Inherited a Beaver lathe.

[paul cottingham]

So. I just got my hands on a Beaver Lathe. It was very well cared for, all the bearing are in great shape and the motor works well. It has a three jaw chuck. Is that goin to be a problem for turning legs and bowls? I'm willing to invest in a decent chuck if that would be wise in people's opinions.

second what would be a good chuck to look at? Remember, this is a Beaver, but I can get a Oneway basic or Talon chuck for it for a reasonable price, if people think it is worth that, and a buddy is pitching in to help pay for it, in exchange for turnings. I'd do 'em anyways, but I'm not proud. :-)

Lastly, what would be a good starting tool? I was considering an easy wood rougher and easy wood finisher (the mini) but they may have to wait. I have read all the arguments against them here, but not having to sharpen a new tool really appeals to me and my poor hands. I may wind up buying the carbide, and making them.

oh, I'm mostly interested in bowls, and legs for my furniture.

thanks to all.

[Bob Mezzatesta]

Best thing to do is find a turning club. I seem to recall there is one in Victoria. You will save time, money and bloodshed. Most clubs offer a basic course and/or mentoring. BTW the Talon chuck with the correct adaptor will serve you well on the Beaver and with just a change of adaptor will move to the next lathe when you inevitably trade up. Have fun and stay safe.

[Brice Rogers]

I started with a spur drive and quickly found that it was limiting. But I was having fun with it. Then I got a faceplate and found new things that I could do with it. More fun. Then I bought a 4-jaw (round) wood chuck. That was really versatile and even more fun with it.

You didn't mention if your 3-jaw chuck is the kind that grips the round wood blank continuously around its circumference or whether it is the kind that just has 3 points of contact (like a metal-working chuck). If you are going to do bowls and you have the 3-points of contact type of chuck. you are going to find it limiting.

If you have the model with the 7/8-14 spindle, you can get inserts to fit for the Nova chuck and a few others as Bob mentioned.

Starting with carbide tools will get you turning quickly as the learning curve is fairly short. But most of them work in a scraping mode and you'll find that it is harder to control tear-out, especially as they start to dull. Eventually you'll want to get a set of conventional tools (bowl gouge, spindle gouge, etc.) and learn how to use them and how to sharpen them.

Bob's suggestion of joining a club is a very good idea. I joined a club and an added bonus is that they have become the source of green wood for turning.