole lot more risk or injury.

one thing that helped me a lot was learning the A Frame roughing cut from Christian Burchard.
The A is formed with two straight arms, the gouge and your legs.

The handle is held against the top of the thigh. Below are a few screen grab from a demo video of roughing a green bowl

riight arm straight. Left arm straight with the handle at the top of the thigh. Forward hand holds the tool against the rest as a pivot point.
Flute about 10 o’clock

Just rotate the shoulder and hips to the left - a bevel riding cut sweeps through an arc


the result is a smoothly cut cove. You can’t do this too much because you don’t want cut into where your bowl will be.
This is a smooth surface on an interupted cut.

 

[hockenbery]

Now the piece in this video is turned with a rotary bit.
Got to meet Keith a few years ago.

View: https://vimeo.com/41892788

 

[Bill Boehme]

Has anybody thought about roughing the outside of a bowl blank with a wood shaping disc on an angle grinder running the lathe at a very slow speed. It can be grueling and tiring even with a sharp bowl gouge and good technique.
I haven’t tried it but thought about it.

Unless you are working on an unusual piece, using a bowl gouge should be very quick and easy as others have said. The only instance where I've considered something like an angle grinder is a very large 32" diameter piece of mesquite that has pie shaped pieces that aren't very strongly connected together because the pith has rotted away.

 

[Dave Bunge]

I agree that the initial turning with a bowl gouge shouldn't be too rough on you once you get the hang of it.

I like to start out turning left handed, similar to how Al shows in his first picture:

View attachment 32666

Right hand pressing the steel against the tool rest, left hand holding the handle of the gouge against the left hip. I like to use an overhand grip - knuckles on top - with my right hand hand. That feels more secure to me than the underhand grip shown in the picture. Turning left handed keeps your body out of the line of fire from the shavings, sap, bark, etc coming off the blank as you turn.

Another thing that is helpful is to balance the blank so you can get the speed up to reasonable rpm without the lathe vibrating. Its easy to do if you mount the blank between a spur drive and a live center. Lyle Jamieson shows one way to balance the blank in this video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4xIHTS0yJc
Once the blank is round, you may want to adjust its position slightly to get the sap wood symmetrical, or the wings of a natural edge bowl at the same height.

4/3 edit/additional information:
Unlike in the video, many people will cut the blank round on a bandsaw, or remove the "corners" with a chainsaw before mounting on the lathe. If you're planning to mount an untrimmed (square profile) blank on the lathe, I suggest you watch the next video in Lyle Jamieson's series where he talks about how to turn it safely:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X06EjQhDROk

Better yet, get some hands on mentoring from someone who knows what they are doing.

Dave

 

[Rick Crawford]

Now the piece in this video is turned with a rotary bit.
Got to meet Keith a few years ago.

View: https://vimeo.com/41892788

And I thought my Stubby 750 was going to be the biggest lathe that I would ever need.

 

[hockenbery]

And I thought my Stubby 750 was going to be the biggest lathe that I would ever need.

It may well be.
all depends on what direction you take.

if you followed planet Mesquite you saw A big custom bed added to a ONEWAY to turn a spherical hollow form. That was pretty darn large

As I get older my desire to turn big stuff decreases

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Don't you guys rough your blanks on the bandsaw?

Tilt table as needed, rotate blank over a center pin. Might take a couple tilts of the table to get close to finished profile.

If the shape is more like long neck vase, square the blank, mark the profile on 4 sides. Saw one side, tape the waste back on, rotate 90 degrees and repeat.

I don't know what a bowl gouge is, couldn't be easier than bandsawing, could it?

 

[hockenbery]

Don't you guys rough your blanks on the bandsaw?

Most bowls I cut round on the bandsaw. tilting and cutting off more wood on the bandsaw could be done.
Just not worth the time to figure out how deep to cut or struggling with large blanks on an angle.

for anyone who knows how to use a gouge well, roughing the outside of bowl takes so little time it isn’t worth trying to cut corners off before mounting. Each pass with the gouge will remove 1/2” to 3/4” of wood. 3-4passes can be made in 20-30 seconds and will take off all you could cut off with a bandsaw.

