Hi all, I'm new to the hobby and am finding out that wood material is not the easiest to come by ( I've had so many turnings crack ( SOB!). I want to try to work with resin BUT there are so so many vacuum chambers out there I need advice! Has/does anyone have any suggestions on which brand/size/package to buy? I do have some wood blanks curing in my shed painted with titebond but well months and months to wait. I really want to make some of those beautiful pieces I've seen made with resin, advice???????
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working with resin/epoxy
- Thread starter Joe Div
- Start date
Hi Joe! Welcome to woodturning and the forums. The topics you asked about are frequently discussed here so you may want to try the forum search feature and see what people have said. 
Hi Joe - typically you'll use a pressure pot much more often than vacuum chamber. Start with a 2.5 gallon pot (you can find them used or buy a new one) and experiment. You'll go though a LOT of epoxy as you're learning... Have fun!
You don't need a pressure pot for small items. Especially if you're just filling holes, which if I read between the lines I suspect you're wanting to do with your cracked pieces. I would not recommend a pressure pot for somebody who is starting out. Pressure pots are good for deep or large pours but even with those the type of resin is more important than a pressure pot. I would learn to work with the resin first before investing in one.
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That is not uncommon among new turners. Connecting with a mentor, or taking a quality class can greatly increase the successful drying of green wood turning.
As @Charles Cadenhead said saving cracked pieces can be simple. Consider using JB weld for wood. I Wear nitrile gloves when I mix the putty like A&B parts together.
You can color it black with dye or a few drops of airbrush paint. Knead it to mix the two parts. Press it into the cracks with fingers or a popsicle stick. Then finish turn or sand.
Good news coming
Experienced turners rarely have pieces crack. Keep at it you’ll be experience before you know it.
These are the things successful green wood turners do. Many beginners don’t do any on the list well so they get cracks in drying.
This tread has a lot more tips on working with green wood
Working with green wood
The August 2015 AAW JOURNAL has great article by David Ellsworth on working with green wood. This is followed by 11 marvelous ways turners turned cracks into features. One of David's themes is that the deck is stacked against newer woodturners successfully working with wet wood. Might be a nice...