Aaron Dodini

[Aaron Dodini]

Hi all,
My name is Aaron. I'm very new to the turning world. I've thought about it for about the past 10 years and have just now been able to find the balance in life to begin doing something creative and centering. What better way to accomplish both than by turning! I've been borrowing a 50 yr old lathe from an even older friend of mine for the past month and just cobbled together some tools and found some great newly cut down maple and oak burls and wood. I'm excited to begin learning--watching many of your instagram and you tube channels. You are a collection of amazingly talented individuals. It's an honor to see your work and passion.
I'm going to be looking dilligently to buy my own lathe and tools and get my "shop" which is really just a 4' square nook in my garage, set up. Any thoughts on how to best find a good used lathe or buy a new lathe. I'm leaning toward the Laguna 12/15 or 15/24 because it seems they can be used to expand on the outboard to turn larger pieces as I get better skilled. My goal is to turn boals in the 12"-15" range comfortably. Any insights or advice on machines and tools is very welcome!
I live in Arlington, VA so anyone in the DC metro area, I'd love to connect!
I have a question about headstock spindle adaptors for chucks. I haven't yet bought a chuck because I don't want to buy one that fits this old borrowed lathe and then not be able to use it on whatever lathe I buy. How can I make sure whatever chuck I buy is adaptable to any headstock?
Thanks all!
Aaron

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome,

it’s tough to get into contact with other turners during the Covid and it looks to get worse before it gets better.
Florida has almost 12,000 deaths. South Korea with well over twice Florida’s population has less than 350 deaths.
If we ever find out how South Korea did it we could have face to face meetings safely.

Capitol Area Woodturners is an excellent club. I used to hang out with them often when I lived in Annapolis, Md. a lot of faces have changed in 16 years.
Bob Pezold is still there and few others. Bob could tell you what is going on zoom meetings etc.

local clubs are fantastic resources for all thing related to turning...

 

[hockenbery]

I have a question about headstock spindle adaptors for chucks. I haven't yet bought a chuck because I don't want to buy one that fits this old borrowed lathe and then not be able to use it on whatever lathe I buy. How can I make sure whatever chuck I buy is adaptable to any headstock?

if you but a ONEWAY stronghold it will likely have an adapter insert that will fit any lathe you find.
Most lathes in the US are one of 3 threads. 1.25x8, 1x8, or 33x3.5m Most( I could probably say all) chucks sold with inserts will offer these thread sizes.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome to the club. Of Coarse you know this is habit forming but oh what fun getting there.

 

[Ross Scott]

Welcome aboard Aaron have fun finding the right lathe I know how it feels as I went through the same thing only a week or two back surprising how many reviews you can watch on you tube for that one particular lathe that catches your interest.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Welcome to the forum Aaron, you'll get a lot of help here from some of the most knowledgeable woodturners in the country. Happy turning!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Welcome,

it’s tough to get into contact with other turners during the Covid and it looks to get worse before it gets better.
Florida has almost 12,000 deaths. South Korea with well over twice Florida’s population has less than 350 deaths.
If we ever find out how South Korea did it we could have face to face meetings safely.

Capitol Area Woodturners is an excellent club. I used to hang out with them often when I lived in Annapolis, Md. a lot of faces have changed in 16 years.
Bob Pezold is still there and few others. Bob could tell you what is going on zoom meetings etc.

local clubs are fantastic resources for all thing related to turning...

The latest CDC report indicates only 6% of U.S. fatalities reported were derived from the COVID-19 directly, the other 94% had pre-existing conditions that were the main cause.

 

[Don Stafford]

Welcome Aaron. I think you will find the forums to be very, very helpful. They have certainly helped me.

 

[John Torchick]

Welcome to the forum. The main page of AAW has a listing of chapters. It is well worth the time and $$$ to join one. Now they are remote but still offer a lot to the beginner and experienced turner.
One good turn deserves another!

 

[Aaron Dodini]

Thank you all for your lovely responses. Very welcoming! I have one recommendation for the Oneway Stronghold chuck, Are there any other suggestions or recommendations on chucks?

 

[Aaron Dodini]

Thank you! I have gotten on the Capital Area Club's website. It looks great!

 

[Ross Scott]

Thank you all for your lovely responses. Very welcoming! I have one recommendation for the Oneway Stronghold chuck, Are there any other suggestions or recommendations on chucks?

There are the Nova chucks from Teknatool which you can buy inserts to suit your lathe I use the supanova2 and like it, I was meant to add that part on my last post but forgot so my apologies for that.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Welcome to the forum. The main page of AAW has a listing of chapters. It is well worth the time and $$$ to join one. Now they are remote but still offer a lot to the beginner and experienced turner.
One good turn deserves another!

Welcome to the forum, and to the world of woodturning. I prefer Vicmarck chucks. I have 4 of them and one Nova chuck. Your great-grandchildren will be able to use the Vicmarcs. Not sure about the Nova, might rust away by then. I also prefer the jaws of the Vicmarcs. Join a club as soon as you can, it is the best advice I can give you. Aloha from Maui

 

[Bill Boehme]

?... I have one recommendation for the Oneway Stronghold chuck, Are there any other suggestions or recommendations on chucks?

Welcome aboard, Aaron.

In my opinion the Oneway Stronghold is too big for the size lathes that you are considering. I recommend getting the Oneway Talon chuck which is ideal for lathes with a swing of 16" or less. The Talon chuck holds just as well as the Stronghold for bowls and platters less than 16" in diameter AND it is easier to access the area close to the tenon with the smaller diameter chuck. My lathe has a 25" swing, but I prefer using a Talon chuck for anything that I turn that is less than 16" diameter.

BTW, I have both Oneway and Vicmarc chucks. They are both excellent.

 

[Tom Gall]

I have at least 10 4-jaw chucks and all have inserts except one. Two Strongholds, two Talons, two Novas (one is the original w/ tommy bars), Vicmarc, Axminster, Record, and Grizzly (no insert). They will all do the job for you. For most applications I always seem to reach for the Oneway chucks - I like the "profiled" jaws. All my chucks have different size jaws or type of jaws. My Nova tightens CC - different than all my other chucks, but if you only use Nova you will get used to it.