Lathes.

[Colin]

Hi,

Lots of guys and a few gals own lathes of one sort or another. Many would like to own a lathe but are put off due to lack of skill and the bewildering choice of lathes and tooling but once a lathe is owned it becomes very useful; This is a follow on thread from Ian's;

https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/cj18a-mini-lathe-any-good.14375/#post-146488

Buying a lathe is the easy part; tooling up can cost more than the lathe cost but once fully set up a lathe can be a good friend and here in the UK what better way to while away our dire winter than enjoying a session on the lathe. I've been around lathes for the last 55 years both wood and metal lathes and I can confidently say I'll never be without at least two lathes; I currently own three lathes but have at the same time owned five lathes.

Small model makers lathes are fine for very light duty and are a good introduction to lathe ownership; I'm used to operating big industrial lathes so I don't like the very small lathes but I appreciate not everyone has enjoyed my background or training. For anyone buying a small lathe for the first time please read the manufacturer's instructions especially as to maximum depth of cut because otherwise as I found out applying too much cut will burn out the circuit board and perhaps motor; I destroyed both thinking I was taking a light cut?

Safety is paramount; even a small lathe will remove a finger or two without slowing down; jewelry; loose clothing; beards and hair are all fair game for a lathe to drag in; a necktie is a sure way of being strangled; swarf being cut from the metal is not only extremely hot but extremely sharp; I won't go on about this but suggest anyone interested in owning a lathe view lots of YouTube videos.

One thing I struggled with was in cutting steel bar stock; at one point I owned a "Rapidor" industrial power hack saw but this was so slow I never liked it; I should have a pair of arms like Popeye given the metal I've cut using my trusty hacksaw; about a year ago I solved the problem once and for all buying a metal cutting bandsaw and what a delight this is to use.

I used to enjoy visiting our local scrap yards to buy all kinds of raw material including steel bar of assorted sizes; this is the cheapest way to obtain steel; the most expensive way to buy steel is from model makers stores; I like to buy in bulk but bulk means only spending a minimum of £25 + VAT from companies like "K Steels" these companies supply industry and their prices can be a quarter of the prices paid in a model maker store. We have a local K Steels and I ask for my steel to be cut into 4' lengths then I can collect it by car but I take along my rigger gloves and line the car out with old carpet to protect it; the steel can be oily with sharp ends.

I think it fair to say anyone owning a lathe would never want to be without a lathe. Guys tend to go for the bigger metal lathes but many ladies enjoy small woodturning lathes where they can turn small wooden boxes/vessels; lace bobbins or pens; some of these ladies are professional woodturners and known worldwide. I'll expand on wood turning later but for the moment will concentrate on metal lathes. YouTube videos are much better at demonstrating how to correctly use a lathe so this will save me lots of time trying to explain in text alone.

A small lathe and basic tooling can produce a surprising amount of items turned to very accurate dimensions with a bit of practice. I would suggest leaving stainless steel well alone; this is terrible stuff to turn without coolant; on my big Colchester lathe I used to peel white hot swarf from the work because the lathe was in the garage directly beneath our bedroom; coolant hasn't got the best aroma?

Buying cheap twist drill bits will end up with broken or distorted bits; decent drill bits cost a bit more but are cheapest in the end. I like to use HSS (high speed steel) because it can be sharpened easily in a home workshop. Over the years I've gathered lots of tooling and never throw any steel off cuts away; my offcuts simple become smaller until they disappear. I'm out of time but here are a few pictures of my tooling and I don't expect or even suggest anyone dashing out to buy this lot in one go but it's surprising how this tooling ends up in a workshop with the passing of time and keeping ones eyes open.

I'll ramble on more as time permits but I think I've bored you enough for now.

Kind regards, Colin.

Metal cutting bandsaw; what a relief to my arms.

Industrial drill press with back gear giving revs as low as 60. My oil filled 180A welder and DML 24" wood turning lathe.

Just a picture of inside of one of the cupboards.

A bit of tooling gathered over many years; please note top quality Dormer drill bits bought in packs of ten.

Showing the ends of some of the 4' long stock bought from K Steels.

Under bungalow Aladdin's cave.

More assorted steel and pile of offcuts; sorry for poor lighting.

More bar stock from K Steels to both sides of door opening giving easy access.

 

[Ian]

I'm subscribed to this thread Colin .

