Tom Stone

[Tom Stone]

Hello everyone. I am absolutely new to turning. I just bought my first lathe, a Delta 46-460. That's how I found AAW. I'm guessing Bruce is a member since this was one of the suggested forums he mentioned I should look into when I bought the lathe. So a shout out to him for being so helpful if he's here.

I live in WA and have experience with other forms of woodworking but have never tried turning. I have a 520 shopsmith and have made a dining room table with a hidden board game area, Adirondack chairs, tables and foot rests, several boxes, etc. I have been doing a lot of searching, reading and video watching the past few weeks and I still have a thousand questions. I am fairly cautious when starting something new and want to make sure I am being safe and not unknowingly dangerous. I'm wanting to get going yesterday but I need to learn what kind of wood I should start on. Something easy to just practice the different cutting techniques. Also need to learn what speeds to turn what at. I've obviously got a long way to go before I can turn something worthy of a picture but I'm excited to learn.

With that said I'm really interested in resin turning also. I have a pressure pot I picked up and now I need to find where I can get the basic screw together square molds.

I'm sure I will be able to scour the forums and find a lot of the answers to my questions here.

Glad to be here and will enjoy every minute soaking up the knowledge and ideas.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome to the AAW forum, Tom. Don't hesitate to ask any questions that you might have.

 

[Lamar Wright]

Welcome to the forum, Tom. You will get a wealth of knowledge from some of the most professional wood turners here at the AAW forum. The turners will be glad to help you in any way they can. Happy Turning!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Tom,

Many resin castors make molds out of cut pieces of plywood and paint the surfaces, you can wax and polish the surfaces or use a mold release agent on the molds.
You can also recycle various plastic containers to use as casting molds, most cast pieces are turned on a lathe so a round mold saves on resin. Many commodities purchased at the grocery store come in plastic containers which work great for resin casting, yogurt, butter, sour cream, chip dips, ice cream etc.

 

[Bill Boehme]

A good way to get started is by practicing turning spindles. You can use generic whitewood 2X 4's from your local big box store. Rip it lengthwise and then cut it into 8" lengths. Use a "safe drive" in the headstock and a live center in the tailstock. With this arrangement you won't need worry about dramatic catches. If the tool catches (digs into the wood), the wood will stop spinning, but it won't go flying across the shop.

The most important thing is PPE (personal protective equipment) which should include a faceshield, safety glasses, and respiratory protection (a dust mask that is OSHA rated N95 or better).

The second most important thing is learning how to sharpen turning tools.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome to the forum. I cannot help on the casting but looks like you got a few answers.

 

[RichColvin]

The most important thing is PPE (personal protective equipment) which should include a faceshield, safety glasses, and respiratory protection (a dust mask that is OSHA rated N95 or better).

The second most important thing is learning how to sharpen turning tools.

Bill’s advice is very important. I’d also add to watch out for anything that could get caught in the spinning wood, including sleeves and hair. Also I recommend you not wear jewelry including watches.

it should be about having fun, and it really can be.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

[Tom Stone]

Thanks for all the welcomes and replies. I really appreciate the information. I know there are several types / brands of resins and wasnt sure if there was a certain mold material that would release it best. I've seen some that looked like 1" - 1 1/2" thick plastic screwed together in a square. Then firmly tapping with a hammer to release each side from the cast. I like the idea of starting round with product containers instead of screwed together square molds. Thanks Mike.

Bill that is the exact kind of info I'm looking for starting out. I appreciate the tips on the wood suggestion and basic safe setup for the first time turning.

Also Bill and Rich I'm big on safety around any machinery. I'm always cautious about not wearing loose clothing, eye safety and jewelry. Before I cut my hair I always kept it in a tight pony tail when doing projects. Dont have to worry about that so much these days. I'm checking into respiratory protection and what I should use when. I'm guessing it should be similar to what I use when sanding past flat wood projects.