The late Phil Brown specialized in trumpet shaped bowls. He cut his blanks sort of cone shaped using a homemade tilting circle cutting jig. With the trumpet shape the out side wall is concave.

don't know what a bowl gouge is, couldn't be easier than bandsawing, could it?

yes the bowl gouge is simple & faster than using a bandsaw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0fC5Rk6h4

 

[Fadi Zeidan]

I don’t own a bandsaw, planning on buying one this month. I’m a newbie and hobbies, I turn once or twice a month at most.

I usually start with half a log or a full log and bring it to round using a bowl gouge. It takes few extra minutes, but haven’t had a problem yet.

I followed Lyle’s instructions in his DVD, took few attempts until I found the right presentation angle. It cuts smoothly, no bouncing or beating myself up. I keep the gouge flat on the toolrest, open up the gouge somewhere around 45 degrees or less, and kind of swing the tip of the gouge into the wood making sure the bevel doesn’t rub.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

That Jamieson video strikes me as a little strange. Why balance to a rough blank? I'd bandsaw the blank round to take advantage of the grain pattern rather than to the offset weight.

Aren't you just inviting an accident for a noob spinning a square-ish blank with the protruding corners that become somewhat invisible at speed until you get it round?

 

[Bill Boehme]

I don't know what a bowl gouge is, couldn't be easier than bandsawing, could it?

I have a big Minimax bandsaw, but I could use a bowl gouge to rough out the exterior of a bowl faster than I could get the bandsaw table tilted. Not only that, but the bandsaw can't even get close to forming the curve near the bottom not to mention the bandsaw can't create a tenon or mortise.

That Jamieson video strikes me as a little strange. Why balance to a rough blank? I'd bandsaw the blank round to take advantage of the grain pattern rather than to the offset weight.

Aren't you just inviting an accident for a noob spinning a square-ish blank with the protruding corners that become somewhat invisible at speed until you get it round?

I start by balancing and turning between centers. I shape the exterior and create a tenon and then turn the piece around and mount it in a chuck. It's really not difficult at all. Once balanced there is no lathe shaking. Even if you use a bandsaw to cut a round blank, you still would benefit greatly from balancing the blank between centers.

You should get acquainted with a bowl gouge. It could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOBxjIvLBE

 

[Doug Freeman]

I do use a carbide chip disc, but most of the time a chain wheel cutter, on a 4” grinder to create bed clearance or help with balancing a rough blank to get enough speed. Never use it with the lathe on.

I only have a 10” bandsaw. When getting started turning I used to think I needed a bigger bandsaw to cut round blanks. Then I learned how to use a gouge properly from Lyle’s video. No point in a large bandsaw for rounding blanks. I do trim corners with a chainsaw while cutting blanks.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

I usually keep logs as long as I can (limited by my ability to move them, unlike some I haven't added a Bobcat to my list of lathe tools), and chainsaw off a blank when I'm ready to use it. As long as I've got the saw out and running I knock the corners off to make an octagon. I will also use the chainsaw to create a flat area for a faceplate if necessary. Once inside I look more carefully at the grain and any major defects to decide just how to mount it, adjusting the angle of the flat spot for the faceplate as needed with a big chisel. Sometimes they end up way out of balance. Unless it is extreme I'll just turn them round, tolerating some shaking during the early stages. Otherwise it's back outside with the chain saw. My bandsaw really isn't up to cutting thick green wood. With a bigger bandsaw I'd consider doing more to round up blanks, but for now it's just a couple minutes with a bowl gouge to accomplish that and not worth the effort, With my previous lathe I had to do a lot more prep to get blanks to fit on the lathe and not shake it to death, now I just turn.

 

[Mike Johnson]

A gas or electric chainsaw makes quick work of shaping a bowl blank, there is another post discussing how to clean wood sap from a bandsaw and blades, you might save time shaping the bowl blank on the bandsaw but you give that time savings back when you have to clean the wood sap off your blades, wheels and guides.
If you are skilled with a roughing gouge you can shape the bowl blank without getting beat up on the tool rest if you approach the blank from one end.