It must be great having a ready-to-go stock of material for when you're working on a project! I've got a small selection of common bits of aluminium, MDF, pine and hardboard - but only enough that it fits under my workbench (and a bit against a wall).

I'd be interested to know if you've got an idea of how much a length of aluminium bar would be at K Steels, at whatever diameter you often use). It looks like buying lengths of 3"+ round bar is going to get pricey, but I'll only need small lengths so hopefully will use offcuts .

Really looking forward to seeing what you've made!

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Many thanks Ian.

I realize this thread will be totally alien to most forum members but I'm definitely a better mechanical engineer than I am a gardener (I'm doing more in the garden though these days).

Yes I always have lots of materials to hand; what is junk to most people I can usually find of use; it's surprising where materials can be found once a lathe is owned; how many simply scrap their washing machines; I strip ours for sheet metal; screws and fasteners; the motor isn't of much use but the pulley could be so this is removed as is the capacitor if one is fitted; the mains cable and heavy duty 13A plug are useful to have. The mains cable can be used for connecting home made machines; the pulley can be used by changing the bore size to match a motor this being easy owning a lathe; drive belts are kept.

I'm cheeky in that I'll visit local companies asking if they have offcuts of wood or metal; sheet metal fabricators and any company manufacturing steel items are fair game; I'm never a pest; I'll ask and offer to pay; if the answer is no then nothing is lost but many times I've come away with lengths of angle iron and box section; timber yards just the same; short thick offcuts of hardwood are ideal for wood turning; I just accept what is available and am never choosy because the price is usually right; if I'm given material free then I thank them but later pop back with a box of chocolates then I can visit again without being looked upon as a scrounger wanting something for nothing; a lot is down to attitude; a smile opens doors. I've visited companies who would rather send their scrap off cuts to the scrap yard than let me buy them but I don't mind after all they own them and I simply walk away with an apology for troubling them. It's so easy to spend a lot of money when with a little thought and imagination so much material is available for so little other than collecting it and possibly getting dirty hands.

Scrap yards are wonderful places and a perfect holiday for me would be a Thomas Cook tour of local scrap yards; most of our scrap yards have long gone but a couple still remain; in summer Bron will accompany me to a scrap yard and whilst I'm enjoying myself Bron sits quietly in the car reading a magazine; Bron is used to seeing me bring scrap machines home knowing they will be transformed into virtually brand new machines some even with better specifications than when they were new from the factory.

I'll start off with what was a very complicated restoration this of an AVO Wave Winder; I was honoured with top restoration award in 2009 for this by The British Vintage Wireless Society. This winder was scrap but cost me a fair bit of money due to its rarity; all the shafts were seized solid with rust; this was a major restoration with little by way of information; with the winder fully restored I then needed a full set of cast iron change gears and I think there were 45 of these?

I've never cut a gear previously and never used a dividing head also I've never owned a vertical slide but this wasn't going to stop me. I was taught by highly skilled mechanical engineers to use my head and hands so I gave considerable thought to this problem which appeared to be an impossible task. I eventually dreamt up a new way to cut gears; I made my own vertical slide from offcuts of scrap metal saving over £100. I bought cast iron (Meehanite) gear blanks these simply slices cut from cast iron bar stock at Blackgates Engineering; the blanks cost around £80. For the actual gear cutting this is where it was most complicated and after lots of time spent studying the problem and browsing the web I came across "Emachineshop".

https://www.emachineshop.com/free-download/

I had tried CAD previously but found it difficult to even draw a straight line; however looking on Emachineshop I found a spur gear wizard which looked interesting. It really did become complicated but I stuck with it and using the wizard eventually printed out perfectly sized copies of every gear I needed; these print outs were my paper gear templates which I cut out very carefully; I attached them one by one using double sided self adhesive tape to their gear blank; Involute gear cutters at around £20 each were too expensive so I researched how to grind a single point fly cutter from a tool steel blank and ground up the required cutters; in turn the cutter was set up on a stout round bar between centres on my rare Myford lathe I owned at the time. I used the paper template to align the blank and after some practice I could cut a slot at full depth in less than a minute; a tooth isn't cut its the slot between teeth that is cut. The problem now was that I became so fast at cutting these slots I burnt out a 1.5hp single phase motor on the lathe which expired in a cloud of smoke; no problem I simply installed another motor I had to hand and resumed cutting. Initially there was a great deal of vibration and I thought my idea was stressing the lathe until I found I had been sold a big load of scrap in this very rare lathe; it's headstock main bearing casting was broken rendering the lathe useless; useless to anyone else perhaps but not to me; I installed a temporary clamp to secure the broken casting and just got on with the job; I Iater repaired the casting by welding which I'll try to show at a later date.

