# New Turner



## LTREES (Jan 31, 2012)

Hi guys,

Have not been around too much and now would like to get into turning wood. Does any one like the Grizzly bench top lathe? I was considering getting the one with 3/4 hp motor on it. I don't need to get the best out there, but want to get lathe the is dependable. And where should I look for chisels? I have no idea what is a good brand name. Do you want a harder metal to stay sharp or a softer metal that sharpens easier?


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## swift4me (Feb 5, 2012)

I've been turning for about 6 years, and trust me, you'll love it. Your post is old, so maybe you bought your lathe and tools already.

Re-post if you're still looking, or send me a pm.

Good luck

Pete


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## LTREES (Feb 9, 2012)

Thanks for posting, I under stand alot of people just look over the newbie due to they r searching other things. I did not buy yet but really want to get a variable speed lathe that is of good quality. I will need tools, tips, and lots of practice. I have a small tree business and need to set up a wood shop for the future (RETIREMENT). thanks for the help and if u have anything to add, please do so.

thanks...LT...


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## swift4me (Feb 10, 2012)

If you go to this site World of Wood Woodworking Forum and you can search and ask questions. There are some fanatical tuners on there, including SBD777 who posts here. He is very knowledgable and has helped me. 

For my experience, I have had only one lathe, a Delta Midi-Lathe, and I've had great luck with it. Lots of guys have Jet lathes and they are good too. If you want to turn pens or game calls, you don't need too big a lathe, but if you want to turn bowls, you need to think about buying a bigger and more powerful lathe. Almost all of them are variable speed, but some don't require turning off the machine to change the belts.

I had some old tools from my grandfather, so I just use those, and I've made a few myself for special jobs. I'm sure you can spend as much as you want on tools.

The other tools and chucks would depend on what you want to turn.

Pete


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## discounthunter (Feb 10, 2012)

lt hidden in this picture are my 2 lathes. silver one is a wilton midi mt1 setup(now owned by jet). i told 95percent of my projects on it .the blue one is my vicmark also a midi but bigger motor plus mt2 setup.most of my chisels are hanging up ,the ones i use most(95percent) are under the bed of the silver one.







shop eye candy


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## swift4me (Feb 11, 2012)

I like the eye candy. 

For what it's worth, I think I'd make sure I bought a machine set up for Morse Taper 2. If you want to buy other chucks in the future, I think you'll have more choice. If you only want to turn pens, then it probably doesn't matter.

I have not owned a MT 1 machine, so take my advice for what it's worth.

Pete


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## discounthunter (Feb 11, 2012)

agreed . MT2 i think offers more versitility. my wilton was a gift so i didnt have a say-so,nor at the time knew the difference.but defineatly consider a variable speed option.


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## LTREES (Feb 12, 2012)

Thanks for the tips. Just got a tip on a shopsmith and will take a look at that. Can you turn smaller items on a larger lathe, or is the large lathe too big to make calls and whistles? I scrolled down to see the eye candy and got caught, my wife sighed. well, maybe it comes with the lathe?


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## discounthunter (Feb 12, 2012)

LTREES said:


> Thanks for the tips. Just got a tip on a shopsmith and will take a look at that. Can you turn smaller items on a larger lathe, or is the large lathe too big to make calls and whistles? I scrolled down to see the eye candy and got caught, my wife sighed. well, maybe it comes with the lathe?



i would choose a midi(middle size) gives you a wide range small to fairly big. a full size lathe will probable give you more grief on small things. a mini will make you want a bigger one,lol.

sorry dont know how the eye candy got in there,lol.


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## swift4me (Feb 13, 2012)

While I do not own one, I know that many duck and goose call turners use full size lathes. If I had the choice, I would have a full sized lathe so I could do other stuff. Midi lathes are of course less expensive generally.