 

[hockenbery]

That Jamieson video strikes me as a little strange. Why balance to a rough blank? I'd bandsaw the blank round to take advantage of the grain pattern rather than to the offset weight.

It is very time consuming to saw to the grain pattern. Much easier to find it in rough profile and shift the tail center to lock it it in.

Aren't you just inviting an accident for a noob spinning a square-ish blank with the protruding corners that become somewhat invisible at speed until you get it round?

totally agree
- not something for beginners- Even intermediates would benefit from supervision on their first go,

These corners and edges are virtually invisible and usually bu the time you get too them the lathe speed has been increased.

1. It is easy to keep following the contour of the bowl into the rim with a couple inches of corner or top edge remaining. This can easily cut the corner free to take flight causing dame to people and property.

2. after the bowl is partly shaped the corners need to be turned away either from the headstock side or the tailsock side from the corner in. This interrupted cut is nit achievable by many beginners. In most cases the 4 corner edges are in 4 Separate circles. So the early cuts Maugham cut 1,2,3 or 4 corners with lots of air in between, Very difficult not to move the tool while it is cutting air. Compounded with the increased resistance of more corner engaging the cut it is just about impossible for most beginners nit to move the tool into a too large a cut and make problems or shift the tool into a catch position.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

A gas or electric chainsaw makes quick work of shaping a bowl blank, there is another post discussing how to clean wood sap from a bandsaw and blades, you might save time shaping the bowl blank on the bandsaw but you give that time savings back when you have to clean the wood sap off your blades, wheels and guides.
If you are skilled with a roughing gouge you can shape the bowl blank without getting beat up on the tool rest if you approach the blank from one end.

I suppose everybody has their own ways of doing things. I don't know much of anything about hand turning, only that I've always much preferred using CNC and other machine tools.

If cleaning up your bandsaw is that much of a hassle then by all means don't use the bandsaw. You may have to exchange the bandsaw cleaning time for the mess of shavings as shown in Roger W's picture two postings back. Not to mention the greater exposure to possible allergens from the increased mess as opposed turning from a nearer to net shape bandsawed blank.

 

[Mike Brazeau]

I cannot believe this discussion actually got started! The bowl gouge is one of the most efficient tools we have at our disposal and probably a good deal responsible for woodturning being where it is today. Why risk limb and life to even consider attempting what is proposed? Maybe I am spoiled with a 3HP Oneway 2436 and there is nothing like hogging wood and I find a 5/8" BG as much tool as needed. I might ask what kind of lathe the OP is using and what size motor.

 

[Dave Bunge]

That Jamieson video strikes me as a little strange. Why balance to a rough blank? I'd bandsaw the blank round to take advantage of the grain pattern rather than to the offset weight.

Aren't you just inviting an accident for a noob spinning a square-ish blank with the protruding corners that become somewhat invisible at speed until you get it round?

The point I was trying to make in my post was that balancing the blank between centers lets you start at higher rpm, allowing the initial roughing to be less grueling and tiring, as desired by the OP. My purpose in posting the video was to show the process of balancing the blank.

I agree that, standing alone, the video might lead noobs into unsafe waters. I'll edit my post to add some additional information.

FWIW, I always cut my blanks round (slightly oversized) on my bandsaw before mounting on the lathe. It's easier for me to get rid of cutoffs (neighbor burns wood) than shavings (haul to community compost heap). But I still balance the blank between centers before starting to turn. And, after taking a few passes, I do the final adjustments to get the grain orientation I want.

