# Woodturning On The Cheap - Tips and Tricks



## MrUnix

How many times have you all heard that the lathe is just the beginning in terms of costs associated with woodturning? Statements like this one from a recent thread: "*I recently picked up a [insert lathe model here]. As is well known that was the cheap part.*" It's repeated so often, that it is not even questioned by most, and the notion is spread that you will need to sink a boatload of additional money into tools, sharpening systems, chucks, rests, centers, etc… or you won't be able to do squat on that newly purchased lathe.

Well, you sure can spend a ton of cash on all that stuff… but you don't have to if you don't want to. I was surfing around the net the other night, and ran across this article over at the FineWoodworking web site titled "Turning Tools on the Cheap". That got me thinking that it would be nice to start a thread discussing other methods of turning on the cheap. It should be interesting (and informative) to hear what others have done to keep the cost of woodturning down to a minimum.

I'll start it off with one of my favorite tips - a *thread tap* matched to your lathes spindle. With it, you can make all sorts of spindle attachments out of scrap wood to do a wide variety of tasks. For just the cost of the tap and using free scrap wood, you can make your own faceplates, threaded glue blocks, jam and screw chucks, mandrels, sanding discs and all sorts of other really useful additions to your lathe:









(I described the process of making them in this post)

For example, you can make a threaded faceplate/glueblock to use to turn bowls, lidded boxes, heck, just about anything. Just glue it onto a blank and have at it - no need for an expensive chuck:










Those blanks turned into these finished bowls:










Glue an extra piece of wood on there and turn it into a jam chuck… or a cone that can mount pipes and other hollow forms for turning or polishing (and it's self centering). Drill a hole in the center and put in a screw/bolt to make a mandrel - for turning pens, gear blanks, wheels, etc… and it will be perfectly concentric around the shaft when you are done. Here is one I made so I could make some small 2" rotors (from this thread) that I then drill and tap for a set screw (cut down machine screw with a screwdriver slot cut into it using a dremel tool) for mounting on a shaft:










There are a ton of possibilities. And because it's directly threaded, it turns true even after dismounting and re-mounting. They are also re-usable. Turn a project, part it off, then just re-true up the face so you can use it again. If it gets too short from being parted off, just true it up and glue on another piece of wood.

You don't need a fancy tap - cheap steel ones work fine since you are just threading wood. If you have any kind of home construction around you, that is an unlimited source of free scrap 2-by material - it's amazing what those guys throw out!

Total cost - probably around $10 or less.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Karda

.this thread sounds like a good idea, I just started turning a few weeks ago, and am still getting used to the tools. I have watched a lot of UTubes and got alot of good information, How ever I noticed that the very large majority have expensive commercial lathes. Many are professional turner and can afford expensive equipment. some how to do without spending a boat load of money will be very helpful


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## gtrgeo

"I recently picked up a [insert lathe model here]. *As is well known that was the cheap part."* - Hey! I represent that remark 

Thanks Brad for the pointers I look forward to learning more ways to keep things in check money-wise. Sometimes I enjoy making tools and jigs and other times I would rather just spend the money as my shop time is usually limited. It's good to have options.

George


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## stockwell

This isn't a good idea with many drills, as they are not designed to take much perpendicular force, only fore-aft force (Don't know whether you'd call it vertical), this can potentially damage the drill. On the other hand, I'm sure doing it with a dremel would be perfectly fine, since they are designed for that sort of thing.


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## MrUnix

> This isn't a good idea with many drills, as they are not designed to take much perpendicular force, only fore-aft force (Don t know whether you'd call it vertical), this can potentially damage the drill. On the other hand, I'm sure doing it with a dremel would be perfectly fine, since they are designed for that sort of thing.
> - Robert Stockwell


Ummm… doing *what* exactly with a drill/dremel? For the threaded faceplates/glueblocks, you are just drilling a hole in a 2×4 like you would with any other piece of wood…

Cheers,
Brad

PS: No worries George! You are far from the only person who has made a similar statement, and certainly won't be the last


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## JollyGreen67

Interesting concept for newbies. When I started turning, somewhere along about 60 years ago in woodshop, we made our own glue blocks, and other assorted helpful devices with 1-1/4 taps. Thanks for the memories Brad, and ideas on the cheap remembered.


