Simple Tips that Help You Turn Best

[Jon Rista]

I started turning in 2020, right as the pandemic started. Purchased my first lathe (sadly a Nova 14DR, very new at the time, was a disaster!!) in early February, but wasn't able to get all the necessary tools (i.e. chucks, right jaws, etc.) to start turning bowls, which is what I started with, until about April. Started turning a lot in April, and applied things I'd learned watching lots of turning videos over the prior year or so. There have been a number of simple little tips, sayings, that have helped me turn well, and I thought it would be interesting to have a thread where everyone could share their little gems.

Here are a few that have helped me:

* Cutting > Scraping > Sanding
* Let the wood come to the tool
* Faster cuts cleaner
* Sharpen often, cut clean
* Let the (sanding) grit do the work
* Spin the blank fast enough to minimize "air gap time" (initial shaping, square/polygonal/odd shapes, etc.)
* Safety is first and foremost a choice, choose to BE safe first!

 

[Paul Bement]

Jon,
My tip for the day is ALLWAYS wear your face shield. I have only been turning for not quite two years now and have had my face mask knocked off or hit several times.
My gauge got caught and the handle itself jumped up and hit me.

 

[JeffSmith]

Jon,
My tip for the day is ALLWAYS wear your face shield. I have only been turning for not quite two years now and have had my face mask knocked off or hit several times.
My gauge got caught and the handle itself jumped up and hit me.

Good info Paul, but if you’ve had a few run ins with flying wood and tools, a little time with a good mentor can get you through the danger zones without the stress. Are you in a club?

 

[Odie]

Here are a few that have helped me:

* Cutting > Scraping > Sanding
* Let the wood come to the tool
* Faster cuts cleaner
* Sharpen often, cut clean
* Let the (sanding) grit do the work
* Spin the blank fast enough to minimize "air gap time" (initial shaping, square/polygonal/odd shapes, etc.)
* Safety is first and foremost a choice, choose to BE safe first!

Jon.....I think there is a lot of good thought in your rules, but I do question the one I have made bold in your post. Yes.....faster does cut cleaner, but only because you'd be forcing a tool to cut that could be sharper.

Reducing, or eliminating inherent vibration is one of the best ways to create the right circumstances for a sharp tool to cut cleanly. Fine tuning the rpm to reach that goal is a primary element in this effort. Getting the best rpm for the purpose of making a tool cut the wood cleanly isn't a matter of speeding up the cut.....it's more the result of a very sharp and stabilized edge cutting wood that is spinning in one geometrically perfect path......smoothly.....and.....concentrically.

You can't get a perfect clean cut if the wood, or the lathe vibrates. This vibration can be so insignificant that it would be difficult to detect it using your fingers on the bedways......but, it can be detected by using a simple invention called a vibrometer.

Once you understand this, and refine your rpm's to the best possible outcome..........you'll understand that although rpm is a necessary element of the total perfect equation......it's an equation nonetheless.

=o=

Search for "vibrometer": https://www.aawforum.org/community/search/48453/?q=vibrometer&o=relevance

 

[John K Jordan]

I think there is a lot of good thought in your rules, but I do question the one I have made bold in your post. Yes.....faster does cut cleaner, but only because you'd be forcing a tool to cut that could be sharper. … You can't get a perfect clean cut if the wood, or the lathe vibrates.

Something is not clear. Does the word “faster” used here refer to the lathe speed or the tool speed?
Assuming by “faster cuts cleaner” the “faster” means a higher RPM:

I think there are cases where faster cuts cleaner/smoother. For example, consider turning a thin spindle at a given RPM with all vibration under control and using a shaving-sharp skew or spindle gouge. Moving the tool slower down the spindle can result in an ultra smooth cut since the amount of wood removed at each revolution is smaller. Moving the tool rapidly can, in the extreme case, create a visible spiral.

This is equivalent to moving the tool at a constant speed with but cutting with a high RPM vs a slow RPM. With a high RPM, the amount of wood removed at each revolution is smaller with the cuts closer together. In my experience, this can result in a very smooth cut.

An example, I sometimes show these finials at spindle turning demos, both were turned at the highest speed on my lathe, over 3000 RPM.
The one from Holly is straight off the gouge, zero sanding.

I hit the one from ebony with some 800 grit paper. Tools are razor sharp. And with the fingers wrapped around the spindle for support I can feel (and control) even the slightest vibration. Vibration can be fatal to thin spindles. (BTW, the 2MT collets are wonderful for spinning short spindle like this.)



Of course, these are both fine-grained species, easier to cut smoothly.

One of my mantras is turn fast, sand slow. Again, where “fast” refers to lathe speed.
Moving the tool slowly and effectively is a matter of learning fine tool control.

I do the same for bowls and platters, but of course the speed needs to be appropriate for the diameter, mass, and balance. There are other factors, for example how the tool is held, handle supported, tool rest use, and leg/body movement.

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Something is not clear. Does the word “faster” used here refer to the lathe speed or the tool speed?
Assuming by “faster cuts cleaner” the “faster” means a higher RPM:

One of my mantras is turn fast, sand slow. Again, where “fast” refers to lathe speed.
Moving the tool slowly and effectively is a matter of learning fine tool control.