With all the gears now successfully cut I set about making a proper home for them in a hardwood french polished box and I even made the fancy brass nameplate. I never intended to use this winder in anger and sold it to a vintage radio restorer who will use it and I only charged the price of the winder plus the cost of the cast iron blanks; my input was a labour of love.

I had to make other parts for this winder such as a knob to suit a missing knob similar to a knob already installed; I sprayed the winder after taking it down to bare metal. I really did enjoy rising to this challenge and spent many hours fully awake in bed in the middle of the night dreaming up solutions to many problems; I find I can think with great clarity at around 3am when I should be asleep; I'm never ever bored and I must stress I'm no one special; I was just taught by guys at the top of their game whilst I was an apprentice; I'll forever be grateful to every one of them and take my hat off to them.

Owning a lathe opens up an whole new world; we have lots of neighbours with wood burning stoves and they are forever hunting for timber; I hunt for scrap metal and timber offcuts. I'll add more rambling stories as time permits because I can talk lathes year in year out never tiring of them.

I don't think I've ever bought new aluminium Ian; the last length of aluminium bar stock I bought at Rufforth Auto Jumble very cheaply?

Kind regards, Colin.

AVO Wave Winder nearing completion.

Paper gear templates courtesy of Emachineshop Cad.

Homemade crank the original was missing.

Homemade knob; original was missing but another knob on the winder gave the correct style.

My gear cutting method in action; it worked a treat and won me an award.

Copying a lathe gear that had been broken and welded.

Full set of new gears proving the impossible is possible with determination and a great deal of thought.

Condition as bought but oil added by me it was seized solid with rust.

Homemade hardwood box; french polished and homemade nameplate.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Below are a few more pictures of lathe work I've carried out. When I bought the Union Graduate lathe from an academy the lathe had been badly abused but this didn't worry me too much because I intended and did successfully give it a comprehensive restoration and upgrading it well beyond original specification. These are some of the parts I made but I also installed a 3 phase 1.1KW inverter rated top quality Brook motor powering this through a VFD (Variable frequency drive). I can never understand why top quality machines can be reduced to scrap like this.

Kind regards, Colin.

The bodged up tailstock locking lever and cam.

There should be a cam at this end but its missing being replaced by a useless set screw.

The original broken cam with end missing and the new one made by me nearing completion.

Turning new tailstock knob.

Guess which is the one I made?

 

[Ian]

Absolutely brilliant, Colin! What a clever way to cut all of those gears - wonderful . I imagine most of these machines look and work better than new, given the attention to detail!

Scrap yards are wonderful places and a perfect holiday for me would be a Thomas Cook tour of local scrap yards

It's not often I laugh out loud at things I read, but this really got me .

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Many thanks Ian. Yes these old machines come up well with a comprehensive rebuild and upgrade wherever possible.

I've just completed a wooden wheel for our neighbour David's mower; the original wheel broke and David had unsuccessfully tried to repair the break with epoxy; I turned the wheel from Meranti hardwood maximum sizes 6" dia x 2" wide but the wheel boss was offset which complicated the job. With the wheel turned and finished to size I gave it a good soaking with linseed oil. A 3/4" dia drill was run through its axis and I turned a steel bush making this a tight friction fit into the wheel and with an hole for the axle. A simple enough job but very difficult for David because he hasn't got decent workshop facilities; this one job saved quite a bit of money because David was going to scrap this four year old electric mower and buy a new mower; our petrol mower is 31 years old and sports two wooden wheels and two smaller plastic wheels donated from industrial castors; I always think older machines are better quality so I like to take time to repair them.

This wheel involved both my Graduate and Lorch lathes; the Graduate for the woodturning the Lorch for the steel insert bush turning; these turning jobs are most enjoyable. Below are pictures of both lathes. Regarding buying a small model makers lathe just to turn one of these insert bushes would have taken quite a bit of time due to their very limited depth of cut; my Lorch easily peeled away 1/4" on the radius reducing the bush by 1/2" on its diameter in a single pass; on a model lathe with a ten thou maximum cut this one pass on the Lorch would have taken 12.5 passes on the model lathe; this is fine of course for one off jobs where it's just an hobby but I like a lathe that will take a decent cut. having to take light cuts and many of them quickly becomes tiresome and boring.

