Practice Wood Turning Safety. Statistically, woodturning probably ranks among the safer tasks performed with power tools. Still, there are basic safety practices you should learn and follow to ensure woodworking safety.  To create the most common cuts—square cuts, V-grooves, fillets, and coves, you really only need four types of tools (along with your lathe, of course). Practice these various profiles using the tools required to cut them on your wood lathe. 04 of Learn How to Use a Roughing Gouge. The cut profiles of all the various tools covered here. From top to bottom: Parting tool, Skew, Finger Nail gouge, bowl gouge, Spindle gouge, and Roughing gouge. Spindle roughing gouge — The big tool that shifts most of the weight. It can leave a decent finish to the work, but tends to be used mostly to create a ruff shape. It’s the tool of choice for taking a square blank and turning it round. It’s fairly wide (sometimes ridiculously wide) and tends to have a straight grind. Tip: Never use a spindle roughing gouge on a bowl. Cutting wood turning blanks for vessels is, to me, the most enjoyable. For the most part hollow forms are a decorative piece so there is a tremendous amount of flexibility in the wood selection process. I cut blanks from all parts of the tree that have sufficient size.  Wood Turning Blanks for Bowls. Working from the trunk of the tree, the bucked section is rotated so the main crack along the pith is running top to bottom. I prefer to cut a thick section containing the pith out of the tree, though some prefer to make a single cut along the pith line. Hope this helps and have fun with the turning. Cut or split your cutting wood for turning position in half as soon as possible. Then use a parting tool and calipers to turn each diameter. There are two standard bowl cutting wood for turning position flute shapes: "u" and "v". I losition like to use a small skew for this No introducing the bevel with this fella. I thought it would be handy to create a beginners guide for people thinking about getting into wood turning, or people who have seen some wood turning projects they like but felt that the demonstrator skimmed over some of the basics. Most lathes come with a posotion this size.

It wasn't a bad injury but it still happened.. When using the skew to make planing cuts it is important to use the middle part of the blade and avoid the end parts.. If you hit the moving wood with the end parts you are likely to get a catch.. This isn't the end of the world but can be a little scary if your not expecting it. The skew chisel can be used to do a number of different things but tends to be known for its ability to give planing cuts.

I like to raise my tool rest and approach the wood as flat as possible. Again approaching the cut with the bevel This is likely to become a little boring I will recommend approaching the cut with the bevel again soon..

It makes sure you're cutting the wood rather than just scraping the wood. It gives a much nicer finish and is kinder on your tools try to cut with the middle part of the blade. If you catch the wood with the pointy end of the blade or the other pointy end you're likely to get a catch.

Chances are nothing too bad will happen but it's likely to be scary enough to make you want to change your pants. I love making super fine detail with the skew. To do this I use the pointy end like a knife. I then come in from the sides of this cut to neaten the whole thing. I have made people who have been turning for a long long time scratch there heads in disbelieving at the fineness of detail which can be achieved this way.

Parting tool- the clue is in the name it parts wood. When working between centers it is safer not to part all the way through work instead part most of the way and finish the job with a saw.

I have been known to use the parting tool for jobs its not designed for like being a scraping tool. It is to me an ideal tool for making a spigot for a chuck to hold onto. I also like to use a small skew for this. No introducing the bevel with this fella.

This is pretty much the tool that you introduce and watch it cut.. I would recommend making 2 cuts with this tool rather than cutting all the way through. This will reduce friction. If you are parting off I would also recommend not parting the full way with the parting tool instead finishing the job with a saw and maybe making everything look pretty using a gouge afterwards.

A lot of turners who know the dimension they want and the position they want will use this tool to cut down to the this depth measuring with calipers. I sometimes use some of my bowl gouges for spindle work. There isn't anything stopping you from using a fairly aggressively ground bowl gouge as a spindle gouge but in my opinion the bowl gouge comes into its own when turning dishes.

Used in a similar fashion to the spindle gouge to cut the outside profile and a tenon for the chuck to hold onto once mounted in the chuck with this tenon the bowl gouge can be used to easily form the dish. I tend to work from the outside edge inwards when using a standard bowl gouge, I tend to introduce the cutting edge in a line from where the bevel Best Wood For Turning Chess Pieces Ltd would be rubbing if the bowl extended far enough and cut in towards the center..

A bowl gouge will tend to have a straight grind a swept back grind is more of a U shape and allows the wings of the tool to become exposed as cutting edges.. This makes the tool very versatile allowing for a greater range of cuts.

It is my favorite grind. With this bowl gouge you have a few more options mainly because of the wings.. If you don't rub the bevel you might risk a catch or the tool might cut a little more aggressively than you were initially expecting.

Scraper- these come in different profiles and act in a similar way to a cabinet scraper. The main drawback in using a scraper is preparing the tool with a cutting burr.

