Again, I carefully removed the red protective cover on the gouge and gently pressed the gouge into the turning wood. You easiest wood for turning 6th make uniquely-shaped vases from red elm. Depending on the species, padauk's coarse-grained heartwood varies in turninb from a lustrous purple-red to orange-red. Bowl turners know that walnut's pronounced end grain in the bottom of a bowl tears easily and produces a surface that can be difficult to sand. Shop Gallery. Hence, some types of easiest wood for turning 6th are suitable for woodturning, while others are not. On the wiod of the spindle, there is typically a Morse taper.

I then carefully positioned the gouge at a degree angle as mentioned in the videos. However, even with my tools at this magical angle I was having no luck. In the back of my mind, there was still that final piece of information I had read about. The importance of sharp tools. With the protective red covers, could my tools be dull?

I hated to ruin the tools, by trying to sharpening them. However, at this point, I really did not care. After all, I was ready to sell the lathe. Consequently, I took the round-nose scraper and sharpened it using a belt sander.

I then went back to the lathe and tried it again. Yes, TADA — shavings. I had mastered the art of woodturning. I knew everything there was to know about this craft! To my surprise, a few seconds later, the shaving started to disappear. Before I knew it, I was pressing as hard as I could and I was back to smoke and dust. Clearly, there was no way the tool could be dull already. After all, the blades for my chain saw can last hours between sharpening.

For the next 15 minutes, I tried repositioning the tool in all different angles and directions. How did I get it to work earlier? Could it be there was still something else to learn about woodturning?

Maybe there was some metal in the wood. I knew one little nail, could dull a chain saw blade. Maybe that is what happened to my round-nose scraper? While it seemed hopeless, I sharpened the scraper again. Back to the lathe and TADA — more shavings. Again, I had mastered the art of woodturning. There was nothing left to learn! However, a few seconds later, the same thing. Smoke and dust. For the next 14 minutes, I tried repositioning the tool in all different directions.

No luck. With no confidence, I sharpened the tool again and returned. TADA — shavings. After numerous times sharpening, I eventually finished my first bowl as shown below. I would eventually learn two important lessons. First, even tools that come with a beautiful cover can be dull. Secondly, turning tools can become dull very quickly. I should mention, that I would later realize that the tools that came with the lathe, were made from carbon steel.

These tools can become dull in as short as seconds. With this amount of cutting, carbon steel will not stay sharp for any length of time. I created a blank like my first bowl and mounted it on the lathe. Roughing out this piece seemed to go much faster than my first bowl. When finished, I brought the bowl in the house to sit proudly next to my first masterpiece.

Shortly after bringing the bowl in the house, I noticed a few small hairline cracks. With every passing hour, the cracks kept getting bigger and bigger. As the cracks were getting bigger, I was getting less and less interested in woodturning.

Finally, about a week later, I took my masterpiece shown below outside and buried it behind our woodpile. Again, I thought about cleaning up my lathe and listing it for sale. Most of my initial learning about woodturning was — through trial and error. Looking back, I believe it was these challenges that kept me interested in woodturning. After all, how much fun is there in doing something that always turns out perfect? Another aspect of woodturning that has kept me interested over the years is free wood.

Living in a rural community with access to a free green waste dump, means plenty of free wood. Before getting into woodturning, I spent a lot of time working with metal. Fabricating everything from indoor and outdoor furniture, metal fences, smokers, etc.

However, with metal, I was starting to realize I could typically buy the final product for less than I was spending on just the materials. With woodturning, this was not the case. Almost all the pieces I have turned over the years started as free wood. With free wood, I could financially come out ahead. I have also come to enjoy the transformation and creativeness involved in converting a free log into a beautiful piece.

Many of the pieces I have created over the years have found their way into the hands of family members and friends as Christmas presents, wedding presents, baby showers, etc. After creating my first bowl, I never would have thought there was so much to learn. After all, I already knew everything there was to know about woodturning! I would later read that mastery typically requires three to ten years 10, hours or more of practice and reflection on performance.

Even now, after turning wood for over 10 years, I still do not call myself a master turner. With regards to mastery, I would also add that reading and talking to other experts in an area can speed up the process.

For example, I recently was talking to a local wood carver who has been carving wood for about 5 years. He has won numerous awards and contests for his work. When I met him once in his shop, I asked if I could look at the tools that he used to create his intricate carvings. I was amazed. The only tools he had were from a local lumber store. His tools consisted of carpet cutters, utility knives, and pocketknives.

I then asked him if he ever attended any workshops on carving, subscribed to any wood carving magazines, etc. His answer was no. Hence, I gave him some of my catalogs on woodturning that also contained carving tools. The next time I visited his shop, sure enough he had a piece set of palm handled carving tools.

Instead of using carpet cutters, he Easiest Wood For Turning Yield was now using carving tools with various sweeps and profiles. By the way, I did eventually sell my first lathe.

However, it was not out of frustration with turning, but because I wanted a bigger lathe with variable speed. This website started out as a collection of notes and pictures. Over the years, it keeps growing as I discover, read, watch, and learn about different ideas and techniques for woodworking and woodturning. Because of my initial unfriendly experiences with wood orientation, creating clean cuts, wood cracking, and dull tools, I have written articles on each of these topics.

I will be uploading these articles in the upcoming weeks. In particular, one article focuses on wood orientation. More specifically, how you mount wood on the lathe. Is the grain running parallel to the lathe i. This article also covers the advantages and disadvantages of both methods of wood orientation.

Another article focuses on tool orientation, methods of cutting, and creating clean cuts. Still another article provides an overview of wood, moisture, and cracking. This article also includes numerous methods to reduce or eliminate cracking. Other articles focus on sharpening tools. More specifically, methods to determine the sharpness of a tool , features of a good sharpening system , and how to sharpen various tools. Another article focuses on general woodturning ideas, tips, and trade secrets.

It covers such areas as spalted wood, turning bigger and smaller pieces, adequate lighting, shop layout , signing your work, and other general woodturning tips. I will also be including step-by-step instructions for creating some interesting and fun woodturning projects.

When woodturning, safety is important step. For this reason, you will find safety mentioned in numerous articles on this website. The banjo slides along the bed of the lathe and supports the toolrest.

It allows you to adjust the toolrest and place in various locations, making it possible to hold the turning tool in the most convenient location for removing wood. Most modern lathes allow you to tighten and release the banjo quickly with a locking handle. The bed is the horizontal part of the lathe that joins the headstock and tailstock. On many lathes, you can position the headstock, tailstock, and banjo at any point on the bed. The steel mesh guard provides protection from flying chunks of wood and debris.

You should always use the guard in operations that allow its use. Architectural Millwork. Dust Collection, Safety, Plant Operation.

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