Still getting started

[Ron Vasser]

I have the Laguna Revo 1836 on order so I went out today and started getting some wood. What do you guys think about red oak for turning? The section I cut today was 32 inches in diameter. I cut two sections 18 inches long and then cut 5 ½ inch sections all the way across leaving a 2-inch section of pith from both rounds. 18x18x5½ blanks. I still have to seal the ends and get them on the shelves in the shop. There is a 30-inch maple there also but I have to wait until the rain stops and this old mans back feels better.
I still have to get my chuck and have decided it's down to Hurricane or Vicmarc but still trying to decide on the 100 or the 125. In my other post, someone stated the 100 would probably handle anything I want to turn but the manufacturer stated up to 14 inches on the 100. I decided on a mixture of turning tools, some quality M42 and some cheaper HSS.
Does anybody know what that blue stain is in one of the pieces?

 

[Clifton C]

My back is talking to me just looking at that haul...
Blue stain might indicate a piece of iron.

 

[Ron Vasser]

My back is talking to me just looking at that haul...
Blue stain might indicate a piece of iron.

That's exactly what it is 1 inch to the side of the pith in the middle of a 32-inch tree in the middle of a cut !#@%$! Forty minutes working on the chain just to get back to cutting but I've got to completely reprofile before I cut again.

 

[hockenbery]

know what that blue stain is in one of the pieces?

Ditto on iron. The stain is carried up and down the tree from the metal.
A water cavity can also make black stains - usually darker.

Any wood you get to practce on is good.

Red oak can be a bit difficult for beginners. The soft maples cut nicer and tend to be easier to dry crack free.
If you are doing bowls or hollowforms the soft maples are less demanding than red oak for successful crack free drying. Even wall thickness and curves allow the wood to move as it dries instead of cracking.
The first bowls by beginners often have poor curves and uneven wall thickness. These forms usually crack. The maple lets you get a little further from ideal forms for drying than the oak.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I will go with Al, Red Oak is turnable but it is a problem also. It is an open grain wood and is therefore needing to have the grain filled for a good finish. Too many other better woods out there so use it for practice.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The flat sawn piece that is on the bottom of the front stack is the way that I prefer to cut oak wood for grain symmetry and maybe less likely to crack while drying (red oak is famous for that). I see that most of the blocks are quarter sawn or rift sawn and I have no experience with oak cut that way (mainly because oaks in this part of the country aren't very large), but they might produce some interesting medullary ray flecking (Google oak medullary rays).

 

[William Rogers]

Ron

I have the HTC 125 Chuck. It is a BIG chuck, however that is the chuck I would use for those blanks. I don't have the HTC 100 chuck, but Record and Nova 2 chucks in that size range. I use those 90% of the time as I generally turn smaller pieces. I know, spending $$, but you will want more than one chuck. however if you will be turning 14"+, then the 125 would make more sense.

 

[robo hippy]

Roy Underhill, from PBS tv and uses all the hand tools demonstrated why they use white oak instead of red oak for whiskey barrels. He rived (split) off a small section of red oak and put one end in a bucket of water and blew into the other. Bubbles came out in the water. So, it is very open grained. If you wet sand a walnut type oil into the wood as a finish, that can help seal all the holes. Good practice wood, but not my choice for daily use pieces. Oak will blacken just about every piece of metal in the shop..... Lemon juice can cut most of it, depending on how long it sits...

robo hippy

 

[Ron Vasser]

Any wood you get to practce on is good.

It will be practice wood as I think it will be a long period before I show someone what I made! I sealed the end grain today and got it on the shelves. My aching back!

The flat sawn piece that is on the bottom of the front stack is the way that I prefer to cut oak wood for grain symmetry and maybe less likely to crack while drying (red oak is famous for that). I see that most of the blocks are quarter sawn or rift sawn and I have no experience with oak cut that way (mainly because oaks in this part of the country aren't very large), but they might produce some interesting medullary ray flecking (Google oak medullary rays).

It will probably all be shavings for the horse stalls. Yes, medullary rays are pretty is some quarter sawn flooring and some turnings I've seen. I tried to learn all about the makeup of trees before I started felling a few years back.

I have the HTC 125 Chuck. It is a BIG chuck, however that is the chuck I would use for those blanks. I don't have the HTC 100 chuck, but Record and Nova 2 chucks in that size range. I use those 90% of the time as I generally turn smaller pieces. I know, spending $$, but you will want more than one chuck. however if you will be turning 14"+, then the 125 would make more sense.

