tonydem Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 so.... long story short, i opted to make my mother in a law a table that shes been wanting for christmas and have always wanted to try using a lathe.... so we have an old man here in town that buy sells trades wood working tools for fun (nice retirement gig really) and i stopped by his place and got a 40" lathe for $50... that was monday... i set it up on the bench and turned two 1.5" x 1.5" x 12" pieces for practice using the techniques he showed me and then on tuesday i went to town on this 4x4 fir post i had layin around.... i would like input and tips.... anything you see that you like or i couldve done cleaner.... looking for a keen wood turner eyes opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 looks good so far keep in mind that you want to sand on the lathe and since your sanding across grain you have to do alot more sanding then you would with normal piece of lumber. also to keep any friction down you can put some BLO on the wood and sand that way but make shure you use wet dry sandpaper. and every once in a while you want to stop the machine and sand by hand to break up any sanding rings you might make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbarton22 Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 I suggest while you have it mounted on the lathe, use your hands to "see" the curve. I can tell from the photo that some of your curves are segmented. You want to make sure they feel smooth and look smooth. Also, I see areas of tear out. You can always sand things like that out, but that is a serious pain and can distort your forms. So, while you are practicing, stop your lathe and look for tear out. That should be a sign you need to correct some things. Check if your tool is sharp. Make sure you are addressing the piece properly for the tool you are using. Try switching tools. Take lighter cuts. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you are going to get tear out. So, while you can, work on the ways to fix the problems you occur. It has been said many times that the real measure of a woodworker is not how perfect he is on the first go, but with what skill he can fix mistakes. Keep sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonydem Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 looks good so far keep in mind that you want to sand on the lathe and since your sanding across grain you have to do alot more sanding then you would with normal piece of lumber. also to keep any friction down you can put some BLO on the wood and sand that way but make shure you use wet dry sandpaper. and every once in a while you want to stop the machine and sand by hand to break up any sanding rings you might make. forgive me .... what is BLO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonydem Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 thanks for the replies guys.... i appreciate it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonydem Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 forgive me .... what is BLO? nevermind i got it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Eagar Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 You might want to move your CDs; don't want a stray wood chip breaking any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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