Turning without using a tool rest

[Mike Lipke]

Could someone tell me what is going on here? I can't get the sound to work, but it looks like he is turning freehand. Maybe that's why the fingerless glove on the left hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od40JrVcZo4

[Brian Brown]

There is a tool rest there, but the angle the vid is shot from mostly hides it. I have such a hard time turning stuff with a tool rest, that I can't imagine doing it freehand!

[Mike Lipke]

Ok, still though, a technique I've never seen with the cutting tool across the top of the blank.

Could you get sound?

[Bernie Weishapl]

There is a tool rest. As Brian said it is hidden from site.

[Tom Wilson66]

Mike, would say this has to be one of the worst turning videos I've seen. Could only watch a minute or so, then gave up. Would say that there is a rest there, you can see it in a few shots, but I think the threads on the glove will get sucked up by the turning very shortly.

[Andrew Derhammer]

I think that he had some type of stick in his left hand to act as a steady.

[Curt Fuller]

Ok, still though, a technique I've never seen with the cutting tool across the top of the blank.

Could you get sound?

What you're seeing is the proper way to use a skew on a small spindle. There's a tool rest, it's hidden behind the wood but you can see the post. But the glove is inviting trouble. He's using his left hand to steady the small spindle but because of the angle of the camera it's blocking the view of how the skew is shaving the wood. On something that thin you have to shave very lightly and with the grain to avoid chatter. And that frayed cloth glove it just asking to wrap itself around the spindle. That small spindle would snap befor it would hurt him but it's still asking for trouble. A leather glove or no glove would be better.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

This is production turning, he uses a piece of wood with a metal sizing end on it, it is used with the cutoff tool to get the exact size very fast, then he uses a tool much like the Continental gouge, Rude Osolnik used to make and use a similar tool to do his candlestick making, you can see the concave shape when the turner is sharpen it on the belt-sander, but you have to pay very close attention to see what's going on.

[Jeff Nicol]

Leo is right about the production turning, he most likely gets paid by the finished piece. As you watch the video you can see one of his fingers is very badly disfigured so he may have already caught it once! I think the glove is to keep the built up heat from burning his hand. When he sands it you can see he puts a lot of pressure on the piece, that is why it broke once. The rest is there as everyone else says but still not the best with the ratty glove.

Jeff