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## gwilki

Excellent post, Brad. I have a 1 1/4" x 8 tap that matches my head stock and a 3/4" x 10 that matches my live center. With those, like you, I've made cones, vacuum chucks, waste blocks, you name it. They are cheap, easy to make and disposable.

I made a set of sanding mandrels to use with my power sander. They are simply cones turned from softwood, into which I press a 1/4" drive screw driver bit. I mount the bit into a collet to turn the cones so that they are perfectly centered about the bit and true on the face. Then I glue velcro to them to hold the sanding disks. They work well and I have one for every grit so that I'm not constantly pulling on the velcro to change disk.


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## socrbent

Make an awl from a damaged screw driver with a grinder or file. Helps mark centers.


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## Wildwood

Have said it before have no problem with making special purpose homemade tools think have to be safe & smart about it. Yes small scraping and other special use tools made from allen wrenches easy to make like the author says in his article. Old files do not make great scrapers metal is too thin & brittle. If watch semi pro-turners like Robo Hippy(Reed Gray) will see him using heavy duty scrapers & big ugly tool on his bowls. He also demonstrates shear scraping with both his gouges & scrapers.






While scrapers are fine for bowls & inside small hollow forms not really great for spindle turning except for boxes. Having said that do know couple of turners turning calls love their scrapers. If strive for an off the tool finish with gouges and skews will greatly reduce sanding of a spindle.

When buying a used lade have to know what you are looking at versus looking for a deal. There are many old wood lathes that were never great to begin with selling for a lot of money in the used market. Unless have the skills to do your own repairs buy new.

Cannot find parts for this lathe never a good lathe:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/6055559875.html

Could be a diamond in the rough if complete and can haggle over price. 
https://vermont.craigslist.org/tls/6039339923.html

I bought extra faceplates back when they didn't cost much, today a tap sounds great or get a four jaw chuck.

Where to spend or save money is an individual thing, eventually every woodturner will end up with a tool they thought a must have but seldom use.


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## BenDupre

Bought my lathe from Harbor Freight. I also bought the $18 turning set. Although i was able to make a full chess set with the basic tools i quickly found all their limitations. Since then i have bought at least 5 times what the lathe cost in tools and accessories. And my tool set is still very modest. The thing i wasnt ready for initially was spending on a chuck alone what i paid for the whole lathe. I look forward to hearing some good tips. Making Jam chucks is the only cheap thing i figured out on my own. BTW my HF lathe is still turning strong. One of the few tools i bought from them that has outclassed their cheap reputation.


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## soob

If you want to go cheap on turning tools, you can buy Chinese HSS bars on ebay and amazon for $5-10 each.


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## MikeUT

After I bought my lathe I started looking for tools and was a bit overwhelmed with the idea of buying full sets of chisels, especially with the prices. I bought some carbide replacement tips on Amazon, a ½" stainless steel rod and some plumbing fittings from Home Depot, and used some walnut scraps to make a set of cheap but effective and beautiful tools. Not only was it economical but it was a great exercise for a beginning turner.


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## eflanders

One major cost factor I hadn't thought through fully when I started turning was in sharpening / grinding equipment… One can get a cheap grinder, and use the wheels that come with them but they don't last and often cause more damage when you are inexperienced. You do not need to get a slow speed 8" grinder with Diamond wheels, and the Wolverine jig, but it is a good long term investment if you do. This setup can easily cost north of $500. I used a standard speed 6" grinder, with a Norton blue wheel, a diamond wheel dreser and a Wolverine knock-off jig successfully for years. This setup cost me less than $200 via Amazon. The issue with this setup is you need to develop a soft touch and a keen eye to avoid costly mistakes (which can also be done with the premium setup). You can also make your own sharpening jig to save some more cash.


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## RichCMD

Some thoughts, in no particular order:


 You can learn a lot from YouTube videos, but I've also seen people do things that make me cringe because they are not safe. New turners should always start with learning basic safety stuff and feel free to judge what others do that is unsafe. You don't have to call out somebody on their YouTube post, just don't mimic their bad practices.