Dave

 

[hockenbery]

I suppose everybody has their own ways of doing things. I don't know much of anything about hand turning, only that I've always much preferred using CNC and other machine tools.

you should make a bandsaw bowl. You are probably familiar with bandsaw baskets that were popular in the 70s-80s

Get a 12-16” wide board. Then draw a spiral to a 3” -4” bottom. So that the width is 1/2”. Tilt the table 7 degrees.
Cut the line. With the bottom facing up pull the end up exposing the sawn edges and paint them with Titebond.
Turn the bowl over and pull the end up and clamp until the glue dries.

for extra credit do an oval bowl.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

you should make a bandsaw bowl. You are probably familiar with bandsaw baskets that were popular in the 70s-80s

Get a 12-16” wide board. Then draw a spiral to a 3” -4” bottom. So that the width is 1/2”. Tilt the table 7 degrees.
Cut the line. With the bottom facing up pull the end up exposing the sawn edges and paint them with Titebond.
Turn the bowl over and pull the end up and clamp until the glue dries.

for extra credit do an oval bowl.

Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Never liked those bandsaw bowls though.

Actually, I can "turn" oval bowls as easily as more conventional round. I'll see if I can find a sample and post it.

 

[robo hippy]

To speed up production work, you can use tools, or adapt of you don't have all the 'extra' tools. With proper lay out, you start with a 'balanced' blank. For me, I cut slabs, most of the time on my Chainsaw Chopsaw. There is a video on that one, and I plan to 'new and improve' that one... It does a pretty good job of cutting slabs that have parallel sides. You can do a fair job with plumb lines on the log blank and 'eye balling' the cuts. The other way is to cut with a wood mizer type of bandsaw mill, or I have a Laguna 16HD bandsaw that cuts to 16 inches high, which is bigger than I ever turn any more. This saw allows me to cut blanks that have almost perfectly parallel sides. I round them off on my smaller bandsaw so the circles are very close to round. I prefer to start the rounding with a square blank as the corners give me some thing to push on and keep my fingers farther away from the blade. I drill a recess so I can expand my chuck into the recess and have no need to use a worm screw or a face plate. With some experience and careful lay out, you can have your blanks end up with the grain centered, but that is not some thing I obsess about. I never start with a half log section like Lyle does in his video, though there are many who do. When cutting the log up, I always cut off that rounded side before ripping the log down the center. If nothing else, I have flats on both sides, and kindling pieces for the wood stove. The corner pieces from the rounding also are great for starting fires. Parallel sides and a round blank means you can start turning at a higher speed.

Natural edge bowls are another story, but I still prefer a flat side for the bottom as that makes every other part of the process easier to do.

For hogging off all of the wood that is not part of the finished bowl, you can't beat a good scraper. Yea, they don't leave a pretty surface, but that is what gouges are for. I wouldn't use them for the roughing out of a natural edge bowl though. They would probably take off most of the bark... What ever works for you, as long as you don't have things flying off the lathe and around the shop, is fine. We are all different, and some of us are more different than others....

robo hippy

 

[Bill Boehme]

.... some of us are more different than others....

That sounds like a variation of a well known quote from George Orwell's Animal Farm, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

 

[dbonertz]

I agree with what has been said thus far. I hadn't noticed anyone say yet that the size of a gouge matters. If you are roughing smaller bowls a 1/2" gouge will work. Larger bowls or bowls with small branches or old branch scars or out of balance and such try using a larger bowl gouge, smaller gouges can be grueling. 5/8" minimum, I like the 3/4" from Doug Thompson for roughing. Sorry Mike B. I see you did mention a 5/8" gouge.

 

[robo hippy]

I do prefer bigger tools, and handles because they just 'feel' better in my hands. How much you can pull off in a pass does depend on several things. One is horse power and torque. You just can't rough out as fast on a 1 hp lathe as you can on a 2 or 3 hp lathe. Another is higher rpm. Some times it is easier to rough at high speed, but if you are in high speed range on larger diameter, the leverage of the extra diameter combined with the high speed but lower torque comes into play, and particularly with coring, you bog down. Third point is how much metal are you willing to stick into a spinning piece of wood... I did try a 3/4 gouge from D Way, and didn't care for it. I have no problem with a 1 inch wide Big Ugly tool, but I still have not met a lathe I can't stall. A 5/8 gouge is my primary tool for roughing out bowls if I am not using a scraper. Swept back wing or 40/40 doesn't make any difference. I can take a wider shaving with the swept back wings. I can take a thicker shaving with the 40/40.