Thanks, William, I probably will end up with two chucks.

If you wet sand a walnut type oil into the wood as a finish, that can help seal all the holes. Good practice wood, but not my choice for daily use pieces. Oak will blacken just about every piece of metal in the shop..... Lemon juice can cut most of it, depending on how long it sits...

robo hippy

Thanks, that is good info. I'll be glad when I can have some daily pieces but this wood was close by, available, I was able, and now I have a stock of training wood.


Would all you folks be kind enough to give me your thoughts on these turning tools? Price is about the middle of the road for cheap to fine tools. The site states Crown Tools UK, have partnered together to bring you the Hurricane M2 Cryo Professional Series of Woodturning tools. They put me off until next week on the lathe delivery but I would like to get some tools and chucks headed this way.
Thanks in advance and I do appreciate you folks being patient with new guys!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Ron

My back hurts looking at the stack of wood billets you cut, I used to do a pickup load of logs in a weekend when I started out and added to my wood stash for several years whenever I ran across trees being felled. Once you get a good stash of wood blanks cut into usable sizes and drying you should have plenty to turn so long as you replenish the wood stash each year. You might want to process a few logs into different sized billets other than the bowl blanks, smaller billets of wood will dry quicker and allow you to turn smaller projects with wood you have on hand. If I am turning bowls I usually use the chainsaw to cut the corners off of the green bowl blanks so they will fit on the lathe and turn 360 degrees.

You can get by with just about any grade of turning tools, if you have a grinder set up to sharpen your tools efficiently. If you are in this for the long haul go for a good quality set of lathe tools, they will last a life time and will make your turning more enjoyable compared to cheaper steel which can dull quickly. A sharp tool is a necessity when turning wood on a lathe, you will want the grinder set up as close as possible to your lathe if you have room.

 

[Ron Vasser]

You can get by with just about any grade of turning tools, if you have a grinder set up to sharpen your tools efficiently. If you are in this for the long haul go for a good quality set of lathe tools, they will last a life time and will make your turning more enjoyable compared to cheaper steel which can dull quickly. A sharp tool is a necessity when turning wood on a lathe, you will want the grinder set up as close as possible to your lathe if you have room.

I'm in for as long as the haul last LOL! I'm 70 and got a 36x48 insulated metal building that was going to be my wood shop when we built it 15 years ago. It's been a storage building as we built our house, a place to work on tractors and farm equipment, a place to keep things that you'll never use again. I'm retired and hobby farming now so I hauled off 8 loads in a 1 ton truck to the dump and scrap metal yard and it's finally taking shape. I just thought that the middle of the road tools may be better as I learn to turn and sharpen before I buy something like Carter and Son $160 bowl gouge. I do have a slow speed grinder with a couple of cbn wheels.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Ron,

You might as well get a full set of HSS lathe tools that will provide most of the tools you need for most types of turning to start off with. You can always add to the set if you have the additional need down the road. There are a lot of used tools out in the secondary market to be had when you can find them. I know a lot of wood turners that have an entire wall covered with tools that they hardly use. I have some older good quality carbon steel lathe tools that I still use along with the newer HSS and high tech metals on a few other tools I have picked up on.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Ron,

Here is a video on one wood turners suggestions for tools to start off with, everyone will have their opinions on which tools they deem important. Depending on the items you turn you can get by with just a handful of tools for most projects, as you expand into other items on the lathe you will add to your tool collection to make the turning process easier and more efficient. It takes time to learn each tool and if you don't turn for a few days or weeks it will take time to regain the learned tool techniques. Some tools require "muscle memory" and hours of practice to work as designed, so when starting out in the hobby it is easier to master a smaller number of tools.

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

 

[robo hippy]

Brian Havens, above, does have some good videos. I have a bunch up too. As for tools, just about all of mine are from Doug Thompson, or D Way tools. They are probably the best quality out there. I buy unhandled and make my own handles.

robo hippy

 

[Dan Hall]

Great video for a newbie like me Mike. The skew has such a reputation and I'm so stubborn I want to learn it first. I need to look for an Alan Lacer acolyte near me.....when my workshop and tool issues are solved.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Dan,

Some turners have a problem with the skew if they don't use it often, this tool along with some of the bowl gouges can create epic tool catches when you lose focus on the cutting angle of the tool. Once you master the skew and learn its proper use it is a very versatile tool for many projects.