Using a slip stone to hone your tool can quickly restore its sharpness without going to the grinding wheel. Not only saves time but makes your tools last longer.


I use free countertop sample cards for burning lines on my turnings. Cheaper and safer than using burning wires.


A beginning turner probably only needs a roughing gouge, a bowl gouge, and a parting tool. A spindle gouge or detail gouge also might be nice to have. You can substitute a bowl gouge for a spindle gouge, but not vice versa. The bowl gouge is much more substantial.


If you are turning anything bigger than pens you should have an impact resistant full face shield. There are decent ones available at Amazon and other places for under $20. This should probably be the first thing you buy after you buy the lathe.


Many lathes come with a faceplate. You can use the face plate to make glue blocks similar to some of MrUNIX's ideas.


All kinds of ideas start swirling around in my head when I take a lunch break from work and start reading Lumberjocks posts.


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## jmartel

For me, the lathe really was the cheapest part. I ended up getting it for free for trading the guy some wood that I wasn't using. Extra cutoffs from projects, plus various bits that I've picked up for cheap from craigslist. Pretty good score for just chatting up someone at the lumber dealer that looked lost and had no idea what he was doing.










But now I'm being faced with having to buy some stuff for it. So I'm keeping an eye on this thread. I know you can easily make your own carbide tools, for instance.


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## wormil

Here is the 1-8 tap I bought to make faceplates. A bottoming tap would be better, but this is okay and it's cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Champion-1-8-Plug-Tap-34323-/331270797003?

Also a 1-8 tap is the most difficult to search for because searching will return lots of sizes like 1/8, 1-1/8, etc., also sellers aren't consistent about how they list them. They can be 1-8, 1×8, 1×8, 1" x 8, and more. So sometimes I search for "8 tpi" or "8tpi" and at least that narrows it down to the right pitch.


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## Karda

what size drill do you use for that tap in wood. I watches a utbe by Mike Peace about about fastening to a lathe, he mentioned using a tap to make your own glue block. He also said he some times uses a bolt for the tap


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## wormil

7/8"

A bolt will work but you can buy a tap cheaper than 1" bolt .


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## Karda

ok thanks


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## mrg

> Make an awl from a damaged screw driver with a grinder or file. Helps mark centers.
> 
> - socrbent


Done that works great.


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## Pete_LJ

I like your ideas for turning on a budget. I have included some pics of my sanding disc and oak mounting block in which I tapped 1"-8 threads.




























I purchased a Delta 46-715 for a good deal, it broke immediately after I bought it, sold the old motor and I have rebuilt the lathe with a treadmill notor (about $90 into net of what I sold the old motor for). So, I am completely on board with doing turning on a budget


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## OSU55

Perhaps not completely "on the cheap", but excellent values:

> HF 34706 lathe
> Benjamin's Best and Hurricane tools - you'll have a difficult time making gouges
> PSI Barracuda chucks if you just gotta have a chuck (I do)
> If you have a 25mm tool rest post, drill it out to 1", a more standard size
> Tool rests - 5/8" tool post rests are cheaper - use a piece of steel tube to size them to your banjo.


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## Karda

I looked at taps and bolts and found the tap wasn't as expensive as I thought but the drill bit was 20.00, I could only find 7/8ths paddle bits in sets. will keep looking


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## TheDane

> I looked at taps and bolts and found the tap wasn t as expensive as I thought but the drill bit was 20.00, I could only find 7/8ths paddle bits in sets. will keep looking
> 
> - Karda


Do you have a set of Forstner bits? I picked up a set of seven Forstner bits for under $10.


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## Karda

no


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## TheDane

> no
> 
> - Karda


If you are doing woodturning, sooner or later you are going to want/need Forstner bits.


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## wormil

I use Forstner bits now but for awhile I was using a 7/8 Irwin spade bit and it worked fine, found it at a local hardware store. You can get one off ebay for under $6 shipped.