I have watched wood turning videos where the turner only used a scraper. The tool is really for finessing rather than doing the heavy lifting. I think the one thing that really pays off when turning is making sure you have really sharp tools. Sharp tools make wood work into wood fun, it takes away all the hard work and gives you much much better results. There are a lot of sharpening systems out there with associate jigs to ensure you can reproduce specific grinds.

I personally use a slightly adapted Tormek sharpening system which uses a wet grinding stone running at a slow speed. This system is hard wearing and reduces the risk of changing the properties of the metal. I tend to to keep a few diamond honing pads handy to touch up a cutting edge- for me this feels like I can extend the time between proper sharpening the tools and works with the hollow grind to give a micro bevel.

I would recommend learning how to use your sharpening system for your tools- each system will be slightly different as a result I cannot go into huge detail here. The information should be relatively easily available.

There are two main types of turning. The techniques used are somewhat interchangeable but there are differences to bear in mind. Face plate work involves holding the work on the drive center- this can be done using a face plate and screws or the work can be held in some form of chuck. These are not hard and fast rules but recommendations which would suit beginners- once you are comfortable with the turning you might want to experiment to produce something with design features could would go against these recommendations As long as you are safe and have considered possible dangers all should hopefully be fine.

When working between centers it is a good idea to find the middle part of the wood, the centre- the part which is most balanced and will require the least amount of wood removed to turn to round. I like to make a mark or dint in the wood at this point which helps me to locate these points before compressing the wood between centers on the lathe.

I would recommend working with the grain in the direction of the lathe this makes everything a little easier. Check the work rotates freely and doesn't hit the tool rest before turning. Make sure the wood is securely held between centers and the tail stock is locked in place. When you are happy that your tool rest is at the tight high for you and at a distance appropriate for the blank you should be ready to work. Unlike spindle work where the wood is held between centers face plate work is held on the lathe by one point- the chuck, or screwed onto a face plate.

If you are using a chuck a good first thing to do is create a spigot for your chuck to hold onto. I tend to do this by turning between centers. I would recommend working from the furthest point from the chuck first- this way the remaining wood supports the work you are doing. This part is dusty so hopefully you will have been wearing a dust mask and using a dust extractor already but this is the bit that throws a lot of dust into the air so double check now Work up the grits..

The lower the number on a peace of sand paper the more aggressive it is. Work from the low numbers to the highest you have, you might want to remove dust between sands with compressed air or a cloth.

Change Directions.. You might be tempted to let the lathe do all the work but this might not give you the best results. The grit of the sand paper might make stripes , to stop this from happening stop the lathe after each grit to work in a different direction, this will break up all the un wanted lines.

Slow your lathe.. The main thing is to think about how your object is going to be used.. If it will be used with food or is a toy you might want to look for a toy safe or food safe finish. I tend to finish most decorative turnings by applying sanding sealer after sanding knocking back the sealer with a final sand and then I apply a nice wax. Here is just a short list to introduce you to some of the tools techniques and projects you might want to explore once you have gotten to grips with the basics.

Each one of these is probably an instructable on its own but its worth knowing some of the words for the advanced techniques to get an idea of what can be possible. Box making — this requires fairly tight tolerances for the lid and the box to come together in a satisfying way.

Pyrography- this used to be called poker work and involves burning the wood in a very controlled way. I think this is the closest thing there is to tattooing wood. Using a specialised lathe such as a rose engine- there are amazing lathes out there designed to do beautiful things.

The tools themselves tend to also be beautiful. Pen Making- There are a lot of pen makers out there- its a really fun introduction project and can quickly lead you into a world most people have no idea about. Really nice pens are amazing but its worth figguring out if you really want to know the difference between lots and lots of nibs and inks before devoting a lot of time into the hard core pen making. Enter competitions and sell your work.

Woodturning can absolutely pay for itself but you might have to be creative in order to do this. By the way There are a few specialist bits you don't need to know but its always impressive when you can talk the talk as well as walk the walk.

I created a printable for when I gave demonstrations showing some of these fancy words and what they mean. Hope it helps. It is often the case that when working on a fairly large text people miss some bits and peaces. I will be refining this text from and adding extra bits, and I plan to create a follow up instructable talking about more advanced tools and techniques at a later date.

In the meantime here are a few things I missed out but will include in future iterations. I would really highly recommend joining a local wood turning group if you can. My first set of wood turning tools you fail the basic requirements by law to be sold as tools, they were not fit for purpose..

I suspect rather than being made from high speed steal HSS they were made from some kind of hard cheese. The result was my first catch bent the tool 90 degrees. You might have seen skews or scrapers made from old files, this is also not ideal as the metal in files used in this way has been known to shatter.

My first "proper" turning tools were a set from axminster, Not the most expensive but also not the least. I still use these tools in addition to the more expensive tools in my collection. I know it might seem like theirs a lot of do's and don'ts but the most important thing is to enjoy what your doing.

