Hi

I'm thinking about starting woodturning (*) but space in my workshop (**)
may is at a bit of a premium. Do you need to be able access both sides of
the lathe when working or can you do it all from one side? If I do decide
to start I will probably go on a course with Craft Supplies first but if
there is no way to fit the kit in then there is no point in spending cash on
a course.

Cheers

Mark

(*) As I live in Sheffield and have to pass all the tool workshops on the
way to work it would seem a shame not to use some of the products

(**) Well a garage actually but as I don't have a car I might as well use it
for something useful

"Mark Spice" wrote in message
...
Hi

I'm thinking about starting woodturning (*) but space in my workshop (**)
may is at a bit of a premium. Do you need to be able access both sides of
the lathe when working or can you do it all from one side? If I do decide
to start I will probably go on a course with Craft Supplies first but if
there is no way to fit the kit in then there is no point in spending cash
on
a course.

Just look at the "footprint" of the lathe under consideration. You turn
from one side, the side that suits your hand and perhaps only one, as some
lathes do not reverse, making it safer for the user of chucks and such to
turn without pre-planning.

I'm turning up to 400 mm in diameter and 600 long in a space roughly 1.3
meters by 1.5, and that includes space for my girth to snuggle up to my Nova
3000. The "mini" lathes have smaller footprints.

You want to get as close as you can to the "front" of the lathe, and have
only as much space as you need to swing the piece or turn the head if your
lathe is one like that. Makes cleanup easier, too, because you can catch
the majority of shavings without sweeping. Just extend the legs of your
stand to the swing of your lathe plus perhaps 20% out front for stability,
and then hang a cabinet under and behind to store the things you displace.

Modest, and I _do_ mean modest example here :
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...to&PhotoID=452
Proof of concept in progress, as I never seem to get to the polished
cabinetry part. Sturdy and functional, though.
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...to&PhotoID=228

Mark
Of my four lathes, two are against the wall, the bowl lathe really does not
count because of its configuration, and the mini gets put on whatever bench
is convenient at the time. Either should work for you.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS, Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com

Mine's up against a post in my basement. If you have a 12" swing, you
need only 6" clearance from the centerline back. Most lathes need
more than that just for the legs. In this respect, it's much like a
jointer - it can be up against a wall because you can't use "that
side" anyway.

The other side of the pole has my bandsaw; the saw's upright blocks
wood there anyway. The drill press and scroll saw are up against
walls. The router table and table saw are out on the open.

"Mark Spice" writes:

Do you need to be able access both sides of
the lathe when working or can you do it all from one side?

If the side you want is farthest away from you, just wait.
it'll come around soon enough.

--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:07:51 -0000, "Mark Spice"
wrote:

Hi

I'm thinking about starting woodturning (*) but space in my workshop (**)
may is at a bit of a premium. Do you need to be able access both sides of
the lathe when working or can you do it all from one side? If I do decide
to start I will probably go on a course with Craft Supplies first but if
there is no way to fit the kit in then there is no point in spending cash on
a course.

My lathe stays against the wall about 60% of the time. When hollowing
vases and similar objects where hollowing needs to be done through a
hole smaller than the cavity inside, I pull the tail end of the lathe
out about two feet so that I have more room for the chisel handles.
It goes back in place when I'm through. In any case, I've never found
a real benefit to going behind the lathe for much but cleaning. And
if you get a Delta midi or Jet mini lathe, they're small and light
enough (about 70 punds) that you could reasonably store one under a
benchtop, and still do a lot of fun stuff with them- despite thier
small size, they're both serious tools that are bult well, and worth
the investment- especially as a first lathe, until you decide what you
enjoy turning. After you figure out what you like to do, then you can
upgrade to a larger and/or more specialized lathe with a little more
information at your disposal- they're expensive tools, so it really
pays to know what you want and need before you go all out.

the first thing to do is too see if you really enjoy doing it, take a
course in it and see if you enjoy it, if you do go from there, get a
lath and move it until you are happy with its location, make sure you
have good lighting, and go to it, turn out some nice pieces, I make alot
of stuff for Christmas gifts, it makes them more special for the ppl
that you give them to....