Agree. I don't speed up the lathe for finishing cuts on bowls. Instead, I use a small, sharp gouge and advance it very slowly.

 

[Odie]

I think there are cases where faster cuts cleaner/smoother.

Of course there is, John.......

The point I'm making is there are many cases where rpm is being used as a solution, when sharpness is the real remedy for poor performance.

Also, there are many turners who swear up and down that their tools are sharp......when they could be sharper. Trying to convince them of that is often a difficult proposition.

=o=

 

[Richard Coers]

What the heck does let the wood come to the tool mean? I would suggest that your tips can make you better, but hardly makes you the best. "Best" is used way to much on the internet.

 

[robo hippy]

That "let the wood come to the tool" makes me think of laying the tool on the bench and telling the wood to come..... Almost as bad as a cat. I have been thinking lately, that with roughing cuts, your feed rate is different than your finish cuts. With roughing, you are just getting bulk out of the way, so "clean" doesn't really matter, though your roughing cuts get cleaner as you get more experienced. With finish cuts, they are delicate and your feed rate slows way down. If you use the same feed rate as your roughing cuts, you get more tear out.

Other than that, good posture at the lathe makes every thing easier. Especially if it is a long day. That posture thing really makes a difference.

robo hippy

 

[John K Jordan]

* Spin the blank fast enough to minimize "air gap time" (initial shaping, square/polygonal/odd shapes, etc.)

I know it may seem like a leap, but the “air gap time” obliquely reminds me that the list might include:

“* Cut “downhill” (relative to grain orientation, with both face grain and end grain pieces)

There is one situation when cutting air that cutting uphill may be helpful. As I describe in one of my documents (not yet posted here) there’s a situation where even cutting downhill can result in chipping on an edge near a corner. When cutting a convex outside/bottom of a shape like this, the gouge motion in the direction of the horizontal arrow can pry chips off the edge as shown in some cases, especially with weak or brittle wood, even with a very sharp tool. In this case I have been successful in taking extremely light cuts in the opposite direction, “uphill” relative to the face grain.



But as for cutting “air” (square, wings, etc), I’m wondering how much difference reducing the “air gap time” would make.

When cutting air, this oft repeated but generally ignored advice might be important:
* Turn off lathe before adjusting the tool rest
(Imagine the disaster of slipping and letting the tool rest contact spinning wings - potentially far worse than contacting a round piece.)

Another one very important to me when I care about the surface (almost all the time!):
* Good lighting of the right type

I heard a demonstrator state once:
* Tighten the chuck in all six places
Depending on the type of chuck (one with internal pinions, etc) and the wood, successively tightening in each socket a few times can take up play and keep the piece more secure. Still good to stop and snug up the chuck occasionally, especially for a large or wet piece.

And for safety:
* Eliminate distractions
(I like to lock the shop door when doing things that might cause injury if I lost concentration - processing log sections at the bandsaw, for example.)

JKJ

 

[hockenbery]

What the heck does let the wood come to the tool mean?

I think it is all about feed rate. That combination of speed and letting the tool work efficiently

Here is a roughing cut Christian Burchard taught me. I sort of hold the tool and let it feed.

Thread 'An easy way to rough turn bowls'

Apr 2, 2024

Many turners don’t enjoy roughing. They get beat up from pointing tools the wrong way and loosing control of the cut.
Many years ago Christian Burchard showed me a very effective pleasant to use cut with the side ground gouge.
Gouge needs around a 60 degree front bevel.

He called it the A frame cut. Two straight arms with the tool as the cross piece.
Rotating the hips cuts a smooth cove.
Sneak up on the first cut swing an arc through air. Move the tool forward a 1/4” between each test cut until you cut.
A 1/4” cut every pass is a good starting point. With practice you can cut the full...

• hockenbery
• Replies: 19
• Forum: Tutorials and Tips

• 

 

[Richard Coers]

I think it is all about feed rate. That combination of speed and letting the tool work efficiently

Here is a roughing cut Christian Burchard taught me. I sort of hold the tool and let it feed.

Thread 'An easy way to rough turn bowls'

Apr 2, 2024

Many turners don’t enjoy roughing. They get beat up from pointing tools the wrong way and loosing control of the cut.
Many years ago Christian Burchard showed me a very effective pleasant to use cut with the side ground gouge.
Gouge needs around a 60 degree front bevel.

He called it the A frame cut. Two straight arms with the tool as the cross piece.
Rotating the hips cuts a smooth cove.
Sneak up on the first cut swing an arc through air. Move the tool forward a 1/4” between each test cut until you cut.
A 1/4” cut every pass is a good starting point. With practice you can cut the full...

• hockenbery
• Replies: 19
• Forum: Tutorials and Tips

• 

It might mean that to him, but I taught a lot of beginners when teaching at Woodcraft. They need real clarity about procedures, if they even can absorb then. I'm sure their eyes would glaze over if I used that tip. It's too close to "don't move the tool"