getting started in woodturning
Learning at the Lathe Selected Readings from American Woodturner, Journal of the American Association of Woodturners
American Association of Woodturners 222 Landmark Center 75 5th St. W St. Paul, MN 55102-7704 877-595-9094 www.woodturner.org
Contents 3
Introduction The Editors
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Finding Wood for Turning Practice Ron Hampton
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Green Wood or Dry Wood? Lyle Jamieson
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Honey Dipper is Classic First Project Nick Cook
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Bowls and Plates from Rough-Sawn Boards Betty Scarpino
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Egg Cup Introduces End-Grain Hollowing Nick Cook
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The Compleat Spindle Turner Russ Fairfield
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Humanizing the Skew Chisel Russ Fairfield
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Turning Balls from Green Branches Cliff Hill
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Learning to Avoid Spiral Catches Joe Larese
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A Good Grip: Feel the Wood through the Tool Rodger Jacobs
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Sanding Savvy Russ Fairfield
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Sanding Shortcuts Steve Sinner
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Guide to Finishing Peter M. Smith
Published by American Association of Woodturners, 222 Landmark Center, 75 5th St. W., St. Paul, MN 55102-7704. 877-595-9094, www.woodturner.org.
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Copyright Š2013 American Association of Woodturners. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission. Readers may create any project for personal use or sale, and may copy patterns to assist them in making projects. The information in this book is presented in good faith; however, no warranty is given nor are results guaranteed. American Woodturner magazine and the American Association of Woodturners disclaim any and all liability.
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American Woodturner (ISSN 0895-9005) is published bimonthly by American Association of Woodturners.
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Learning at the Lathe ISBN 978-1-939662-04-0
Food-Safe Finishes Bob Flexner
Advice for Beginning Turners Jim Echter
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Celebrating the Functional Wooden Bowl Joshua Friend
Safety Checklists The Editors
Printed on Demand in United States of America American Association of Woodturners, www.woodturner.org
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Introduction
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very woodturner must start somewhere, and this collection from American Woodturner magazine will help the beginner get off to a great start with fundamental techniques, skill-building projects, and best workshop practices. There’s a lot of detailed, practical advice in this little book, ranging across the problems that all beginners will encounter. Fundamental problems like how to obtain practice wood, and whether to emphasize green, recently cut wood, or dried wood from a lumber dealer. How to hold the wood on the lathe, which tools to use, how to hold the tools and cut effectively with them. How to make the shapes you want to create. How to recover from a nasty spiral catch, and how to avoid that mishap as your skills grow. How to sand and finish effectively, and how to know when a bowl finish is safe to use with food. Alongside all this practical, skill-building information, two more currents run through this little book. First is the infectious enthusiasm and pleasure that woodturners take from their craft, which shines through every one of these stories. Second is the shared understanding that none of this information would be available without the fellowship and open exchange fostered by the American Association of Woodturners. You’ll find the very best advice in this book on page 58: “Join your local AAW chapter. Many members are willing to help beginners learn how to turn.”
Selected Readings from AW Journal From its founding in 1986, the American Association of Woodturners has published a regular journal of advice, information, and good fellowship for everyone interested in the field. Led by a series of dedicated editors and board members, the AW Journal has evolved to become American Woodturner magazine, now published in full color six times each year. The AW Journal is a genuine treasure-trove of practical, shop-tested information written by woodturners for their fellow woodturners. Learning at the Lathe is the third volume in an on-going series being extracted from this archive. Learning at the Lathe is available as a 64-page printed book, or as a PDF download that is readable on all your electronic devices.