I find my Lorch lathe a good middle sized lathe between model lathe and my previous industrial Colchester triumph; the Lorch will most likely turn anything I'll ever want to turn. I bought the Lorch a few years ago after it had been stored in a scrap yard for over twenty years and it sure looked like scrap when it arrived home on the back of the wagon. I completely stripped the Lorch even down to blasting the old paint from it. I then fully rebuilt it but wasn't at all happy with its countershaft drive system involving two flat leather belts; I replaced the belts but they kept slipping even with a light cut applied so obviously I had to sort this out or sell the Lorch because it was annoying me so much.

I already had a VFD powering my fully rebuilt Graduate and as I had a second inverter motor as I fitted to the Graduate I wondered if it would be possible to run both the Graduate and Lorch from this single VFD? It's a long story but yes it is possible because I've done it and I've not seen this done previously; both motors are 1.1KW 3 phase inverter rated top quality Brooks. With switching added between lathes both lathes run like a dream but on the Lorch I went further and converted it to Poly-V drive so now the bigger motor comes into its own on both lathes giving plenty of power. I could have easily afforded a second VFD at around £100 for the Lorch but I'm tight and like to experiment; I enjoy restoring old scrap machines as much as I like using them once they are restored.

A simple tip for you Ian regarding keeping your lathe clean when you buy it; I use two double pages from a free motorcycle paper I'm kindly given when I visit Rufforth Auto Jumble; I read the paper then remove its staples and use two sheets to line the tray of the Lorch this then catches most of the swarf making clean up a lot easier and quicker; as I say its a simple tip but very useful. Be extremely careful if you ever turn brass; brass comes off in razor sharp shrapnel and not only messes up the lathe but usually a tiny sliver ends up in a finger giving electric shocks; eye protection is a must and if tapping using hand taps into brass it's not advisable to use a tap that has been used on steel.

Because this thread is about lathes I'll add pictures of my lathes for interest. The Graduate was virtually scrap when I bought it but I gave it a full restoration and upgraded to VFD as I did the Lorch although I went further with the Lorch in upgrading it's belt drive to a single Poly-V belt.

I appreciate I have the skills and facilities to carry out these machine restorations whereas many haven't hence buying top quality but scrap machines and fully restoring them wouldn't be an option. I'm also a mechanical engineer so understand machinery how it works and how to use it but any novice can start with a small machine to gain experience and build up to larger industrial machines; it brings tears to my eyes when I think of the very top quality cast iron industrial 3 phase machines that have been scrapped; I encourage anyone to try to save these old machines if possible; once restored they will last a few lifetimes unlike modern tinny throw away machines; I've never run a CNC machine with its complicated and expensive if they go wrong electronics; my previous Clarke lathe with its flimsy circuit board and motor put me off but I confess I do now run both my Graduate and Lorch through a VFD and this VFD so far has been 100% reliable; I like to use the skills I was taught but then many these days in their home workshop embrace CNC and on a lesser scale DRO. I'm just a dinosaur taught the old fashioned way on machines before computers were available; many old machines I used were powered from a line shaft so I'm going back a bit. It's a case of suiting yourself and what you can afford; I get such a buzz out of restoring anything old then using it; David can now use his mower with a wooden wheel?

I've rambled on enough but above are a few of my thoughts and two of my lathes that I enjoy using.

Kind regards, Colin.

Original mower wheel and my home made wheel nearing completion.

Turning steel insert bush for mower wheel.

Facing insert bush.

Paper tray liner; works a treat and is free.

My very rare fully restored and much modified Lorch Schmidt metal lathe. Please note new belt drive and motor.

A picture of the Graduate headstock as bought; it was as rough as they come.

The Graduate after I fully restored and upgraded it.

The Lorch Schmidt as bought; it looks a lot different now and is a joy to own and use.

 

[Ian]

What a difference in those restoration photos - I'm always impressed with how tidy your equipment is .

I'll start stockpiling old papers in anticipation of swarf/oil collection! I know that if there's some sharp metal swarf to stick my hand on, I'll end up doing it...

