Woodworking And The Wood Lathe

Make A Clock With Hidden Storage

 
When moving from flat style woodworking like cabinet work and jewelry boxes to round work like bowls and pens, it appears that all that is needed will be a wood lathe and a few cutting tools. While there are many wood turning tools that could be gotten over the years, there are many other tools that are needed in order to explore the world of wood turning. Thankfully, many of these tools are already owned by the typical woodworker as are the skills to use them.Wood needs to be prepared for the wood lathe. This begins for many projects with a log. One of the things that the typical woodworker needs to do when changing to work with the wood lathe is alter the way he or she thinks of getting wood. Instead of beginning with a nice, flat board from the local lumber dealer, a wood turner often starts with a felled log from the local tree surgeon or firewood supplier. The principle tool for beginning this procedure is a chain saw. Many woodworkers will have one of these for rough work and if not, an electric one will suffice for most needs.Following the roughing of wood with the chain saw, there is the need to get it into reasonable shape for the lathe. This often means cutting it round or into long squares. One of the best tools for this is the band saw, owned by many woodworkers. It is also regarded as one of the safest saws in the shop and some would consider it one of the safest tools generally. It excels at long, circular cuts and with a bit of practice will do an admirable job at straight cuts as well. The fourteen inch band saw which will generally cut to a depth of six inches through hardwood, is a common feature in many woodworking shops. It is seldom that a wood turner will need a greater depth of cut but risers can be obtained for most fourteen inch saws on the market and they can be retrofitted to cut to depth of up to twelve inches.Lathe tools need to be frequently sharpened. Some of the wood that turners like to work with will have lots of knots, included bark or grit from the felling of the tree. These conditions combined with the high speeds of the moving wood tend to quickly dull a tool. Most woodworking shops have a grinder used to remove nicks from plane blades and chisels and to reshape an edge before using whet stones to fine tune the cutting edge. Replacing one of the wheels with a fine grit aluminum oxide wheel and adding a sharpening jig quickly and simply turns the the grinder into a lathe tool sharpener and also allows its original use at the other wheel. The sharpening jig is not necessary but very nice and can be easily made in the home woodworking shop.So the need for wood lathe tools for the home woodworker quickly becomes reduced to the lathe itself and the various cutting tools that may be needed. Many if not all of the other tools will be found already in the home woodworking shop. Of course, this is all followed by the enjoyment of learning new woodworking skills at the wood lathe and the continued pleasure of making new works in wood.
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Wood Lathe Safety Tips

The wood lathe is a powerful woodworking tool, and one that requires users to adhere to all safety procedures for injury-free operation. If you're not operating a wood lathe safely, it's not a question of if you'll have an accident, but when.Start with Safety GlassesAt the bare minimum, you must wear safety glasses to protect your eyes when working with a wood lathe or any woodworking tool. Wood chips have a tendency to fly around unpredictably, so eye protection is vital. For an extra layer of protection, don't stop at safety glasses; wear a face shield to protect your exposed skin from flying wood shards. You can get a face shield from any shop that sells wood lathe supplies. You may find that you have more fun using your lathe with a face shield, since you won't be swatting sawdust and chips away from your nose and mouth.
No Loose ClothingDon't wear loose clothing or jewelry when working on a wood lathe. These items can catch on woodworking tools and cause serious injury.
Wear a Dust MaskDuring operations that generate a lot of dust or wood particles, such as sanding, wear a dust mask to protect your respiratory system. For added protection, consider a respirator.
Check Your LatheBefore you turn your wood lathe on, you should examine it thoroughly to be sure all equipment is in good working order. Are all clamps secure? Is the wood lathe chuck properly seated? Consult your owner's manual for a list of safety checks to perform before using your lathe.
Be Selective with StockThe wood you choose can make a big difference in your safety. Avoid using stock with knots or obvious defects. Knots in the wood can jar your woodworking tools and potentially cause damage to the piece or to you as you work with the wood. Certain types of wood, particularly black walnut and mahogany, will dull blades on cutting tools quickly. Be sure to keep your blades sharp so that you're not forcing tools into the wood; this can cause serious injury if the lathe jams.
Rotate the wood by hand before you turn on the wood lathe to be sure it moves freely. If the stock is catching on the tool rest or isn't turning properly, don't engage the lathe until you've corrected the problem.Adjust the Tool RestMake sure the tool rest is in the proper position before engaging the lathe. The tool rest should be approximately 1/8 inch from the piece of wood that you're working. If the tool rest is too close, it can cause the stock to hang up; too far, and the tool can get ripped out of your hand and damage you or your shop.
Check Your SpeedLathe speed is dictated by the size of your stock and what you're doing with it. Larger stock should rotate more slowly, while smaller stock can rotate faster. Select the proper speed before turning on your lathe, and don't adjust the speed after the lathe is engaged.
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Introduction to the Wood Lathe Chuck

