Woodturning
 

On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 17:28:01 -0000, "Sam Berlyn"
wrote:

Please could you reply and tell me the minimum equipment needed & roughly
how much it would cost to set up. Thanks

Crossposted to rec.crafts.woodturning as well, which is probably a
better newsgroup to ask in.


What are you trying to do ? Do some turning, or _learn_ to turn ?

You can make useful turnings on almost anything. I've made chairs on a
pole lathe made in a woodland from a bendy sapling, and a chisel
forged from leafspring. It's not a good way to learn though - so if
you can do, try and find a course somewhere. You get a reliable lathe
that already works and will do anything you ask of it. Then you can
see about affording a lathe of your own, that's enough for what you
want yourself. A bowl turner wants one thing, a pen turner another,
and a furniture maker needs something long enough to take that table
leg or chair post.

There are several useful brand-new lathes in the $250 region, with
good features like variable speed, swivelling heads, cast iron beds,
their own stands and decent bed length. As always, there are even
better deals around S/H. $25 might even get you something usable.
Half-a-dozen chisels wil get you started. You'll also need a few
accessories, like lathe centres, a faceplate, sanding and finishing
materials, and a grinder for sharpening. I don't regard a dust mask
as essential for much turning (although some timber and any spalted
timber does need it), but I do think a full-face faceshield is.

Other important tools are a big crosscut saw (maybe a chainsaw), axes,
mallets, wedges and a froe. If you're learning, you need a large stack
of green timber to practice on. You can't afford to buy this, so you
have to scrounge it from tree felling work. If you live outside
Arizona there's a lot of this going on, so so long as you can turn a
log into something small enough to chuck in the lathe, you've a free
source of wood. You might even have a woodstove to use up the
remnants.

Don't learn to turn on expensive wood. Turning needs to "flow"
naturally, so if you make a mess of something it's often best to throw
it away and start again. If that timber cost you money, you won't do
that.

--
Smert' spamionam

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 02:17:48 +0000, Andy Dingley wrote:

If you live outside
Arizona there's a lot of this going on

?

On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 22:11:49 -0600, Australopithecus scobis
wrote:

If you live outside
Arizona there's a lot of this going on

?

They don't have trees in Arizona, or at least not so they can spare
them for casual garden re-modelling and giving away to passing
turners.

In article ,
Andy Dingley wrote:

They don't have trees in Arizona, or at least not so they can spare
them for casual garden re-modelling and giving away to passing
turners.

au contraire (sp?) my dear Andy. Arizona really has quite a lot of both
native and non-native trees that are quite suitable for turning and
readily available. Many oaks, nut and fruit woods, pines, cedars and
others.

--
"Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised
as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 10:54:34 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 22:11:49 -0600, Australopithecus scobis
wrote:

If you live outside
Arizona there's a lot of this going on

?

They don't have trees in Arizona, or at least not so they can spare
them for casual garden re-modelling and giving away to passing
turners.

Incorrect, as it happens.
In fact turning is one of the few kinds of woodworking where you can
collect your material for free in the desert parts of Arizona.

People take out trees all the time for remodeling, storm damage, etc.
Of course your species selection is rather limited, but if you like
working in mesquite, eucalyptus, olive, mulberry, and a variety of
exotic woods, you can get all the material your heart desires just by
cruising neighborhoods after a summer thunderstorm.

--RC
That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin.
-- Wiz Zumwalt

Sam

You would need minimium a lathe, faceplate, turning tools, grinder and a
face shield. Good equipment from Axminster tools, for bowl turning the £180
model is better than the one for £136. They both come with faceplate and
centres. They also sell a reasonable set of turning tools for £62.
Grinders available from Axminster, B&Q or Machine Mart between £20 and £30.
Face Shield available from Axminster. You will also need some timber,
depending where you live either from the local firewood supplier or ask one
of your local park keepers where the council gets rid of trees. Where I
live all of the street trees and park trees are cut into short lengths so
they can be lifted onto the back of the truck (Wet wood is very heavy) and
I've found if approached they will let you have some for free.

http://www.axminster.co.uk

Hope this helps.

Steve


"Sam Berlyn" wrote in message
...
Hi,

This is going to sound like a real "newbie" question,
"I like woodturned products e.g. bowls, mushrooms(toadstalls) etc. and I
would like to do some myself.
Please could you reply and tell me the minimum equipment needed & roughly
how much it would cost to set up. Thanks


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On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 20:38:41 GMT, jo4hn wrote:

wrote:

[snip]People take out trees all the time for remodeling, storm damage, etc.
Of course your species selection is rather limited, but if you like
working in mesquite, eucalyptus, olive, mulberry, and a variety of
exotic woods, you can get all the material your heart desires just by
cruising neighborhoods after a summer thunderstorm.

--RC
That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin.
-- Wiz Zumwalt
Speaking of erotic woods, how about Seguaro?
j4

Not for romance, turning or much of anything else.

--RC

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin.
-- Wiz Zumwalt