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks Ian; I always find it strange that keeping a workshop tidy with everything in its place costs absolutely nothing monetary wise just taking a bit of time only; I use my dustpan and hand brush as work commences rather than end up with a big clean up job whereas so many like to work in a tip but we're all different.

You can bet any sharp metal will end up where unwanted unless working to a tidy habit; I'm very careful indeed when using screws because these are sure to end up in our car tyre. I use a stiff sweeping brush for bulk but my dustpan and hand brush are frequently used then at the end of the day I quickly go over with my big dust extractor hose. When things start to look grubby then I put on my dust mask and open the garage doors allowing the compressor airline create a huge dust cloud as all the debris is blown onto our driveway where I can easily bag it up. I can't do decent work on a cluttered bench or in an untidy workshop.

Lathes are the daddy of all machines and owning one or two lathes has real benefits; not only can many repairs be carried out saving a great deal of money but lathes can provide endless hours of interest; pleasure and enjoyment; I've spent a few hours enjoying using my Graduate woodturning lathe today; no pressure to turn anything but I wanted to turn just for the fun of doing it. A few weeks ago I practiced turning my first finials and was successful; having a pair of spare finials I thought I'd have a go at turning a small lidded box to use one of the finials on; I pulled out a small Sycamore blank and turned the box; the finial is Holly. What a wonderful hobby.

I enjoy all aspects of woodwork and even made the coffee table the box is sitting on.

Kind regards, Colin.

Small lidded box with finial turned solely for pleasure.

 

[Ian]

Beautiful!

I had a look around Machine Mart this afternoon and they happened to have the same Clarke mini lathe that you mentioned in the other thread. They mentioned that a store about 20 mins away has a much better selection of lathes on display, so I'm going to pop in next week .

What would you recommend in terms of face/eye protection? I've got a face shield and safety specs - is that a sensible choice?

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks Ian. You've got plenty of face protection with safety specs and a face shield. I wear glasses and for the last 55 years these have been OK as eye protection but when I turn brass which is seldom I wear a pair of safety goggles over my glasses because Brass comes away as tiny razor sharp splinters and they get everywhere; I really dislike cleaning the lathe after turning brass. This is for metal turning but for woodturning it's totally different.

Metal turning is done usually at much slower speeds than woodturning and a problem whilst turning metal can involve damage to the lathe whereas woodturning at higher speed a tool dig in can have the lathe eject the work straight into your chest or face and a big lump of wood being ejected at speed can cause serious if not fatal consequences.

please see above video from 5:45 mins in; if a professional woodturner like Martin can get caught out with a nasty catch then any novice is sure to at some point; as suggested by Martin an ex police riot helmet offers excellent protection; a riot helmet face shield is very strong indeed and offers much greater face protection than the more flimsy face shields which really only deflect dust and chips.

For woodturning out of balance blanks I can highly recommend using an ex police riot helmet; I recently bought one costing around £26 inc P&P. This is a very small amount to pay for avoiding a trip to A&E or worse.

https://www.anchorsupplies.com/review/product/list/id/4657/

I used my riot helmet yesterday for the first time whilst rough turning a very out of balance holly log the log about 14" long having to run the lathe at a very low speed due to vibration; it made the gouge reciprocate as it contacted then broke contact with each revolution. Once the blank was turned round and more balanced then I felt safe enough to remove the riot helmet and wear my new Trend air shield that I've just bought; the air shield is quite expensive;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TREND-AI...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

The air shield isn't as robust as the more substantial riot helmet but I'm experienced using lathes so once the wood is spinning nicely and in balance then the air shield is perfect but the air shield also protects my lungs because I'm fully enclosed in the air shield it directing cool clean filtered air down the front of my face; many woods are toxic so it's not dust the dust nuisance but the dust can be poisonous; it depends on what price you put on personal safety; I never begrudge money I spend to safeguard myself and buying things like these helmets is a one off payment other than if filters need replacing. Waiting to be treated whilst in pain sitting or lying in hospital isn't my idea of fun; I don't go over the top regarding safety or I'd never do anything but the best safety precaution I was taught was that if anything feels unsafe then it is unsafe so don't do it. Pictures below show my two helmets and also the vase I started to turn yesterday which is nearing completion. A quick tip; I wiped over my helmets with anti static cleaner; this is RS 569-284 sprayed onto a paper towel then wiped on taking care not to get any in the air shield filters. I bought this cleaner for use on my monitor and printers etc and it does a very good job.