Pete


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## harley2143 (Feb 19, 2012)

*lathe thoughts*



LTREES said:


> Thanks for posting, I under stand alot of people just look over the newbie due to they r searching other things. I did not buy yet but really want to get a variable speed lathe that is of good quality. I will need tools, tips, and lots of practice. I have a small tree business and need to set up a wood shop for the future (RETIREMENT). thanks for the help and if u have anything to add, please do so.
> 
> thanks...LT...



get a variable speed lathe, one that will turn 340 rpm or slower in case you really enjoy it then you'll be able to start turning some out of round items. Also depending on how much you'll want to do, look into a lathe with a headstock that you can turn outboard or away from the bed. Saves alot of pain on the back


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## harley2143 (Feb 19, 2012)

*lathe work*

You'll enjoy it more then you think, you want one with at least 1hp motor and depending what your thinking get one with a head stock that you can turn outboard or away from the bed, really saves pain on the back. Only other thing i'd suggest is variable speed is a must. Digital readout is best but you can start without it to see if you want to continue. I started with a belt pulley system and it gets old when you have to change puleys all the time. Good luck in turning


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## zacker (Feb 27, 2012)

harley2143 said:


> get a variable speed lathe, one that will turn 340 rpm or slower in case you really enjoy it then you'll be able to start turning some out of round items. Also depending on how much you'll want to do, look into a lathe with a headstock that you can turn outboard or away from the bed. Saves alot of pain on the back




Gawd... I HATE out of round, it seems like it takes forever to turn...lol Was doing a winged bowl from a chunk of Hickory and I like the natural shap of the slab but what made it hard was because of the nature of turning a longer, thin rectangle versus a circle or square, speed really helps. the problem is the odd (natural) shape caused it to be OOR (out of round) for most of the process. It turned out ok though, It just needs to be sanded to completion. Anyone got a source for a 2" round sanding disk (the one witth he foam backing and velcro stick pads) I can use in my drill? Ive seen them on Amazon but they got bad reviews cause they are all plastic.


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## Crazyreadr21 (Mar 8, 2012)

*Lots of web resources...*

Check out this site: Wood Turning Articles From Woodturning Online

Many very good articles about starting out turning. Have fun with it.


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## sb47 (Mar 27, 2012)

I just got a lathe and its fun to mess with. Mine is an old woodcraft 42” and will turn up to 5”. 
It was given to me by a guy that comes by and gets burl wood for his turnings. It came with 3 deferent sized mounting plates and a pin mandrel. He also gave me some wood chisels to get me started. I’ve only had it for 4 days and I’ve turned 3 bowls. One out of some mesquite and the other two out of some cedar. They came out pretty well for a newbie and my first try. You will need a good band saw and a good drill press if you want to do pins.
A table saw is great for roughing out blanks. 
Since you have a wood lot you should have plenty of wood to practice on.
Make your own blanks if you can, and save the good wood for after you get a little better at it. 


It’s addicting! Have Fun!

Dennis


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## zacker (Mar 27, 2012)

Awesome!! I dont use my drill press for drilling pens or home made chisel handles anymore, i just couldnt get the holes straight. So i bought a 1/2" drill chuck with a #2MT and i put it in my tail stock and then I put my blank in my 4 Jaw chuck and once its centered and spinning straight, I move the tail stock forward and turn the crank and drive the staionary bit into the spinning wood. works like a charm! 

Does the head stock on your Lathe swivel out to the side for bigger bowls?


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## ShermanC (Apr 17, 2013)

*Round Velcro or hook and loop sanding discs*



zacker said:


> I realize this st is 14 months since your question but I'll offer this info anyway. Last year I bought the Angled Rotary Sander tool from Penn
> State Industries for about $50. The kit include four snap in shafts, four foam pads and a good variety of Velcro discs. It has saved time and makes good results on the lathe. Tell PSi I sent you!
> Sherm


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## john taliaferro (Apr 23, 2013)

American association of wood-turners they will help you find a local club and help with finding a lathe , packard wood works have sanding pads get the heavy duty velcro and find a drill at a garage sale .


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