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Finding Wood for Turning Practice
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ne thing that all woodturners need is wood. Novice woodturners (such as myself) need free wood. It’s very discouraging to ruin an expensive piece of wood because your skill level does not match the beauty of the wood. Two ways to increase your skill level are to read as many books and watch as many videos on woodturning as you can. But after you see a skill demonstrated, you must go to the lathe and practice. You must turn wood, lots of wood. That’s why it helps if the wood is free. I have had some fun figuring out ways to get free wood. Experienced woodturners seem to have more wood than they know what to do with. But the poor novice is the one who has trouble finding what he needs. Here are some of the ways that I have been able to obtain more wood than I know what to do with, the first three sources are for dry wood, the rest for green: • Cabinet shop cutoffs—Go by cabinet shops. Meet the owners and ask them if you can go through their waste barrels. Most cabinets are made from plywood. But sometimes the more expensive cabinet shops will work with solid hardwood. I have gotten a lot of dried hardwood this way. The cutoffs may be 4x4 squares, or they may be strips 1 to 2 inches long. They will give you only the wood that is too small for them to use in a future project. Their firewood, however, is your treasure. One word of warning. Older woodturners know this trick, so you may be up against some tough competition. There are several ways to get around this. One is to introduce yourself with
4 • FINDING WOOD FOR TURNING PRACTICE
a bowl. Another is to become friends with the fellow who is getting all of the choice cutoffs. I did this once. One of the men in our club, Ed Felps, is a twenty-year friend of a very good cabinetmaker. Ed gets all the choice cutoffs. I did a special favor for Ed, which he appreciated, and a few weeks later, he showed up at my house with a pickup tuck full of long, dried hardwood cutoffs. I now have more dried hardwood than I know what to do with. • Lift pallets—Lift pallets are often discarded by many small companies. I get all the free pallets I want from a paint company close to my house. Again, it is a simple procedure. Go in and introduce yourself. Visit for a while and explain that you are a woodturner. Ask the owner or manager if he ever has pallets that you can have. At the paint store that I go to, there are some pallets that he keeps and some that I am welcome to take. • Sports equipment—Bowling pins are a great source of dried wood. Pool cues are another. Go by all the pool halls in your area. Visit with the owner or manager and ask him for all of his broken pool cues. You will be amazed at how many pool cues you will end up with in a short time. Pool cues can be used to make small objects, including pens, bobbins, and tool handles. • Tree-surgeon debris—Call up all the professional tree cutters in your city. While driving around town, stop and talk to every professional tree cutter you see. Tell them what types of wood you are looking for. You won’t hit a home run every time, but you don’t have to in order to be successful. I got
two large dump-truck loads of black walnut this way. Some of the logs were about 36 inches in diameter. I even got the guy to deliver the wood to my back yard! • Down trees—Cruising for wood after a storm can be very productive. Most of the time the owner will thank you for cutting up a down tree and hauling it off. • Excess wood trades—Carry some of your excess wood with you when you travel out of town to a woodturning meeting. There are always people there who want to sell wood. Sometimes you can trade with them. I did that at the Texas Turn or Two. I carried two large pieces of beautiful black walnut and traded them for two of the same size pieces of spalted maple. Both of us were thrilled with the trade. • Give-aways—I know this sounds like an unusual way to get wood. I accidentally stumbled onto it. I had so much walnut that I gave large pieces of it to members of our woodturning club. I expected nothing in return. But, you know, a funny thing happened. I started getting back some really nice species of wood that I had never turned. Boy, was that a nice surprise! • Telling people what you’re looking for—For the last four years (ever since I became a woodturner) I have been looking for a large stump that did not have rocks in it. Rocks are hard on your chain saw and turning tools. Recently, Corbett Anderson and I cut up some large walnut trees that the owner had pushed over. Corbett kept the 36-inchdiameter trunks to make lumber out of, and we cut the limbs, some of which
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AW 12:1, p22
Ron Hampton
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Green Wood or Dry Wood? Lyle Jamieson
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“Castle,” 8” dia., cherry burl from the upper peninsula of Michigan. It was turned green, incorporating the natural edge of the burl.
electric, cable, and telephone companies are expanding service. City and local government workers are trimming and thinning damaged or diseased trees. Most of this wood is on its
“Seascape,” 12” dia., beech crotch. The tree was cut down during a business expansion. The wood was turned green, left thick, dried, and turned again.