On any lathe Ian its very important not to have the work sticking too far out of the chuck otherwise a catch will detach the work from the lathe especially in woodturning where the wood runs at higher speed but in a metal lathe damage could be caused to the lathe or the lathe operator; all it takes is a blink of an eye so concentration is a must; I don't allow telephones in my workshop and if anyone pops in I turn the lathe off rendering it totally safe; I don't like demonstrating to anyone because any distraction from the job in hand is courting disaster.

YouTube videos are generally excellent giving good sound advice but there are videos too showing highly dangerous practices so common sense must be used at all times. Beware of sharp metal on the lathe; a small nick or cut possibly won't be felt until hands are placed in washing up liquid whilst doing the dishes?

Got to go I've a vase to complete but more rambling later, good luck in your lathe hunting Ian.

Kind regards, Colin.

Holly log blank; very out of balance.

A bit of this in an eye will be most unpleasant; wear protection.

Rough turned to round so speed can safely be increased.

My two helmets which aren't for showing off they protect me and are well worth the investment.

Turning underway. please note ear defenders which I use as needed; personal safety is paramount.

Holly vase nearing completion looking a lot different now to when it was a rough blank.

 

[Ian]

Many thanks for all this advice Colin, I'm taking it in like a sponge . I like the sound of that air helmet. I sometimes do a lot of MDF routing/cutting and I hate having to wear a half mask when it's hot, so I imagine having a nice open helmet is more pleasant!

How long did it take you to make that holly vase, from the log to the nearly finished product in the last photo?

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks Ian for your kind comments.

I only recently bought the air shield and have started to use it but what a pleasure it is to have a cloud of sanding dust coming off the work and me not breathing a bit of it in. For years I've used cheap disposable face dust masks but I started to feel ill whilst using them; after only a short while I found I couldn't breathe and my glasses misted up infuriating me; my moist breath on the mask must have soaked it cutting off my air supply; it was most unpleasant hence enough was enough; I didn't want to work without dust protection so decided to buy the air shield; as the saying goes I should have bought one of these air shields years ago. It does have a downside; out of the box the battery needs a full 24 hours to charge then subsequent charging from flat I believe takes 14 hours which these days is ridiculous; my Makita drill with its 4AH battery only takes half an hour to charge; OK I'm being picky and it's a small downside to what is something that ultimately could save my life?

My initial impressions both with the riot helmet and air shield were unfavourable but now I've used both a few times I like them both being comfortable; the air shield obviously won't mist my glasses but I was pleasantly surprised neither does the riot helmet; the riot helmet will keep dust and debris from hitting my face but it allows dust to be breathed so I only use the riot helmet for roughing when I'm using the tools then change over to the air shield for finer finishing; both helmets are new to me but these are my first impressions.

I've been around lathes for so many years I take the basic skills for granted; I'm so used to lathes I do most things without having to think about them. Simple things like buying a battery for my digital vernier caliper can catch me out; I bought a few packs of two per pack cheaply at Rufforth Auto Jumble and they are rubbish; after only short use the vernier flashes on and off whereas the battery I bought from Morrisons costing a great deal more is still working fine. Cheap digital vernier calipers cannot be expected to give great accuracy; mine reads about two thou (0.002") out but if I'm turning a bearing housing as long as I use the same caliper for measuring the bearing then turning the opening the bearing will fit; the opening needs to be a thou or so smaller to give the bearing a friction fit; no doubt these days there will be lots of data about friction fits on the web.

Thanks for asking Ian; I spent a few hours turning the holly log yesterday taking my time because the log was very unbalanced and reducing it to round was time consuming but once round then the lathe speed could be increased and heavier cuts taken; I don't bother too much about lathe speeds; if it feels right then its good enough but this comes with lots of practice; metal turning at too high a speed destroys tooling due to heat build up but just the opposite applies whilst wood turning; higher speed whilst wood turning gives a much better cut. I never use coolant (suds) whilst turning metal; the lathe is located directly beneath our bedroom so the smell of suds would be most unwelcome; I prefer to take a decent cut at a slower feed rate whilst turning metal; just skimming the metal surface at higher speed tends to knock out the tool tip; a tool tip likes to bury its nose in the work.

