What is with the turning mess???

[Mark Singer]

I have just started turning with my Jet Mini and what a mess!!! Sawdust...shavings ...I am covered...my shop is full of shavings. Is there a trick I don't know or do you just let it go all over the place? I have an Oneida 2 Hp ...and my shop was staying very clean until I started turning. Since the shavings are directed at the operater I don't think dust collection will help. The lathe came with goggles...is it better to where aface sheild? Which face sheild is good?
Oh, by the way flannel shirts are a no, no!

[Pete Lamberty]

Flannel shirts?????? In Southern California? What, did the mercury go below 70? I liked your first atttemps at bowls, Mark. They were a lot better than my firsts. Pete

[Mark Singer]

It was definitly short sleeved... definitly! It was also at night!

[John Weber]

Short sleeve flannel, that is just not right. :-) Most turners I know just use a big shovel...

John

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Mark,

Just get out the extension cord and set the lathe up near the flower bed (no Walnut please). Then you don't have to worry about the mess. Might even be able to sell the neighbors on it.

After the virus firmly set in you will sell your other tools to buy a bigger lathe and the shaving will be removed by a skid steer and you will have a power filter visor to take care of the dust.

Have fun!

[Donnie Raines]

Cant help you with the mess.....but it sure makes the shop smell good does'nt it????

DonnieR

[Tom Sweeney]

First, welcome to the addiction. Like Charles said - don't worry about the chips getting on your other tools, in a short time they'll just be used for storage of roughed bowl blanks anyway

While I tend towards the wait till the chips on the floor make you too tall to use the lathe category I have seen others use some dust control methods that work reasonably well.

I would say a good face shield is actually a necessity, much safer to absorb any impact should a big chunk come flying off the piece. I just bought the standard model at woodcraft but there are 3 or 4 self powered filtration systems that look like something out of NASA. this would be highly recommended if you find yourself having any alergic reactions in particular.

I think it's Dom that rigged up a shower curtain to keep the chips in one small area. And you can use a good DC system with a wide mouth collector right at the lathe. As you say most of it is coming right at you but this should help some.

I guess I missed your first turnings - but I'm sure with your eye for design you'll be turning out winners in no time.

[Scott Coffelt]

I still am trying to get the lathe DC piece figured out, right now its just a open hose. When turning it dosen't catch much, but I can guide the pile into it. I sweep the floor into the sweep. And follow up with a nice shop vac.

When sanding, i fine it does much better I try and position the hose close to the work and pretty much most of the dust gets sucked in to the hose, you see this little dust stream.

I wonder if it wasn't in the way if some sort of front collection box wood work. I have not tried it yet, maybe some day.

I have a shield, they work great. I also picked up a box of dust masks that I wear underneath, they seem to work well and i toss them when done.

I try and wear a apron, it catches most of the dust, but I still get my shoes dirty.

[Dale Thompson]

Mark,
There is almost no way that you are going to control chips and shavings on a lathe. If you are turning pens or small bowls, a good dust collection port near the headstock will get maybe 1/3 of the chips. If you have reverse on your lathe, MOST of the sanding dust will be picked up. When you are turning spindles, forget about it.

When I built my latest shop, I used 1/4" pegboard, painted white, for the paneling. That gave my wife the idea that she could make it look REAL nice. She hired some clown to come and put in some white/w black speckling tile on the floor. Any time we had company, she would clean my shop! That worked until we had a couple of friends over who were contractors. They said that my shop looked more like an "operating room" than a shop. I have never been more embarrassed in my life.

So much for my wife cleaning my shop!! Admittedly, there is a bit of sawdust laying around on everything and the "tile" has been stained by many varieties of wood chips and many varieties of glue, stain, mallet scuffs, inadvertant gouges and other stuff. On the positive side, it sure don't look like no "operating room". WHEW!! I get mad just THINKING about it!!! The GOOD part is that I can clean my entire shop by just slamming the door REAL hard and spending a few minutes with the shop vac.

Mark, don't be a woos. If you wear the glasses, be prepared to eat a few shavings. If you wear a shield,it will give you maximum protection to keep you from looking like an NHL player. If you don't already know this, "turners" are protected by a "special" guardian angel. These angels are totally immune from chips, shavings and even sanding dust.

GET IN THERE AND KEEP WORKING TOWARD THOSE GREAT TURNINGS!

Dale T.

[Jim Becker]

Mark, welcome to the addiction!

I'll add to the conversation that you consider getting a turning smock to help keep the chips out of your clothes. I happen to prefer those from Packard Woodworks as they really close nicely around the neck without being uncomfortable. I also hope you have a floor sweep on your cyclone's duct work...absolutely a must if you are a turner for picking up after you pick up. (Just as a cautionary note, folks with a bag DC system should never use a floor sweep as any metal accidently picked up could spark on the metal blower impeller)

And do use a full face shield--at least when rouging out or when you are directly in line with the edges of a larger turning.