Wood turning is fantastic. If you are interested in wood turning find a local club and visit that, Turners are a helpful bunch of people and will help get you started. Don't buy cheap tools it is a false economy they are usually carbon steel where for turning you should have HSS High Speed Steel. Make sure you learn how to sharpen your tools, a blunt tool won't cut as well and is more dangerous. Reply 2 years ago.

What's the problem with HCS? Do the turning tools heat up that much so the tip loses its hardness? Thank you. I will add these to the article as soon as possible. They are normally the first things I think of when talking about the craft. I don't know how I missed them here. Thanks again:. It is easy to forget to mention things that become second nature, we are all guilty of that.

It is forefront for me as I am fairly new to turning and made all 3 of those mistakes. Got to start somewhere eh. I've always been scared of the lathe since shop class at school! Good info here to get my head round it all! Ill be adding some extra tips soon. Like no loose things around the lathe. It can be scary. I don't know a single turner who hasn't had a catch.

Knowing how to use the tools and where the danger is goes a long wat to making it safer. But it always demands respect as a tool. Great job! I am thinking about doing a sequel talking about the more unusual tools and techniques. But its not likely to be published super soon. Im glad you like it.

Best of luck and if you can join a club it's often easier starting a new hobby with like minded friends. I remember at school 45 years ago that we used to turn bowls which were glued to the backplate, I think with paper inbetween. Perhaps a refresher on this technique, if you are familiar with it. I am familiar but would tend to recommend against it. Purely due to the risk of the paper glue failing resulting in a fast moveing dish being out of control in a workshop.

When doing dishes i tend to screw into a faceplate or use a chuck. The chuck being my go to. It can fail but I feel a bit safer with this type of hold. Saying this the paper method is used for something called inside out turning. Keep checking the driveshaft and the tailstock to ensure that your wood is always securely attached to the lathe.

So head out to your stash of wood and get some wood ready for turning. What piece of wood has you excited about turning? What challenges have you faced in preparing your wood? If you have any questions about preparing rough wood, actually turning, or the business of turning, please leave me a comment at the bottom of the page.

These posts are for you, the woodturner. If you like turning projects or articles related to the business of turning then please sign up for the Turning For Profit newsletter. Generally, it comes out once a week and has links to the current articles, a bit on what I am up to, and usually a question for your response.

You can sign up on the right sidebar or just a little lower on the page. I love woodturning and sharing with you. You can follow me on Facebook as well. Thank you for allowing me to join you on your woodturning journey. Have fun and remember to turn safely. I look forward to reading more of your recommendations. I would like to make rolling pins and finish with beeswax.

A moisture meter will help dictate when it is turnable. I have turnered green walnut into pepper mills. The hole in the center helped dry it quickly with no wourping. Turn safely. I would like to sign up for the turning for profit newsletter. I was self-taught 20 years ago and learned everything wrong.

I quit turning after six months. Good article. I just ordered a new lathe. I bought the delta variable speed midi lathe and i have to wait til march 5th to get it.

Must be good if they are that far behind making them. Keep up the good work. Very good articles on how too turn out a bowl. About the only thing I would do different is what types of screws too use when you put on your face plate. As it says in the box this signs you up for the newsletter. Hope this helps and thanks for your comment. I have to do some tree thinning and have a bit of oak, cherry , and black walnut that are among the trees Cutting Wood For Turning Simulator that have to go.

I would rather not sell or use green wood. Any insight into how to do this is appreciated. Thinning will start in a few weeks. Good question. I would split the larger pieces in half and then seal the end grain. There are several dedicated products available but I have also heard of turners using left over latex paint to seal the ends and slow down the loss of moisture from the end grain.

Hope this helps and have fun with the turning. I am a novice!!! I was going to cut it into 3 pieces and turn each. But I am now finding that I should split the log down the middle and then cut into pieces for turning.

Is this correct? Am I making myself clear? Thanks for your anticipated reply. Larry the Novice! Great question Larry. Splitting it up allows the wood to dry. The pith, the center part, usually dries at a different rate than the rest of the wood. If you include the pith in your turnings that is where the cracks and splits are likely to show up. The greatest and most rapid loss of moisture is from the ends of the wood or log.

Cover or seal them so that the wood dries at a more consistent rate through the entire piece of wood. Hope this helps. Robin, would you happen to have any pictures of the jig you made for the planet, to get a flat surface? Thank you, and by the way, I love reading all your posts! I have learned so much from you! To put the wood through the planer you need a flat surface.

I attached a small board with screws to the rough wood. I also put shims under the wood to help stabilize it. Once you have put the wood through the planer a few times you will have a flat surface on the wood itself as a reference. Then you can remove the jig, flip the wood, and flatten the other side. I read part one of this series, and that was also helpful for me.

I got a handful of rough wood in my shop, and I want to turn them into some beautiful pieces. Thanks for the guide. I took my time and carefully turned the blank round on the […]. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Menu Skip to right header navigation Skip to main content Skip to secondary navigation Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer.

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