So, im burned out on cars right now. Been HARD at it for the entirety of quarantine, and only doing cars as a hobby for a couple of years.
My other hobby used to be woodworking. I loved turning and making furniture. I still have a lot of tools, but not enough for furniture making at the level i used to. Matter of space and such primarily. Is what it is.
One of the tools i kept is my grandfather's 1948 craftsman lathe with a champion jackshaft.
The lathe was used hard and maintained by my grandfather. Dad built the stand and riser blocks when he had it set up in his shop before buying his big boy jet lathe.
I modified the stand to work with my turning style, and then promptly stuffed it against the wall and neglected it.
This morning I cleaned it off and pulled it out.
Its been a LONG time since I turned last. Used to love making canes and bowls from downed trees after storms.
What you see underneath the lathe is skme walnut, birch, and pecan for storms. Its pretty much the last of the good stuff. I don't want to work with it until I get my mojo back.
In the shed, i put some wood to experiment with, oh, ten years ago or so?
I THINK its mimosa. Its definitely dry. And good enough to do some spindle turning with. It wound up with some powder post beetles apparently.
So, yeah. Time to get my mojo back....
Cool. I've always thought wood turning was really neat but never had any experience with it.
have you ever used any maple that had fungus issues, dark streaks? We have a medium maple die of fungus this year and I think the wood with the dark steaks might look neat but I'm not sure if it comprises the strength of the wood.
So, in talking with dad, it seems that he only used this lathe twice in his stewardship. Which means the last time it was really used would have been my grandfather in the late 80s before the Parkinson's disease got really bad.
I lobed the oil wicks, and started turning. I hate to say that its not half the machine the delta homelight that i gave Patrick dad was. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean it can't be.
At tjis time the headstock is getting HOT. My bed is a maladjusted bearing. Or a bad one. The drive spur is sharp, but doesn't bite well. Spins way too easy. That may be due to the softness of the work piece though.
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:
Cool. I've always thought wood turning was really neat but never had any experience with it.
have you ever used any maple that had fungus issues, dark streaks? We have a medium maple die of fungus this year and I think the wood with the dark steaks might look neat but I'm not sure if it comprises the strength of the wood.
Yes. I was told its called spalting. Dunno if that's true or just local vernacular.
Regardless, its really pretty sometimes. Ugly others. Really depends on the piece of wood and what it turns into on the lathe. In my experience the spalted pieces dont seem to explode more frequently than non. Dunno if i would want to make a six person bench or sail mast out of it though.
I pulled out the paperwork. And was shocked by the post it note. Thats my grandmother's writing.
Mimosa is NOT turning friendly. So much tear out. But, its paid for and good practice.
Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) said:
Yes. I was told its called spalting. Dunno if that's true or just local vernacular.
Regardless, its really pretty sometimes. Ugly others. Really depends on the piece of wood and what it turns into on the lathe. In my experience the spalted pieces dont seem to explode more frequently than non. Dunno if i would want to make a six person bench or sail mast out of it though.
Yup. Spalting is the normal word for it. It can lose some strength.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
After things like "Georgia toothpick " and "redding up the room" turned out to not be normal anywhere outside the locality i heard them in, i don't trust what ive been told. Granted, table aaw is table saw, drill press is a drill press, but a pillar drill is also a drill press....
I love language. Its so much fin, and so confusing. I also live spalted lumber bowls. Dad still has some of the elm we had fall on the house eight years ago. Its spalted. I may get a piece from him. I wanna make a communion set for the church.
So what wood would you recommend as "turning friendly" for someone whose never used a lathe before?
I've been keeping an eye out for a cheap wood lathe for a while because in theory it could make some of my projects easier. My experience with them is limited to some battery powered toy set I had as a kid that came with balsa dowel rods.
In reply to RevRico :
A friend of mine picked up a lathe from Harbor Freight recently. He is happy enough with it now. Could check out them or look at Northern Tool, or craigslist.
Provided the basics are met, it stops and starts properly, it holds the piece safely, and other similar factors I would spend my money on your cutting tools.
Yup.
As far as equipment goes, mr asa has it right! Lumber wise, soft wood is easier to shape, but harder to get a good finish with. It also dulls tools slower. Hardwood you get good at freehand sharpening, and can make beautiful pieces. Just takes longer.
How i got started many years ago was my wife signed me up for a class at the woodcraft store. They provided everything needed except safety glasses. It was addictive. Id honestly reccomend it to anyone interested in learning. (And im honestly revisiting what i remember from the class to get back into it)
I'd also add that you need to make sure that you have enough swing in the lathe to do what you want. Swing is the maximum diameter of material you can work with. Basically from the bed to the center of the lathe's spindle. So, if you want to turn a 10" wide bowl, you'd probably want an 11-12" swing lathe.
The second big number is the distance between centers. This is how long of a piece you can make, so if you want to make a baseball bat (42") you'd need something that went a couple inches past that.
Yup. This lathe is technically a nine inch. dad built spacers to make it a twelve. Not reccomendey, but it works if done right.
this is mimosa. If you REALLY focus on the technique with a skew chisel, you can get a nice surface finish. But it was an awesome refresher course.
On to quartersawn hardwood of indeterminate origin!