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## Karda

ok


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## MrUnix

> I use Forstner bits now but for awhile I was using a 7/8 Irwin spade bit and it worked fine, found it at a local hardware store. You can get one off ebay for under $6 shipped.
> - Rick M


Or you can get a whole 6 piece set of spade bits at HF for almost the same price ($5.60)... or a 13 piece set for just a hair more…. although for the same price ($8 w/coupon), you can get a 7 piece forstner bit set. If you don't like HF, you can get a 7/8" forstner bit at the borg for about $11, or a set for under $20. And as Gerry points out, they are something that almost every woodworker should have anyway.

Cheers,
Brad

PS: I have an older set of those Ryobi X-wing forstner bits… bought them in a pinch for a one-off project when I was out of town and away from my shop. I was not expecting much from them, and only need to drill a few holes. But they turned out to be pretty nice bits, and have held up well for almost a decade now.


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## Karda

thanks for the suggestions, I will get one or the other next time i can get my wife to stop at the hardware store. I can drive and if I have her there to often she will cut me off from the hardware, can't have that


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## wormil

I've never owned a good spade bit that wasn't made by Irwin. The cheap ones will be crooked, or will bend, you'll get tearout, or the hole will be so rough it won't take threads. The only brand I will buy is Irwin. I've never owned the ones by Dewalt or Bosch but from what I'm told they leave very rough holes with lots of tearout.


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## Karda

thanks for the tip


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## LeeMills

Nothing wrong with a tap, I do have one but have never used it.
So far it has been easier to just turn the item to hold in my chuck jaws for custom drives.
Or, If you have the Nova live center you can move the "threaded insert" from the tailstock to the headstock with custom fixtures. (the threaded insert is 2MT).
Large items such as sanding disc may not work very well held in a chuck due to alignment each time.


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## magaoitin

I'm fairly new to turning as well, and only have a couple of suggestions for cost saving items.

*1*. Turning handles for tools was the first I tried. Investing in a good cutting surface is worth it. Cheap HSS steel sharpens poorly, and doesn't hold an edge for long. My first set of Craftsman HSS tools I bought off Craigslist, and I spent literally more time at the grinder than at the lathe.

Last month Rockler had 1/2" Sorby fingernail gouges on sale for 50% off in their clearance section. $25 for just the cutting tool, no handle, normally $49.99, The whole tool usually sells for $79, but $25 plus a scrap piece of ash and I have an $80 tool. True, it doesn't have Sorby branded in the handle, but it works just like it does.

Buy a relatively inexpensive tool, then copy the handle design and turn a few out of scraps or glued up spindle blanks. Save your pennies and buy a quality cutting end of the tools when they are on sale. A good handle alone, is anywhere from $55-$85 when it has a name on it (like Sorby, Hamlet Craft Tools, Thompson Tools, etc.) Putting $25-$50 into a cutter and a scrap piece of wood turned for the handle saves about 50%-75% and you have a phenomenal tool.

I have spent in the neighborhood of $150-$200 in cheap gouges and scrapers only to regret it.

*2*. Scrap wood from unusual places. Another expensive part of learning to turn for me is lumber. I don't like the idea of spending $10+ on a single 2×2x6 bowl blank, just to turn it into firewood.

Watching Youtube videos on segmented turning has inspired me (read that as the only way I can afford to learn how to turn anything other than Fir bowls). Glue up scraps from other project, or from discarded furniture

I have found material from, of all places, Goodwill along with furniture auctions. I have no qualms about bidding $5-$10 on a beat-up dresser, to take it home tear it apart, and glue up blanks. I have spent as little as $5 on a solid mahogany dresser that had a 1 1/2" thick x 24" x 36" top and (4) 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" corner spindles. That was the best $5 I spent on material.

I like the idea of harvesting downed tree limbs, but living in the Pacific Northwest, we don't have a lot of wild hardwood growing. I get to choose between Fir, Cedar, and very rarely a piece of Madrone.

*3*. Shamless plug to watch the "Hot Deals Thread" here on Lumberjocks. some great finds on turning tools and equipment. (ie right now Woodcraft has a sale going on all month I think, for a Nova G3 chuck for $79. inexpensive way to get into a great chuck for mini and midi lathes.


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## BenDupre

+1 for the novaG3. I paid $129 for mine on sale. I can't beleive they are selling for $79.


