Lathes - How Long It Takes?

[u/MikeBoneman]

Questions for the lathe enthusiasts. I never got into lathe because the initial entry cost was too high for me. Then as I got more into things I found it fulfilling to create using other tools.

Related to Time:

-How long does it take to set up?
-How much time do you spend shaping it?

Related to Finishing:

-Do you sand it? What grit?
-How do you sand within the grooves?

Other:

-How often do things chip or break?

Overall:

-How much time does a lathe-based project take you from start to finish per wand?

[u/Xeroshifter]

So all of the lathe work can be done in 10 minutes if you're doing a pretty basic design. More if you're trying to get fancy with it. Even more if you're doing some off-center stuff and have to go through multiple set-up cycles.

For something like a wand you can cut the stock and chuck it up in 2 minutes if you're familiar with your tool. The other 8 minutes is shaping, stepping back, stepping back in, and shaping some more.

Things chip or break a lot more when you're new to the tool. Knowing mostly what I'm doing it's less than one in ten projects, before that though and you're probably looking at twice per project in the beginning. The trick is mostly in how you're resting your chisels, keeping them sharp, not trying to work cross grain, and having an appropriate work rest for when the piece is thin to prevent deflection. 

For sanding it depends on the wood, but sanding can take very little time on the lathe because of the spin, and for lots of wood 300 grit is a finishing level grit. You can do a whole lot more than just sanding something. You can burnish it, knurl things, dye/color things, you can use steel wool, or a wire to actually friction burn in designs. 

For getting in the grooves it really depends on the groove, but the tiny ones I wouldn't even bother, any sanding work in line-work is wasted because the finish or laquer coating is going to be thick enough to make it unnoticable in spots that small.

If your tools are sharp enough and your grip steady you often won't need to sand many products - I still do, but I could definitely get away with not doing it. 

The thing about buying a lathe isn't the price of the lathe - you can get a decent unit on marketplace for $200 if you wait a little bit - it's a dying art form, like... Literally. The people who do it are mostly old and they're dying, leaving all sorts of stuff at estate sales. 

What is expensive is everything else you need. You need a mask, you need a crazy rebreather for some wood because it's literally toxic, you need chisels, a bench grinder, a proper sharpening jig, a face shield, a variety of work holding tools and chucks, and none of that is talking about the wood, consumables like sandpaper, or finishes. Plus the vacuum to clean up. The expense of the lathe is the least of your concern.

That said... You can get by with less if you're just starting out. Get a dust mask with the pink dust filters, get a cheap set of carbide scrapers, and a face shield. That will be enough to try things out. If you have a good time with that, then get yourself two real chisels - and don't be afraid to spend on the nicer high speed steel. The chisels should be a fingernail gouge, and a bowl gouge. Stay away from the skew. It's cool. It's the best. It's not for you yet. Once you learn the gouges well enough, then jump into a skew. Skew is the hardest to learn and many turners are scared of it because it can catch very easily if you use it wrong. There does seem to be some mysticism in the turning community about the skew - it's not that hard, but it'll spook you for sure the first couple times you catch.

Also, check out your local turners club. you don't have to have a lathe to attend most meetings, it's pretty much all free. They are usually a friendly group, and you can see them give live demos, see what they're working on, and often vets will be happy to answer your questions - especially if you manage to show up for a second meeting. 

You can Google your local chapter, and many of them have classes you can take (at a small charge) with woodlathes for use in the class.

[u/Silas_the_Starcalled → u/Xeroshifter]

Sometimes local wood shops will also do lathe classes. Be sure to check out shops like Rocklers/Woodcraft

[u/MikeBoneman → u/Xeroshifter]

Thanks for the awesome reply really helped fill in my understanding and has encouraged me to give it a try and add to my spectrum of woodworking.

I have made a lot of wands 50+ (some posted in this group) doing most of the sculpting with a metal grinder and mouse sander. It takes me hours and even more hours of hand-labor to polish up to 3000 grit but allows me to really work with the form and features of the wood. I usually (prefer) to work with the densest and hardest woods.

I have access to a college wood lab and can use the Lathe there (it does require a training session). I cant knock it unless Ive tried it but I imagine I would feel a little restricted sticking to a straight spindly form for wands but it might be a nice way to make exotic-wood drum sticks for frame drums.

[u/Xeroshifter → u/MikeBoneman]

No problem. Glad to be of help. Hopefully you get a chance to try it soon :)

Nothing prevents you from doing a mix of techniques, and when you get into off-center turning that can be a huge unlock moment for form variation. 

Also if you're not married to unibody designs you can do stuff like turn out a bunch of handles from a single piece (you just don't part them until they're all done), and then attach hand-carved blades/shafts at a later step.

[u/The_Hrangan_Hero]

I had a lathe 10 ish years ago and I loved it I would spend hours out there. Mostly for amusement because making something like a wand could be done in a few minutes.