I've just completed the holly vase much to my relief and to Bron's absolute delight; this is going to be given to our very good neighbours Terry & Pauline whom we've known more as friends for the last 31 years and they are moving away; Bron is in her studio adding silk flowers to the vase; I'll post a picture once its finished but below is a picture of the bare vase. I've had this lump of holly for a few years; I'm unsure if it's part of an holly tree I felled or kindly given to me by a tree surgeon anyway it came up nice in the end; I'm going to turn a similar vase for Bron but it will be from darker wood possibly Meranti which I have plenty of.

Time means nothing to me once I start work on a lathe because I become so engrossed in what I'm doing; lathes to me are highly addictive; I can repair things or make from scratch owning lathes but now in retirement I find lathe work therapeutic and if I mess up whilst turning it doesn't bother me; a bit of material doesn't cost much but as the item is nearing completion then extra care is needed to avoid destroying hours of work. I'm just having a brew; I love it when I look at something I've made from scratch and think did I do that?

A novice on a lathe without expert guidance will make lots of silly mistakes resulting in total frustration; all lathe operators go through this its the learning curve but once the mistakes are learned the hard way hopefully without personal injury of damage to tooling/lathe then lathe ownership suddenly becomes a joy and pleasure.

Kind regards, Colin.

A bespoke and unique wooden vase turned from a free offcut of holly; did I turn that?

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Just a quick post for a change. Bron has finished the flower arrangement and I'm happy to add the picture. We both enjoy our hobbies and fully support each other. The drawing in the picture frame is one done by Bron.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

I was in the workshop very early this morning intending to turn a lidded box with finial for our lovely next door neighbour Carole as a surprise prezzie. Some days I should remain in bed and today started badly; my own fault because I wasn't under any pressure and had all day to do the job.

I chucked a lump of holly and had completed the outside of the box base and was hollowing it out when it suddenly passed me at high speed; a nasty dig in with the gouge had broken it free; it hadn't come out of the chuck it had actually snapped; oh um try again with another lump of holly. Now with the base completed I could turn the lid so I looked around and pulled out a length of walnut for the lid cutting this oversize on the bandsaw.

I couldn't believe it when almost completed I ran a nasty spiral right on its finished size so another lump of wasted timber; undeterred I decided if the walnut didn't want to play I'd try a piece of English oak and now I successfully completed the lid just leaving the finial to turn from holly.

The pictures could be better but I don't have any luck at all with anything battery powered; both my camera batteries died so both are on charge as I type but I did manage to take a few poor shots seen below. I'm sure Carole will like this; Bron thinks its beautiful. So a mixed day today with both failure and success; all it takes is a blink for something to go wrong when the lathe is under power; I seldom slip up but twice in the same day must be a record for me; no doubt I'll slip up again and it doesn't bother me at all; I just enjoy pottering around and in the end I succeeded.

Sharp tools are a must for decent work; years ago I made a 2" belt grinder and a 4" belt sander; the belt grinder is for sharpening my tools and I've invested in assorted belts; my favourite belt for sharpening my woodturning tools is the 120G Ceramic belt; I also have Aluminium oxide; Zirconium and Trizact belts of assorted grits. Today I tried using a 400G Trizact belt seen on the grinder but this polished the cutting edge removing very little metal so my favourite belt is still the Ceramic 120G for giving a decent cutting edge; for profiling were more metal needs removing then I use a 60G belt; I hope I'm not talking a strange language because this certainly isn't usually found under "gardening". Once I get settled at a lathe I'm in a world of my own; if I'm turning metal then I'm repairing or making something from scratch; if I'm on the wood lathe then if I'm not making furniture I'm enjoying turning just for the fun of it as I've been doing lately; I'm still very much a novice at turning fancy wooden items; I'm more used to turning things like table legs so turning things like vases and lidded boxes is quite new to me and I'm enjoying the learning curve.

Kind regards, Colin.

Home made belt grinder with 400G Trizact belt installed; the grinding jig too is home made.

The lidded box with finial at the finishing stages.

The lid was "jam chucked" this was screwed to a backing MDF on a face plate; simple but highly accurate.

After initial failure success followed; the pictures don't do it justice.

These are lovely projects costing virtually nothing but unique once completed.

Pity about the poor picture; the camera batteries died as they usually do when most needed.

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Beautiful @Colin , I'm certain Carole will treasure it