Needing Lathe Help

Cheryl,

Randy is a lucky man for several reasons. I started turning last year and am having a ball although its a bit addictive. As to sources of help, I’ve found woodturners to be very giving with their advice and expect you’ll get several responses. You might also see if there is a local wood worker club nearby. As to site, here are a few I’ve found helpful (most have excellent links to other sources and several have excellent videos):

http://www.woodturner.org/
http://www.carolinamountainwoodturners.org/
http://www.marleyturned.com/
http://www.nickcookwoodturner.com/
http://turnwood.net/
http://www.woodturningonline.com/
http://www.woodturningonline.com/

Good luck!

Hmmmm.

There are lots of things to work out. For example, you will probably need tools and you will need to be able to sharpen them. Can you post some photos of the lathe?

Also, you may need to tune the lathe up, e.g. clean it up and wax it and check and replace bearings if needed.

There are a number of turing videos that may be a good place to start. I’ll dig up a few and post them later.

A two hour evening pen turning class at woodcraft may be a good place to start if your short on time. At my local woodcraft they run them on Thursday evenings a couple of times a month.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

and don’t forget our very own Cyber Skill Share Series.
MOT has walked us through turning a bowl as well as a pen.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Cheryl,
Probably should make sure this machine is safe to use right off the bat. Do you have photos? What brand name is it, what condition is it in (wiring, headstock bearings). If you have pictures, you should post them, and if it is a recognizeable brand, it might be good to see if you are near a factory authorized repair place, just to be sure it’s safe to fire that baby up. Maybe Randy is talented in the machinist catagory…

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Perhaps the first thing you should do is go to the library and get a beginners book.
It should give you the basics and let you get a feel for what you might need to start using the tool.
If there are any turners in your area they would probably welcome a well appointed visit to thier shops.

And… what the other guys said.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Liberry? I don’ need no liberry.
That’s why I joined LJ for my husband.
He don’ have time to go to the liberry

Also check out The Woodworking Channel, they often have turning shows.
DIYNetwork.com and DIY network TV have an instructinal series on lathe projects.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Sorry my internet keeps going out and i am trying to figure out how to post a pic of the lathe on here and have not figured it out…
Thank you all so much for the links and ideas on where to begin… I would like to see him turn some pens (I am a pen fanatic) do you have to have extra parts for the lathe to turn pens? Are they hard to learn He is so anxious to have time off from work so he can spend time playing with it and learning about it.. I will be passing all this great info on to him…
Now off to figure out how to post a pic here so you can see the $20 lathe

Yes their are Pen madrals that hold the predrilled ben blanks so the you spin them around the metal tub that is inside the pen. MLCS Woodworking and PennState Woodworking have pen supplies along with other suppliers.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

ok maybe now I have the link right Let me know if you can see it.. This is before he cleaned it all up.. That is all it needed it tho…

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=94714770&albumID=1267219&imageID=11737245($20 Lathe

Hi. The link does not appear to work.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

probably a little bit of code missing off the end of the address.

There are starter sets= that come with just about everything to try your hand at turning pens. Generally includes a dozen pen kits. I think Penn State has two different ones for about $70.

There is a little bit of set up involved, Drilling blanks, glueing in the tubes, and squaring them up, otherwise it’s a pretty quick and rewarding process. You could say an addictive one.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Penn State industries have pen kits.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Like everything else we learn best by doing. get a book to learn the basics so you don’t get knocked on the noggin and then turn wood and use it for firewood. Then study some more and turn more wood.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon