First project on new lathe

Tony Baideme

Member
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1,100
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hi Folks,

I finally got to turn something on my new (to me) Jet mini lathe. I didn't get it done in one session but it took about an hour & 1/2. It's made of "Kiawe" wood, a HARD local wood, that usually gets used for bar-b-que fires. It looks real nice with a pretty grain. I sanded it with 100, 180 & 400, and then finished it only with Johnson's paste wax. (it's a tool)

Opinions are asked for. I got a million ideas.

Aloha, Tony
 

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Looks great Tony!

Nice chunk of wood too, and if it is local, I'll bet you can get more of it, GREAT :thumb:

Is this a mallet for hitting a chisel etc.?

If so, I might want the head a bit longer and the angle on the face of the head a bit steeper, but that is all from just looking at the pics, in real life it might be different. I'm sure you will get lots of use out of it. Paste wax for tools is all it needs!

Great job, can't wait to seem more of it! :clap:
 
Hi Stu,

I think I can get a bunch more of this wood. Only thing is, it's mostly been cut but not sealed and it tends to split and crack. No problem, I can chop it up to use it for some turnings.

Yeah, it's a chisel mallet. I kind of copied one shown in a Woodcraft catalog. I know I didn't get the proportions real accurate, but I bet it will work.:thumb:

I've got another piece of a straight grained wood that I think I can turn a small bolw from. That will be a first for me, ever.

I ordered a book on segmented turning. I like that stuff and want to try it. I have plenty of small pieces of wood to use for that. I'll keep posting pictures of what I end up with, even if it's bad. :p

I also want to try using the pen and penlight kits I got with that little Carba-tec lathe it bought first. I need to order a mandrel and some bushings. I also want to get a new chuck for the Jet lathe too. Luckily it has the same spindle threads as my 4" metal lathe chuck. Although that chuck is a 4 jaw "independant" which makes it a little harder to center a piece. My metal lathe is still torn apart so I can use the chuck on the Jet for now.

Thanks for the compliment and constructive critiscism. It'll help me.;)

Aloha, Tony
 
You bet it will work, and I'd say it would work darn well!

getting th e right proportions is not an easy thing, especially from a picture, so I think you dun good!

I'll bet with some use you will figure out the "Best Proportions" that would be the ones for YOU as YOU will be using it.

A lot depends on things like your hand size and stuff like the bench height you like to work at, also how much weight you want to be swinging.

I make a lot of my own turning tools, and I've experimented from the start with various shapes and sizes to see what I like, funny thing is, most of my tool handles are now starting to look like the classic shapes, I guess the turning culture has refined the shapes over the many years. The size is still dependent on one's hand size, of course, one reason I like to turn my own handles.

Looking forward to the bowl, have fun! :wave: :thumb:
 
The mallet looks great, Tony. Even though you're planning to beat it up somewhat, I can see from the pics that you took the time to sand it well and start with a sweet-looking finish. :thumb: Very pretty wood, too. I don't have a chisel mallet...it's one of the things on my to-do list one of these days. I'll remember to have a look at this one again for ideas when I do.
 
That's some delicious wood and a nice job. As pointed out, the angles could be a bit sharper for doing the chisle thing with it. But, a first 'bonker' is a requisite here ;) and you have passed the test. :thumb: I do like that wood. Wife has been pushing for a Hawaii vacation. Going just to get some of that wood is almost excuse enough. :rolleyes:
 
Hi people,

Thanks for all the good comments. :) I know I was not going to be making this thing right, but for what it is, it's close enough. As for functionality, I am not sure yet. I do know that this is a dense and rather heavy wood, so it should pack plenty of power when I swing it, even very lightly. I'm just wondering if it will be too heavy? I have always just used a small hammer to drive a chisel. Since getting involved in the woodworking forums I have learned more about sharpening and making my tools work better for me. That is why I chose this as my first project. I'll be reporting on how it works, and also more on the specifics of this wood for your reference.

Thanks again, or as we say here, "Mahalos plenty". Now I have to get to work at my paying job. :p

Aloha, Tony
 
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