Stock for practice...

Greg Cook

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Tokiwadai, Japan
Here's some cedar sticks I got in the local lumber yard scrap box. I think they'll come in handy for practice on my new Jet Mini. These are pretty common in their scrap boxes, so I should be able to get more. Not very big, but something to start...and the price/availablity is good.

What do you think?





Also, I called the nearest Harbor Freight store and they have the turning tool sets...a few. I'm going close to where they are tomorrow, so I'll stop by and pick up a set, if they still have stock. I need to call tomorrow morning and have them put one on "Hold" for pickup. Once I get them, I'll be able to get going!:cool:

Greg
 
Soft wood is good to start on, but hard to get a nice smooth cut, they always seem to end up a bit furry :rolleyes:

And as you are new to this PLEASE remember, safety glasses and a full face sheild are REQUIRED as you WILL launch stuff off the lathe DAMHIK!! :eek:
 
Yeah, I figured the soft wood would be only good for practice. Roger on the glasses and shield. I have the glasses, and plan on getting a shield at HF tomorrow, along with the chisels.

What speed would you recommend to start learning?

Greg
 
Right, Don. I have a respirator I use when cutting/sanding. Works well, doesn't fog my glasses, and is pretty comfortable.

Thanks for the reminder, though.

Greg
 
...
What speed would you recommend to start learning?

Greg
Start learning as fast as you can. Time's a wastin'! :D :p (I know, that wasn't what you were asking, but you walked right into a smarty pants answer.:rolleyes: ;))

The lathe speed is dictated by a number of factors, but a good thing to keep in mind is that the RPM isn't nearly as important as the surface speed where the chisel meets the wood. In other words, the bigger the diameter, the slower speed you should use. In general, slower is safer, but there are some things that (at least to me) feel safer and smoother if I increase the speed. Also, when you're first roughing out a piece of wood, you'll want to use a slow speed, the once the blank is round, you can increase the speed.

I know this doesn't directly answer your question, but I think you'll find pretty quickly which speeds feel comfortable for different situations. Just rememeber to stay out of the line of fire if possible in case something comes off the lathe, and any time things start feeling a bit unsafe, it's probably because they are.
 
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