Oooo...this is fun!

[Carole Valentine]

Thanks, Bruce. :-) Now if I could just get that faceplate loose.....counterclockwise...won't budge.

[Dale Thompson]

Thanks, Dale. The skew is giving me a fit...I have trouble with it catching., but I will master it eventually. I am going to round off the sides a little too because they are so sharp they drag on the tool rest. And I am going to have to learn to sharpen those thing pretty quick! My 1/2" gouge is already dull! LOL

Carole,
Some years ago I gave up turning for about two years because my skew always gave me a "catch" and always on the "last" cut. BOOM!!

With the, "Raffan Radius", the skew has become my best buddy. I now use my skew far more often than my gouges except for "cleaning" out stuff that needs "cleaning" out (spigots, bowls, etc.). Not only that but the skew gives you a much better finish than a gouge.

It is probably psychological. To me, skews, as sold, look more like "serial killer" weapons than WW tools. Putting a radius on the bevel really softens that appearance.

I'm probably just paranoid - or something?

Dale T.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Carole,

Just wait until you spend almost or more on a chuck than you did on the lathe! Plus all of the tooling. hehehehehe It is great fun. I'll second the Wolverine Jig. It is easy enough that even I can get sharp tools. The instructions recomend a 3600 rpm 8" grinder. I have it on the 1750 rpm Woodcraft. They are both on slae in the new flyer.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Don't know it you're jokin' or not about the faceplate, but it should come off if you put your knockout bar in one of the holes around the spindle, push on it and pull towards you on the faceplate.

If that doesn't work - time for the Chanellocks on the faceplate flange and proceed as before. Just a little aside. Putting a thin piece of wood over the spindle before installing the faceplate makes it a little easier to take off.

Bruce

[Carole Valentine]

Don't know it you're jokin' or not about the faceplate, but it should come off if you put your knockout bar in one of the holes around the spindle, push on it and pull towards you on the faceplate.

If that doesn't work - time for the Chanellocks on the faceplate flange and proceed as before. Just a little aside. Putting a thin piece of wood over the spindle before installing the faceplate makes it a little easier to take off.

Bruce

No, I'm not jokin' at all! That rascal is on there tight and I can't budge it! I'm going to see if I can't snag a young he-man somewhere today and ask him to try and remove it. (Of course there are not many of those around here either!) I wish they had not shipped it in place and let me put it on myself.

[Andy London]

Oh no! I'm afraid of what lies ahead...am I going to have to sell everything but my bandsaw and chainsaw?

I wouldn't part with the other tools as they will always be worth something but I can pretty much guaranty they will not see as much of your attention as they may have in the past.

It starts out as a simple pen turning, then perhaps a handle, then a bowl, then perhaps a goblet.....I am in the next stage which is hollow forms, it gets worse as time goes on.....It seems as we start to enjoy making one thing we challange ourselves to try something else we have seen which generally means more tools, more fun, more time

I will get nabbed by the picture police again but I set up a vacuum chucking system for the mini a couple of weeks ago....man oh man is that fun!!!

I'm leaving my Oneway created until after the Christmas rush as I have to stay foucsed on client orders and having a frigggin lathe sitting in the shop I just can't concentrate on my woodworking.......It was so bad this summer, I would get up at 4:30 in the morning, make coffee, head to the shop, turn for a couple of hours, have a shower and head to the office and wonder what I would turn that evening......

Then came the wood collection addiction, my wife thinks I am totally nuts, I have at least 250 burls and probably 20 pickup loads of all types of wood I have been dragging home.....but my son who turns totally understands and we console each other I drive to client meetings and if I spy anything that looks interesting that's just lying there, I have to ask for it.....The other eveing while delivering a large framing order to our south end, I spied a pile of wood stacked from Hurricane Juan, I asked the client if I could look and ended up filling my truck with what looks like elm burls......Tis great clean fun though!!!




Andy

[Carole Valentine]

Good grief! I hope you didn't take THAT pile home! LOL

[Jim Becker]

Carole, you need to lock the spindle so you can use both hands to get that faceplate off since it seems someone used a little more, umm...force...to screw it on. I don't have the mini, but if there is not a "real" spindle lock, there should be a way to use a tommy bar to do the same as was suggested above. Worse case, you can try slightly heating the threaded portion face plate or a penetrating oil to get it to release. Yes, you do need to knock out the spur center first!

[Kenneth George]

Ok Carole here is what you do, on the spindle right next to the headstock you will find a hole drilled into the spindle. Your knockout bar will fit in that hole. Get one of your tools and with the wooden end lightly rap around the center of the faceplate towards the headstock. You will need a wrench that will fit on the left side of the face plate. I use a large crescent wrench for this. With the knockout bar in the hole and set vertical and while applying pressure to the knockout bar with your left hand pushing away from the lathe while you pull on the wrench with your right hand. Do not use enough force to bend the knockout bar. You can grip the knockout bar lower and it will flex less. Sometimes it is necessary to give the wrench a quick jerk to loosen the faceplate.

Hope that helps some.
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[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Another Stupid Question, Carol. Since this is a NEW Jet Mini, they may have made a change. By any chance is there a small HOLE in the flange of the faceplate? If there is, is there a set screw in it? They may be doing that now. When I got my Jet Mini, all the Faceplates, Drive centers, and other parts, etc. were in a bag.

Bruce

[Carole Valentine]

I got it off, Bruce. No set screw but Richard suggested I bolt a piece of wood to it to give me more leverage and that worked. The threads had paint in them, so I think that was why it was stuck.

[Steve Inniss]

Carole, congratulations we're truly excited for you.

Andy, wow!

-Steve

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

WTG Carole - sorry for not adding the "E" before. Missed it with these OLD eyes.

You have passed an important lathe test today!

Bruce

[Carole Valentine]

You have passed an important lathe test today!

Bruce

I have???? What was that?

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

You didn't Let it Beat YOU!

HeHe

"Just one OLD man's idea of fun!"

Bruce