I’d always been interested in getting myself a woodturning lathe since my teen age days but never got round to it. I had helped my Dad turn out some chair legs for a Dining Room Suite he was making.
Twenty five years later I took the plunge. I purchased myself a beginners lathe, the Record Power DML-SK Starter Kit that came with 3 woodturning tools, a video, a wood screw chuck and 3 wood blanks to get started on (see picture here, my one doesn’t have the legs though).
The lathe arrived and I opened the boxes and stared at it for a while, visions of fancy and ornate bowls, candlesticks and light stands flashing through my mind.
I spent Friday night (that’s right Friday night) assembling the lathe and fastening it to my workbench.
I then sat down in front of the TV and watched the video on how to turn a candlestick. Early the next morning I disappeared into the garage and set about turning my first piece of wood. I scratched through my wood off cuts and found a piece of pine (300 mm x 47 mm x 50 mm) and decided I would mess around and see if I could get the piece of wood round to start off with.
I marked off the centers on each end using a square I’d picked up at a car boot sale for 50p and got to work. I attached the piece of wood to the lathe, referred to the handbook and set the speed at 450 rpm (the slowest it will go). Set the tool rest in line with the middle of the piece of wood used the half inch roughing out tool that came with the set and got to work. Had quite a few dig ins where the wood stopped turning. The headstock wasn’t properly set in the wood. Stopped the lathe, switched the power off, tightened up the tailstock to force the headstock in a bit further and started again. Managed to get a round piece of wood with a few bumps and hollows (not sure of the correct names yet!).
Watched the video again to see what I’d done wrong. There were quite a few things I could have done better;
Other than that I think I did rather well after a 25 year lay off and I wasn’t that good back then anyway.
The next day I set to work on one of the small pieces of Oak (I think) that came with my starter kit.
I marked out the centers and then drilled a 25 mm deep hole in the one end that would take the candle, that’s right I was attempting my first candle stick. I then attached it to the lathe, checked the head and tailstocks, checked the speed of the lathe, checked the tool rest, sharpened my tools on an oilstone, plugged in the lathe and set to work.
I turned a small candlestick about 150 mm high and about 40 mm in diameter (to see a picture click here).
I decided I needed to do some research into how things should be done. I used the Internet to search for sites on woodworking, woodturning etc. etc. and came across a lot of interesting sites that have various hints and tips for all levels of wood turner (see my links page). Found lots of interesting articles that I duly printed off and filed away for future reference.
I popped down to our local saw Mill to get some wood and was given two large block of straight grained softwood. Although I was told what wood it was I don’t remember the name. I took it home and promptly decided to try and turn a either a large goblet or a vase. The wood was green and soft. I managed to turn the outside shape but when I started on the inside the gauge dug in and my goblet broke through at the thinnest point. I obviously need to improve my tool selection and control. I desperately need some information on what tool to use and most of all how to use it. Back to the Internet, but no search engines this time, I went straight to Amazon.co.uk to look for books on woodturning. Found two books and decided to order them.
They finally arrived but I haven’t had a chance to look at then as I am working away from home from Monday to Friday.
Took my folder of notes and articles to peruse in my Hotel room at night.
My next mini project was a lamp stand from the other 2 sample pieces of oak received in my beginners’ pack. One piece about 200mm x 40mm x 40 mm square and a disc about 150 mm diameter by 20 mm thick. I turned a reasonable looking stand and then started on the base. Fastened the base to my wood screw chuck, struggled to get the screw tight so changed it and also created a small counter sink area where the screw protrudes through the chuck. Picked that up from one of the articles I read on the Internet. This leaves a small area for small wood shavings to fill when you fasten the wood to the chuck. Also found that I’d lost the grub screw that fixes the screw in place. Scratched around in my toolbox and found a larger longer screw and used that, it worked perfectly. Turned the rim and then moved the tool rest and started on the top of the base. That didn’t go too badly either. Gave the base a sanding with fine/medium grit sanding pad. I find these quite useful as they are made from a foam inner with two grades of sanding material on the outside, fine/medium or medium/coarse, these can be bent and squeezed to take on the shape of the piece you are sanding. Applied sanding sealer then let it dry and then resanded using my fine/medium pad. Used my small rechargeable drill to drill a hole from the outside of the base through to the center to take the electric lead. Managed to get it aligned perfectly, must be beginners luck). Then realized that I need a drill/auger to bore out the center of the stand. Back to the Internet to order a Long Hole Boring Kit and while I was at it I ordered a Power Chuck Set, a 4-inch cast iron faceplate and a set of 8 HSS tools. The faceplate and tools have arrived, the power chuck should be delivered when I get home (another toy to play with).
I have also purchased a grinder for tool sharpening as well as some wood blanks.
I have turned a sacrificial faceplate from pine and last weekend a glued that to a block of wood about 225-mm square, I have trimmed off the corners to get it to fit on my lathe. The lathe can only handle 225-mm block. I will then fasten on the faceplate and then have a go at turning a bowl or some such thing this weekend.