On tool sharpening I figured that wood hardness and size of each project would determine how often you need to sharpen the tools. What's a good general rule or sign they need sharpening? Is it mostly just how much resistance there is while cutting?

 

[Bill Boehme]

For a beginner (and most everyone to some extent) one of the big problems is not knowing when to sharpen a tool or perhaps knowing when, but wanting to use the tool just a tiny bit longer before taking the tool to the grinder. We have all experienced trying to cut with a dull tool. If you catch yourself pushing the tool to make it cut then it is already past time to sharpen it. There's an old saying which says if you can see the edge then you don't have an edge. Light will reflect off a dull edge, but a sharp edge has essentially zero width and won't reflect light.

How often do we need to sharpen depends on wood hardness, green vs dry, quality of the steel, skill level, and maybe even phase of the moon. You need to develop a feel for how well the tool is cutting and you also can tell by the shavings. When the shavings become dust that's a visual cue.

 

[Richard Aldrich]

Welcome.

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome, I think the best way to start is with a class or a mentor or seeing other turners.
connect with a local chapter.
https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturn...spx?hkey=1c4d6fa8-6094-4dd1-888a-e0c3e2809c3e


the AAW has a safety page. The SAFETY GUIDEBOOK is a free down load and has seven articles suitable for beginners.
https://www.woodturner.org//Common/Uploaded%20files/Safety/SafetyGuidebook-Bonus.pdf

AAW members have access the AAW has a directory of online videos that have been screened for safe and effective practices.
Using this directory avoids videos showing extremely poor and dangerous practices.
https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturn...spx?hkey=d5634394-9b01-4db5-b5df-76d8fdce171f

have fun
Work safely

 

[Tom Stone]

Welcome, I think the best way to start is with a class or a mentor or seeing other turners.
connect with a local chapter.
https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturn...spx?hkey=1c4d6fa8-6094-4dd1-888a-e0c3e2809c3e


the AAW has a safety page. The SAFETY GUIDEBOOK is a free down load and has seven articles suitable for beginners.
https://www.woodturner.org//Common/Uploaded%20files/Safety/SafetyGuidebook-Bonus.pdf

AAW members have access the AAW has a directory of online videos that have been screened for safe and effective practices.
Using this directory avoids videos showing extremely poor and dangerous practices.
https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturn...spx?hkey=d5634394-9b01-4db5-b5df-76d8fdce171f

have fun
Work safely

Perfect! Thank you for the links. It sure saves a lot of time and gives me things to focus on. I definately want to learn the right way and not create poor or dangerous habits. Like not using the spindle roughing gouge on a bowl (first video I watched in those links). I agree I should find someone to mentor me or at least find a basic intro class to attend.

This community has been simply amazing already.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Hello everyone. I am absolutely new to turning. I just bought my first lathe, a Delta 46-460. That's how I found AAW. I'm guessing Bruce is a member since this was one of the suggested forums he mentioned I should look into when I bought the lathe. So a shout out to him for being so helpful if he's here.

I live in WA and have experience with other forms of woodworking but have never tried turning. I have a 520 shopsmith and have made a dining room table with a hidden board game area, Adirondack chairs, tables and foot rests, several boxes, etc. I have been doing a lot of searching, reading and video watching the past few weeks and I still have a thousand questions. I am fairly cautious when starting something new and want to make sure I am being safe and not unknowingly dangerous. I'm wanting to get going yesterday but I need to learn what kind of wood I should start on. Something easy to just practice the different cutting techniques. Also need to learn what speeds to turn what at. I've obviously got a long way to go before I can turn something worthy of a picture but I'm excited to learn.

With that said I'm really interested in resin turning also. I have a pressure pot I picked up and now I need to find where I can get the basic screw together square molds.

I'm sure I will be able to scour the forums and find a lot of the answers to my questions here.

Glad to be here and will enjoy every minute soaking up the knowledge and ideas.

Welcome to the forum. Aloha from Maui.