 

[Ron Vasser]

Here is a video on one wood turners suggestions for tools to start off with, everyone will have their opinions on which tools they deem important. Depending on the items you turn you can get by with just a handful of tools for most projects, as you expand into other items on the lathe you will add to your tool collection to make the turning process easier and more efficient. It takes time to learn each tool and if you don't turn for a few days or weeks it will take time to regain the learned tool techniques. Some tools require "muscle memory" and hours of practice to work as designed, so when starting out in the hobby it is easier to master a smaller number of tools.

Thanks, Mike I was looking at 6 tools to start and with Brians video, I think I have my list.

Brian Havens, above, does have some good videos. I have a bunch up too. As for tools, just about all of mine are from Doug Thompson, or D Way tools. They are probably the best quality out there. I buy unhandled and make my own handles.

Thanks, robo hippy! I've looked at a few of your videos and I want to get to the point of making my own handles also.

 

[Dan Hall]

Dan,

Some turners have a problem with the skew if they don't use it often, this tool along with some of the bowl gouges can create epic tool catches when you lose focus on the cutting angle of the tool. Once you master the skew and learn its proper use it is a very versatile tool for many projects.

. I just ordered the full package of Alan Lacer's videos along with his book which is apparently in short supply and may not be reprinted. I once saw a video of him making little toy tops smaller than a pea with the 1 3/8" skew with his custom grind.

 

[Dean Center]

Would all you folks be kind enough to give me your thoughts on these turning tools? Price is about the middle of the road for cheap to fine tools. The site states Crown Tools UK, have partnered together to bring you the Hurricane M2 Cryo Professional Series of Woodturning tools.

Ron, I would consider middle of the road to be M2 steel from a high quality brand such as Sorby, Taylor, Crown, Hamlet. The kryo or powdered metal (PM) versions of these, along with M42 or A10/V10 steels from these brands and Carter, D-way, and Doug Thompson, I would say are a step up from there.

I have and use some gouges from Hurricane, in M2 steel. The steel may be the same as the other brands of tools, but the handle is not quite as good. The size of the handle/ferrule where the steel inserts is skimpier and frankly a little worrisome for possibly breaking. The handles are a little shorter than the more expensive brands mentioned above. I have not seen the line of tools you describe, so they might have different handles. I also have a few Crown PM tools and they are my favorites. If Crown is making the steel for the Hurricane tools, it is likely the steel is top notch and the flute shape should be the very popular parabolic shape.

Crown PM has a set of tools, (spindle roughing gouge, parting tool, 3/8" spindle gouge, 3/8 UK/1/2 US bowl gouge, 3/4" skew), and if cost is not a huge issue, the Crown labeled set would be an ideal group of tools, which would serve you well for a long time.

 

[robo hippy]

This is one of my most favorite skew videos. First video I ever watched was Richard. I thought every one turned like him...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOvF5f1phhY&t=85s


There is also one up on You Tube by Allen Batty. One of the best I have seen. I haven't checked out the Alan Lacer videos yet...

robo hippy

 

[Ron Vasser]

I have and use some gouges from Hurricane, in M2 steel. The steel may be the same as the other brands of tools, but the handle is not quite as good. The size of the handle/ferrule where the steel inserts is skimpier and frankly a little worrisome for possibly breaking. The handles are a little shorter than the more expensive brands mentioned above. I have not seen the line of tools you describe, so they might have different handles. I also have a few Crown PM tools and they are my favorites. If Crown is making the steel for the Hurricane tools, it is likely the steel is top notch and the flute shape should be the very popular parabolic shape.

Dean, I did order some of these tools and they will arrive tomorrow. The site states:

• Cryogenically treated M2 High-Speed Steel with ash handle, painted black with silver accents; made in Sheffield, England in partnership with Crown Tools

My chuck and tools are going to be here before my lathe arrives. The place I ordered it from stated I would get an email last week with the delivery times and I still haven't received that mail. I'll be making a phone call first thing in the morning.

 

[Dan Hall]

Dean, I did order some of these tools and they will arrive tomorrow. The site states:

• Cryogenically treated M2 High-Speed Steel with ash handle, painted black with silver accents; made in Sheffield, England in partnership with Crown Tools

My chuck and tools are going to be here before my lathe arrives. The place I ordered it from stated I would get an email last week with the delivery times and I still haven't received that mail. I'll be making a phone call first thing in the morning.

Did you buy a Laguna Ron? Never mind.....I just scrolled back to the top and read that you did.