robo hippy

 

[John Torchick]

I have watched Lyle's video at least three times. I believe he says he can balance a piece and begin to turn in the same time it takes to rough on the bandsaw. I have followed this in my limited experience of turning.
FWIW, I'm looking for a way to turn on/off my lathe at the headstock. If I get a piece of anything that is out of balance, I can slow/stop the lathe by applying pressure to the headstock. It is interesting how we all approach roughing and turning in different ways but arrive at the same destination- a finished turning.
Good turning.

 

[Robert Feingold]

Thanks for all of the diverse responses.
I’m using a 2 HP 220v Powermatic 3520 lathe. Looks like my idea using an angle grinder to rough out a blank was not very popular.
I turn a lot of chainsawn white oak (very hard) 12-15” D which turns nicely after it’s round but my lathe vibrates over about 400 rpm’s until it’s round. I can’t get the speed up fast enough to rough quickly So it’s slow going. I mount the blank so the wings are aligned and is not balanced. my 5/8” gouge is sharp and I’m approaching the wood properly. I wondering if the the adjustable feet are part of the problem and I should take them off.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Getting a piece mass balanced isn't difficult, but it might take a few extra minutes. I live in the post oak belt which is a variety of white oak. It turns nicely when green, but when dry it is definitely hard.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Thanks for all of the diverse responses.
I’m using a 2 HP 220v Powermatic 3520 lathe. Looks like my idea using an angle grinder to rough out a blank was not very popular.
I turn a lot of chainsawn white oak (very hard) 12-15” D which turns nicely after it’s round but my lathe vibrates over about 400 rpm’s until it’s round. I can’t get the speed up fast enough to rough quickly So it’s slow going. I mount the blank so the wings are aligned and is not balanced. my 5/8” gouge is sharp and I’m approaching the wood properly. I wondering if the the adjustable feet are part of the problem and I should take them off.

I rather have the weight balanced, to begin with then you can have some speed. Once you got some of the mass down, then you can realign grain, look for holes, even the edges of a NE bowl, etc.
My tool of choice for roughing is a Doug Thompson V Bowl gouge with Doug's largest and biggest handle. I'm faster on the lathe than the bandsaw. After all, the lathe is the biggest and heaviest tool in your shop, mine as well use it!

 

[Dave Landers]

I turn a lot of chainsawn white oak (very hard) 12-15” D which turns nicely after it’s round but my lathe vibrates over about 400 rpm’s until it’s round. I can’t get the speed up fast enough to rough quickly So it’s slow going. I mount the blank so the wings are aligned and is not balanced. my 5/8” gouge is sharp and I’m approaching the wood properly. I wondering if the the adjustable feet are part of the problem and I should take them off.

I built a box that fits in the "shelf supports" of the legs of the 3520. 2x6 sides and some interior 2x4 support for a 3/4" plywood bottom. Fill with sand and add a plywood top. Adds a couple hundred pounds and does help dampen some vibration. Not going to solve your problem, but might help some.

 

[Doug Freeman]

I wonder if you are being “too careful” with lathe vibration? With a rough blank my lathe is moving noticeably and starts smoothing out as mass is removed allowing more speed. Its a rough cut so the effect of lathe movement doesn't matter.

Find the heavy area and use the angle grinder to remove mass, but not with the lathe running. I find the chain wheel disc works better than a “chip” disc.

 

[dbonertz]

Have you thought about bolting your lathe down, if you can? Or adding mass under it on an attached shelf? Amiliano started a good thread about bolting your lathe not so long ago, I think it was on this forum. I also like the Thompson V gouge for roughing but I use the 3/4". The mass really helps when roughing out of balance and any blank that isn't a perfect slice out of timber.

