First Lathe - Hooked

[Doug Herzberg]

Welcome to the vortex; hang on to your wallet. That's a nice collection of first efforts and experiments, much better than I was doing at first. Let me echo what Leo said about safety. Bad wood is dangerous, but not all firewood is bad wood. Look for bad checks and voids and either take measures or don't use the wood.

We used to discuss design and form a lot here, but lately most of the posts I see are about technique and equipment. You might consider looking at the work of some accomplished turners, such as Richard Raffan's The Art of Turned Bowls https://www.amazon.com/Art-Turned-Bo.../dp/1561589543. Last time I looked at member John Keeton's website http://johnkeeton.com/, it was full of great examples.

[Tim Passmore]

I also would encourage you to check out John Keeton's site (and others). I'm always looking at other turners works for ideas and inspiration------you can find many accomplished craftsmen on this sight.

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks guys. I'll check it out. Always welcome tips as I really want to improve on the lathe. Will be a while before I can afford the bigger one so I'm going to wear this one out in the mean time.

i picked up a rack today to start stocking wood and blanks for lots of fun and practice. I'm wanting to tackle a vase and a bowl with lid in the near future. I'm also experimenting with finishes. Thanks again.

[Jon Shank]

That is the way it goes, first you realize your hooked, second I shoulda gotten a bigger lathe!. There's a reason we all call it the vortex.

For first steps that all looks really good, definitely off to a heck of a start.

Jon

[Greg Parrish]

Made a few more. Not nearly as nice as the ones you guys post but I'm getting a little better.

Rough turned this walnut, put CA in a few cracks and then re-waxed to finish drying




Rough turned this bradford pear, put CA in a few cracks and then re-waxed to finish drying




Rough turned spalted maple. re-waxed to dry



Spalted Ambrosia Maple made from small logs from the firewood pile glued together




And a small piece of spalted hickory with a little natural edge dubbed the "Eyebowl".

[John K Jordan]

Well, let's just say that I've been having crazy thoughts of selling my 1972 fully restored PM66 and my PM jointer to buy a bigger lathe like a PM3520. Crazy, I know but I really like making 3D pieces so far and can't afford the bigger lathes. Trying not to rush into anything though.

Very nice start! If you are like most people you will soon have a bigger lathe.

I bought a little tube lathe, got hooked, and soon had a new Jet1642. After a dozen years or so I added a PM3520b which has not limited anything I have wanted to do. Along the way I picked up a second 1642 and a couple of Jet minis for the road. (I think that's enough lathes for now!)

The 1642 is a healthy lathe but if I knew then what I know now I would have saved up and bought the PM sooner.

If you have the space you might keep the Nova as a second lathe. I find a second lathe useful to quickly turn a jam chuck or another project, test something, finishing and buffing, and to double the fun when visitors come. (And to keep turning if the main lathe needs servicing!) I've even had all five lathes set up at once for a small class but that sure made for a crowded shop. The downside of keeping a second turning station is the need to keep duplicates of some measuring tools and things close to each lathe.

If you can swing it, keep the flat work tools also - extremely useful even if only for making turning accessories. The more creative turners I've known over the years had flat tools and often metal-working tools. Frank Penta, for example, does a lot of laminated turnings with colorful exotic woods - he makes heavy use of the table saw, drum sander, and other flatwork tools. Many advanced turners do amazing segmented and staved work, difficult or impossible without the flat tools.

If you can control the urge, the wise thing might be to do just what you said about not rushing! - hold off, keep the flat tools, and save up for the bigger lathe. While saving, concentrate on getting all you can out of the Nova which is a perfectly respectable lathe, perfect for developing tool control.

If you haven't, join a club and take pieces and ask for honest critique on form and technique. (You have to ASK - otherwise all you will get is "that looks great" even if it's not.) Take a course or two. Find a mentor. Read some good books. Learn how the structure of wood affects turnings. Tame the most basic of all turning tools - the skew chisel. Beware of learning bad techniques from bad YouTube videos (the AAW has a developing list of good videos to help navigate the swamp.) Discover the joy and economy of turning small things. Learn how to make finish cuts without horrible tear out, how to see and eliminate circular scratches - and do these without making clouds of dust with coarse sandpaper!

If your goal is to be the best of the best, the biggest thing I can recommend is become proficient with spindle turning before you lose yourself on the big bowl path. (Your current lathe is perfect for that) Many of the experts say the same thing - spindle turning will teach the fine tool control that will let you turn anything. They say it doesn't work in the other direction. (some bowl and hollow form turners don't like to hear this.) I can provide references and 1st-hand stories about "spindle first" if you are interested.

JKJ

[Greg Parrish]

walnut. Still wet so I rewaxed it and set aside to dry untill I can finish later.








Spalted Red Sycamore. Still wet. Rewaxed to dry.