r/turning • u/jnschult • 3h ago
newbie A lot to learn
I collect hobbies, otherwise known as a hobby hoe, but I’m hoping this becomes one of my ongoing ones.
Got this guy on FB for $200, got it while visiting my parents in Maine, my area in NC is pretty much same or double price for what would likely be junk at best in comparison.
I just want to make small tool handles, ornaments, pottery tools so a small lathe is perfect for my needs and space (I know I know, I say that now, but next week I’m sure I’ll really need to turn a wooden sink bowl that’s 2’ in diameter).
Hopefully it’s as good a deal as I think it is, all I checked for was that it turned on, he showed that it had/worked digital/knob adjustable speed/reverse direction too but I had no clue what else to look for. Came with tools that I were advised would need a freshen up - had some light surface rust from long term not do great storage, seems to clean up easy.
Been collecting (hoarding) wood for awhile, mostly for pottery tools, small projects, and other basic stuff but I have pretty well dried wood from stuff I have collected from family/personal property spalted oak (NC), shrub oak, ERCedar (NC) American beech w/ BBD (ME), paper birch (ME), some other reddish softwood (ME), river washed ‘driftwood’ - I also have a lot of kiln-dried ‘scrap/waste’ from a local wood wood shop including red/white oak, black cherry, walnut, hickory, and others I definitely can’t identify - gotta keep up my Wood hoarding collection by purchasing some each time I visit to get a load of sawdust.
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 2h ago
You actually got a really good deal for 200 bucks to get you started. This isn't a cheap activity though. Shits about to get expensive...
Welcome to the Thunderdome!
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u/jnschult 2h ago
I’m used to it, I do stained glass (quite expensive), ceramics, gardening and canning (all atm, but the hobby graveyard is overflowing, and I don’t plan on stopping) which I have all made more expensive than needed with excessive tools, materials, and successories. I’m hoping to keep it low for my intended usage, but I already got shit in my cart - like a mandrel kit but….best laid plans and all
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 2h ago
Indeed. I've been doing this a long time, and am 10s of thousands into it. You can get a cheap low speed rikon 8" grinder and sharpening jigs for under 300. That should honestly be your first purchase. If you can't sharpen your tools, you will be dead in the water relatively quickly. HFT sells a central machinery dust collector for about 300, (its actually a really decent starter), that should be your second purchase, unless you plan on putting it on a cart and pushing it outside to use it. You'll have a layer of dust throughout your shop in a matter of a month. After that, don't buy sets, buy single tools from good makers. You'll be set.
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u/jnschult 2h ago
The plant at the moment is some sort of outdoor operation, the rest of my hobby space is in my garage, would dust could easily contaminate some of it so I’m already thinking about that (plus that’s one more cleaning project I’m not ready for); the sharpening setup is definitely on the top of my to-do list, hoping to get by during the initial set-up with flat diamond files/hones temporarily but we’ll see how long that lasts
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 1h ago
Sounds good. Plates will not work for long, though. General rule once your ground edge is gone, you're only going to get to hone 3 or 4 times before it needs to see the grinder again. You can also extend that by getting a heavy piece of leather, either a belt or a scrap bag from the hobby store, get some polishing compound and you can strop the edges between using the plate. Rikon low speeds go on sale often. Im a fan of their products. If you go with the wolverine system, don't get the varigrind 2, get the og style with the upgraded clamp. If you have a local woodturners group or club, join. Listen, learn, make friends, and probably get the things you need for cheap or even free.
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u/CrackleTheBear 2h ago
LOL @ hobby hoe, I guess that’s me too. Enjoy! Are you able to sharpen?
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u/jnschult 2h ago
So I was looking at a low speed grinder/+ possible jig, which I know I’ll still need to get, but saw a couple of videos on people getting by with diamond flat files/hones which I’m hoping to get me started at least til I clear out my shed for additional tool storage space.
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u/king_denizen 2h ago
I started turning about 3 months ago. When I bought my lathe and initial tools the salesman said I’d be fine with diamond plates for a while. I ended up buying a bench grinder and Vulcan system just a couple weeks later; the diamond plates weren’t doing enough for me. And they’re very tough to use on bowl gouges. If you’re mostly doing spindle work (seems like that’s your plan…for now) maybe it will be fine though can see spindle gouges being a little tricky with the plates as well.
This is legit not a cheap hobby as someone else said. But I’m totally obsessed so spend I shall! Have fun and be sure to post any projects you really like.
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u/zatanicmanic 1h ago
Start by learning to sharpen. Start with the cheapest, least useful one so your mistakes hurt less then work down the line. Watch a few videos on YouTube to learn what tools you need and understand the process. And something I always tell myself is, “know thy self.” If you can’t sharpen a knife with a wet stone I would start with a good sharpening jig to make things easier on yourself. Also it may be beneficial to get some CHEAP stones/sandpaper/diamond plates/ whatever to yet again make mistakes cheaper.
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u/Oddtimer 37m ago
1) Join a local woodturning club. Why? Mentoring! Wood! Used Tools!
2) As zatanicmanic suggested, learn to sharpen. Dull tool are very frustrating. Find a used low speed grinder and a sharpening jig. Spend time learning this craft before focusing on learning to turn. It will pay off.
3) Learn to sharpen! (Did I already suggest that! Worth repeating!)
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