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New to Turning

Rod Miller

Rod Miller

Joined
Aug 12, 2020
Messages
3
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Location
Greensboro, NC
Hi,

I have been doing some carving and and basic wood work projects around the house. Now I want to try turning. I started watching for a used lathe, but ended up getting a Rikon 70-220vsr and the anniversary addition G3 chuck. I pick it up on Saturday. :)

I found some used gouges on ebay, seem "ok" quality, just old and rusty. They cleaned up well and still sharp. Will wait a bit on getting some "good" ones after I get some experience.

My goal is to be able to turn bowls, boxes, misc first in wood then with epoxy+wood mixes. I plan on using videos to help teach, I have not found any classes very close to the Greensboro area. There is a lot of stuff out in web land.

Any suggestions for good videos for getting started?

Also, what type of wood would be good to start my turning learning?

Rod
 
A good wood to start with is "free". Chunks of firewood, limb trimmings, etc. You could also get some 4x4s from the home center, make them round and then practice beads and coves.
Be sure to understand the difference between turning with the wood in spindle orientation vs. bowl orientation. Some tools used for the former can be very dangerous when used for the latter.
 
Youtube has hundreds of videos on pretty much any woodturning topic. You can get lots of ideas and advice on how to proceed. I learned how to do segmented turning from watching Youtube. Nothing like a pandemic to give you the time to learn something new.
 
I have several thoughts which will hopefully save you some grief.

First, the first thing to learn is working safely. If 5 pounds of wood that's going 45 mph comes off the lathe, it can really hurt, and worse things than that have happened. There are a great many videos on youtube that demonstrate UNsafe practices. The AAW has a feature where you can look up videos by topic and all of them have been screened for safe practices. Woodturner.org-->Resources-->Explore!

Second, IMHO you can learn more in a half day with a skilled turner-coach than you can in 6 months of watching videos. Find your local AAW chapter and ask who the mentors are. They'll be happy to help. (You're also not far from Arrowmont and the John C. Campbell Folk School, but they may not be holding classes right now) Woodturner.org-->Chapters-->Find a Chapter (for example, Piedmont Triad Woodturners, ptwoodturners.org)

Third, your skill and results as a turner will be directly tied to your skill at sharpening, BUT you don't need to sharpen like a carver. In turning, the wood goes by so fast that an edge you can shave with doesn't last more than a second. So think differently about sharpening as a turner.
 
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Rod Miller said:
Thanks for the feedback. I have done some searching for classes, but most are not holding classes at this time.
Click to expand...
It’s a hard time to get started. Woodturning clubs are not meeting our club had rescheduled out learn to turn session Twice before canceling it.

I recommend that you start with spindles. Learn to turn beads and coves these are the foundation of all wood turning shapes.

Sharpening is critical - any gouge must have a convex edge all the way around. Flat is ok curved is ok. Any concave Dips make the gouge unusable.

this video a bit advanced. It is a clip from the beginning of a napkin ring demo.
it shows that cuts made on a spindle are the same ones used to turn bowls

Cylinder with a bowl gouge Push & Pull cuts -
Ihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I05IYkb06Jc
 
All great advice Rod, everyone here is very helpful and will answer any questions that you have about woodturning. Welcome to the forum.
 
Welcome to the addiction. Some turning clubs are starting to do small workshops. Check around for a club . Also lots of clubs are doing Zoom demos as well as some renowned turners doing Interactive Remote Demos which usually have a charge of about $10
 
Thanks. I will keep searching for the demos and any classes. I agree - need to keep my tools sharp. I am setting up the oneway system on my bench grinder.

After looking around, I did find more of what I was looking for starting out new. Allan Batty's videos, they may be a little older, but he does a good job of helping me learn the process.

Here is one...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfeLAHQSbqk&t=1454s
 
Mike Peace has a lot of Youtube videos geared towards the beginning woodturner. He gives good advice and can steer you in the right direction. He cranks out a new one about every week.
 
Some YouTube vids are good, many more are not. I think a good way to learn (when classes or mentors are not available) is DVDs by established teachers.

One I can highly recommend is Richard Raffan's The New Turning Wood from Taunton Press. I taught myself to turn using that video, and with advise from others on various forums.
 
There are several videos on YouTube that every beginning lathe operator should watch at least one time, the ones that show a person getting their clothing, long hair, gloves or jewelry wrapped up on the chuck or work piece. Seeing the outcome of a few of these accidents usually opens their eyes to the potential errors they need to avoid. Most beginners get in a hurry and want to turn big pieces without learning the lessons that come with experience and knowledge that takes years to achieve from learning the skills required and the precautions needed from mentors and skilled professionals that have dedicated the years to gain the same knowledge that the beginner needs before attempting the bigger riskier projects. Majority of accidents incurred in every industry happens in the early years with limited knowledge and experience and tappers off to the bottom of the bell curve and picks back up with the experienced and knowledgeable who over the years become complacent and take more risks. A yearly safety course working with specific power equipment is a good tool to reinforce common sense and safe work practices for every person that works around power equipment.
 
I have been turning wood for just over a year and the one thing I have learnt the hard way with tools is don't buy cheap sets of woodturning chisels, brands to look out for even if they are used but still with plenty of life is Robert Sorby,Thompson, Crown, Hamlet I have only quoted the brands I have heard of and seen here in NZ but there are other brands out there of good quality I do buy used robert sorby tools but only if they are the high speed steel ones due to having a CBN wheel on my grinder my gouges are woodcut brand which are made here in New Zealand and I love them as they have replaceable tips but unsure if they can be purchased from retailers outside of NZ.

When it comes to learning the skew one thing I got shown and I don't do it as much now that I am getting used to using it is draw a line on the bevel halfway down the cutting edge on each side as that line shows you are getting close to the danger zone and a catch could happen also Mike Peace has a very good video on using woodturning chisels
 
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Yes, there are thousands of woodturning videos on youtube to choose from. Some excellent and some that teach horrible turning habits by example. For beginners, I would recommend using the "Resources" of the AAW only. They have reviewed and filtered videos for safety and content.
At some point, You might want to look at The 7 fundamentals of woodturning by Stuart Batty. https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturn...spx?hkey=d5634394-9b01-4db5-b5df-76d8fdce171f



​
 
I have a bunch of videos up on You Tube as well, mostly on bowl turning. One favorite of mine is Mike Waldt from Wales. I like his approach and his ways of explaining things.

robo hippy
 
I Am intrigued by many you tube videos and have binge watched turning videos. There are some things that make no sense whatever until the third of fourth different guy, who has a slightly better way of explaining it. Or just perhaps that after the third time, you mind was starting to "get it" Some are great because they have all the safety examples as well. And then there are some third world turning videos where people are lucky to have shoes and can't afford face and eye protection or dust collectors. I try to learn something from each.
 
I don't think there were You Tube videos when I started, but that could be my memory, and I didn't have a computer either... I bought the book by Richard Raffen, and read it through twice before going out to the shop. I would play around, and come back in and read that part of the book again. I may have worn that book out by doing that. Some times the experience of doing and then coming back in and reading again and again helped the points to sink in....

robo hippy
 
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