If you continue to have problems after trying some of the above safer suggestions, there is one more thing you can do. If you have a sawzall with long wood cutting blade or electric chain saw (small one with not a lot of power) you can lock your spindle (very important) and nick the heavy side corners off. You can find the heavy side by mounting the blank and hand rotate it - the heavy side will always drop downwards toward the lathe bed. Rotate the heavy side of the blank towards the top and lock the spindle and nick the corner off from the headstock towards the tailstock. Repeat until you have it a little more balanced, note you will never get it perfect this way however it will help with lathe vibration. Now I know some who have never done this or have limited chain saw experience will chime in and want to claim it is too dangerous. It isn't if you use an electric small chain saw which is lighter and doesn't have a lot of power and assuming you have decent chain saw skills. If you don't have a sawzall or chain saw skills or an electric saw then you have no choice but the clunk a clunk method.

I also agree you can use the bandsaw however the size of blanks you're referring to I found for me anyway were to heavy and cumbersome to do that. I also agree with Lyle and others that doing it on the lathe to be just as fast however my lathe is heavy and bolted to the floor and that helps tremendously. You alone know your particular situation therefore at the end of the day you will need to experiment with all the ideas here and see what works best for your situation. Good luck and be safe.

I see a few were typing at the same time I was.

 

[hockenbery]

Thanks for all of the diverse responses.
I’m using a 2 HP 220v Powermatic 3520 lathe. Looks like my idea using an angle grinder to rough out a blank was not very popular.
I turn a lot of chainsawn white oak (very hard) 12-15” D which turns nicely after it’s round but my lathe vibrates over about 400 rpm’s until it’s round. I can’t get the speed up fast enough to rough quickly So it’s slow going. I mount the blank so the wings are aligned and is not balanced. my 5/8” gouge is sharp and I’m approaching the wood properly. I wondering if the the adjustable feet are part of the problem and I should take them off.

When I chainsaw a blank I use a sharpie to draw two circle on the sawn face.
One the the size of the blank I want the second 2” larger in diameter.
I cut all of the larger circle away leaving the small circle.

the resulting blank is fairly well balanced weight wise.

if I’m doing a large NE bowl I turn between centers aligning the tailstock first for weight balance, leaving the center area at least 4” diameter unturned for shifting the tailstock point. After cutting it round to an inch or so of the closest rim, I then center the tailstock to balance the rim heights where I want them.

Four in progress oak bowls the lower left is live oak 15”
This is a 15” camphor bowl the crotches are always off balance weight wise
However once round the speed can go up a bit and after the inside is turned to 1” wall
Thickness the speed can really go up to true the outside wall and the cut the final inside wall

 

[robo hippy]

I think one important part of setting up your lathe, and this isn't talked about much, is to balance the lathe first. Having it level helps. Adding weight helps too. But, first, I start with an unbalanced piece of wood on the lathe, at slow speed with the lathe vibrating/shaking slightly. I have 3 of the feet firmly on the floor, and one slightly off. If you remember from geometry or 'gee I'm a tree' as one of my teachers sued to say..., 3 points make a plane/flat surface. So one foot is slightly off the ground. Then with wrenches in hand. slowly turn that foot down until the vibration stops. I do turn just a tiny hair more than that, then use the locking nut to keep the foot from moving. You may have to adjust a couple of times to get it perfect. It is surprising how much this can help. I also mark on the concrete floor where the feet are. When unbalanced blanks are on the lathe, the lathe can walk a bit.

One other solution I saw a few days ago on You Tube, the turner balanced the blank on a wine bottle and marked that center for turning. That method has possibilities if you don't have good clean bandsaw or chainsaw cuts. If I am doing freehand chainsaw work, I mark parallel lines on the front side, and the spaces on the back side with a notch, then cut from the front side and try to follow the lines. This helps at least a little rather than just free handing it. I have plywood strips in 1/2 inch increments from 1 to 8 inches. Makes it easier to lay out lines compared to using a level.

robo hippy

robo hippy

 

[Robert Feingold]

I often wondered if I should remove the adjustable feet and shim my lathe. Seems like the feet aren’t as stable as the legs. Any thoughts?