I may have some advice you don't want to hear...

You clearly do not have much in the way of book-learning on the subject
of turning and no experience. Did it occur to you that while you are
experimenting with this and that, the blank could become a projectile
and leave the lathe in an unpredictable angle at a rather high rate of
speed?

You need to get a few books or somebody who has a clue to give you a
little help before you hurt yourself.

Bill

MikeMac wrote:
Hello all..

I found a decent deal at the local RONA today, picked up the Delta Midi
lathe for CDN $245.. the only tool I really didn't have, but thought it was
a good deal.. and the idea of making pens intrigues me.. went to Lee Valley
and bought the kits, the reams, CA glue, all that fun stuff.

So I got home, and I set it up today, (after cleaning alot of grease off
of it) and it seems to run fine. Put a piece of walnut in it, and gave er a
try.

After the chips settled, I found I ran into a few questions.

When I mount the wood in the lathe, how much 'pressure' do you put on the
tailstock.. how hard do I screw it in?

After getting it rounded off, I noticed that:

1: the tailstock head spins slowly with the piece, but not at the same
speed.. is that normal?
2: the piece oscillates ever so little.. If I back off the tailstock head a
bit, the tailstock pin stops turning, & the oscillating stops. Is that
normal?
3: If I line up the point of the headstock, and the point on the tailstock,
the don't line up perfectly.. (less than 1 mm diff). Does this really
matter?

thanks for any and all advice.