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## MrUnix

Nothing wrong with saving money on a chuck, but they are still way more expensive than a threaded glue block, which was kind of the idea  With the glue blocks, no chuck is needed and you can make as many as you want for free.

But another tip has been mentioned, regarding homemade turning tools. Remember, the lathe is an ancient tool that has been around for thousands of years. It wasn't until very recently in its history that ready-made store bought tools became available, at a sometimes significant price. Before then, everyone made their own - and apparently, that didn't stop them from making some really beautiful turnings!

With a grinder or belt sander (or even a metal file or other means if you want a good workout), some very useful tools can be made. Old screwdrivers are one of my favorites. They are usually hardened tool steel, or at least the better ones are, hold an edge pretty well, and already have a handle on them! I've also seen where people heat the handles up with a propane torch so it can be removed, and then turn their own wooden handle for it. Garage sales are a great source for them really cheap if you don't have a bunch of old ones already laying around. Here are three that I made that I use all the time:










The top one is basically a thin flat edge scraper that has a 0.15" wide tip. The edges were also sharpened, so you can use the tip or sides, and it can be turned sideways to cut 'V' grooves - particularly useful for adding decorative touches, or combined with a piece of copper wire to burn rings into spindles (see below). The middle one was originally ground so I could use it as a parting tool, and the bottom one is basically a gouge with a fingernail grind on it. No matter what I'm turning, I always seem to reach for one or more of those at some point.

And in case you were wondering, the bent piece of wire in that photo is one of my homemade thickness gauges, made out of old coathanger wire. You can make them any size needed depending on the project, and use them to determine the wall thickness of your turning. I'm sure anyone who has watched a lot of turning videos has seen one at some point, and here is a 'expertvillage' video showing it's use: Checking Bowl Wall Thickness

If you doubt the usability of those screwdrivers, here is a desk set, made from some spalted oak obtained from a downed tree in my back yard, that I turned a long while back. It was made with nothing but the three tools above and threaded glue blocks:










There are lots of other metal items you can use to make tools. Some have already been mentioned above, such as allen keys, automobile leaf springs, bed frame angle iron, old rifle barrels, etc… metal files have been mentioned as another source, but like some others, I'm not real fond of them for various reasons. Of course, you can always go out and buy some HSS steel in various shapes (square, rectangular, round, flat…), as well as carbide inserts and the like, but that would certainly reduce the whole 'on the cheap' idea behind this thread.

I was fortunate enough to come across several in ground screw anchors for free - the type used to tie down mobile homes and such. The mobile home had been removed and they were just being thrown out. The main part of them is just some round metal stock, and while I have no idea what kind of specific metal it is, it works great for turning tools and holds an edge really well. Here is a gouge I made from one:










Of course, the handle was also turned on the lathe from some scrap oak I had around the shop… I think originally obtained from a pallet. Making handles for your cutters is probably one of the easiest projects to do on a lathe, and you can turn them to your individual preference - long, short, fat or skinny, it's up to you. Just drill an appropriate sized hole in the end and epoxy the cutter in place. Putting a ferrule on will help make it a bit stronger and add some decorative flair, but it's not absolutely necessary. Old copper pipe, brass pipe fittings and lots of other stuff can be used, and there are a bunch of ideas floating around on the net that you can get inspiration from. The decorative burnt rings were done as I mentioned above; make a small groove and then use a piece of copper wire while the lathe is running to burn them into the wood. Cheap and easy.

Cheers,
Brad


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## MrUnix

Thought I'd put this out there as an example of homemade stuff not just being cheaper, but filling a unique need that may not be easy to find any other way. This is a scraper I made to under cut bowl rims. I looked around on the net, and I saw some that were kind of similar, but were really expensive. I made this from some bed frame angle iron I had out in the shed, and turned a handle for it from some red oak that came from my back yard.










I actually made the metal part about a year ago but never got around to making a handle for it. Recently I was turning a few bowls that I needed to undercut the rim on, so I used it without the handle and it worked fantastic. At that point, I figured it was time to make it a real tool, so last week I grabbed some scrap red oak I had laying around and made a nice handle for it. I've also found that it not only works great for undercutting bowl rims, but also for cleaning up and smoothing inside the bowls.

Cheers,
Brad


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