6 • GREEN WOOD OR DRY WOOD?
way to the fire pit or landfill. That’s just what you want: wood that others are discarding and glad to give away for the asking. It’s the greatest to turn! So you have found this great curly maple tree the city has cut down and they would love for you to haul some of it away for them. Now how do you handle it? Wood handling is a vital factor in turning successfully. There are three ways to handle wood for turning. First, you could take it home and turn it green. Second, you could partially turn it and set it aside to dry slowly for returning to a final piece at a later time. Third, you could allow the block to dry completely before turning. Now let’s explore these options. Green turning works well because the wood turns much easier when wet. Shavings flow off your tool like butter. As with most turning, it is important to use very sharp tools. A dull tool on wet
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AW 10:2, p20
wo of the most often asked questions by woodturners or turning enthusiasts are, “Where do you get your wood,” and “How do you keep it from checking, cracking, and splitting?” The answers for woodturners are not easy. Unlike other woodworkers, turners usually start with freshly cut wood. In contrast to cabinetry and carpentry, larger, thicker pieces of wood are necessary for turning. Most kiln-dried wood in lumber yards is not the size or species desired. Trees with flaws, crotches, and burls and hard-to-find varieties are usually relegated to the firewood pile, but these are the most valuable for woodturning because of the unusual color or grain patterns. To purchase exotic woods from distant lands is very expensive and except for an occasional special project unnecessary. Trees are coming down all around, everyday, if you keep your eyes and ears (listen for the chainsaws) open. New roads and homes are always underway;
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Honey Dipper is a Classic First Project Nick Cook
Get started For lathe tools, you’ll need a ¾" or 1¼" spindle roughing gouge, a thin (1/16") parting tool, and a 3/8" spindle gouge. A centerfinder, mini-drive center, and cup center are all helpful but not necessary. For turning stock, choose a closegrain hardwood that takes detail well with little or no tear-out. The honey dippers shown on these pages were turned from 8"-long squares of 5/4 (11/16" thick) hard maple (also known as sugar maple). The 5/4 stock gives you a little more room for design opportunities.
Photo: John Hetherington
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ecause so many young woodturners like to see quick results for their efforts, the honey dipper is a favorite first-time project. Your novice woodturner will learn how to mount the material, basic tool usage, and a little about sanding and finishing. It also allows the turner a fair amount of creativity in the design of the project. With success practically guaranteed, your student will beg to complete another project. These how-to instructions include additional comments you may direct to a new woodturner regarding safety measures and good turning habits.
Here’s a sweet way to introduce turning skills to students. blow mallet to drive the center into one end of the stock. Return the drive center, with the blank attached, to the spindle. Bring up the tailstock with live center to the opposite end of the blank. Lock the tailstock in place and advance the quill to engage the blank. Lock the quill in place. Adjust the tool rest to a position just below the centerline and about ¼" away from the corners of the blank. Always rotate the workpiece by hand before starting the machine to check for proper clearance. Never move the tool rest with the lathe running.
You can safely turn this project at about 1800 rpm. With experience, you can turn a spindle this size at up to 3000 rpm. It is best to start out slowly and gain confidence before increasing the speed.
Rough out the blank Begin turning with a spindle roughing gouge. Place the gouge on the tool rest near the tailstock with the bevel above the workpiece. Lift the handle until the bevel comes into contact with the workpiece. Once the cutting edge engages the workpiece, roll the tool to the right to cut the corners off the end of the square stock while maintaining bevel contact.
Adjust turning speed
AW 21:2, p38
Mount the turning square Use a centerfinder to locate and mark the center on each end of the blank. Put a dimple at the center of each end with an awl or centerpunch. Remove the drive center from the spindle and use a mallet or dead
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Let’s assume students will be turning at a mini-lathe with step pulleys. You should always stop the machine, unplug it, and move the belt to the proper pulley, then plug in the machine and proceed with the turning project.
HONEY DIPPER IS A CLASSIC FIRST PROJECT • 9