A wood lathe chuck can be an excellent addition to any wood lathe. A chuck allows one to turn smaller pieces of wood with a high degree of flexibility while avoiding the inconvenience supporting the wood with the tailstock.Many people use wood lathe chucks for smaller projects. They are an absolutely necessary tool for anyone who would like to turn wooden bowls or similar items.You can choose your wood lathe chuck from two different options. Three-jaw chucks center the wood in the lathe automatically and are well suited for symmetrical projects. That is because these chucks basically immobilize the wood, which means all rounding will be toward the true center of the wood. These are the lathe chucks with which most woodworkers first experiment. They produce great results, even though they are somewhat limited in what they can do.A four-jaw wood lathe chuck offers more flexibility. These chucks allow the lathe user to move the wood during the turning process. This allows the operator to create rounded pieces that are not necessarily symmetrical or centered. These chucks are ideal for those who are handling very specialized aspects of custom projects and for artists who do not want to find themselves limited any more than necessary.Suppliers provide three-jaw and four-jaw chucks in multiple sizes. A jewelry maker may find himself using a tiny, one-inch chuck. Meanwhile, a turner of a large wooden bowl may work with a chuck with a full two-foot diameter! There is a chuck for every project and every preference.Your choice of a chuck size must be governed by two factors: the size of the lathe upon which the chuck will be used and the size of the wood pieces you plan to turn. Before you purchase a wood lathe chuck, double check your lathe's capacity and determine the chuck's intended use. That will help you to secure the right tool for your specific needs.Lathe chucks can produce some amazing effects. Any lathe-using woodworker will be able to find a number of uses for these tools.At the same time, it is important to note that these devices are best managed by experienced lathe users. That is particularly true of the manually manipulate four-jaw chuck. Additionally, numerous accidents occur when chucks become stuck. Anyone using a wood lathe chuck should make safety a top priority and should know the proper procedure for handling a stuck chuck.If you are serious about woodworking and love your lathe, you can make it even more valuable, flexible and enjoyable by adding a three-jaw or four-jaw chuck to the mix. These

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Best Wood Lathe for Your Project

The best wood lathe for the job depends on the size of the wood that you will be using for the project. Another consideration for the right lathe to do the wood working is the area that you have to work with a lathe. Different wood chisels can offer some great design abilities to add to your wood working projects.There are three specific sizes for lathes. The pen lathe is for very intricate small refined wood working projects. You would need a pen lathe to do the tiny intricate work that could not be done with a manual tool. A pen lathe would make it possible to turn the wood and handle very refined small details that would not be possible to do otherwise. A mini lathe takes up a little space and is easy to store without taking up a lot of room in your wood working shop or garage.The mini lathe is the next size up. It is used for making spindles and other curved designs. It allows you to work on projects that require curved pieces that require turning and shaping of the wood while it is being worked into a particular piece for a project. The mini lathe is easy to store and can be kept on a shelf in the wood working shop or your garage when not in use saving space for other equipment and tools.The largest size is the floor lathe. It is a machine that sits on the floor and works larger pieces of wood for bigger projects. It is still small compared to other wood working machinery but it does take up more space than the mini lathe or the pen lathe which can be stored on a shelf. The floor lathe in most cases is easily stored.Wood lathes and wood chisels can be found in many sizes, but they all do different things so you may need more then one. Before you purchase do your research, and take a look around your working space. Once you have you can then pick out the perfect lathe for you.

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Making a Pen with Your New Wood Lathe

So you just purchased a wood lathe but do not know what kind of project you should start out with. As soon as the right amount of skill is obtained, beautiful pieces of woodwork can be created with a wood lathe. However, before you get too over your head, it is best to start out with a basic wood turning project. My recommendation would be beginning by carving your very own pen.Pen turning is a common hobby or past time. These homemade pens can make excellent gifts for any event. Pen turning is a fun yet practical project that can help you get a taste of the capabilities of your wood lathe. The following are some tips in preparing your wood for the lathe that will help you make your first wood lathe experience successful.1. Pick an interesting wood blank. One of the great things about pen turning is you can use any sort of wood you want, including scrap pieces from other projects. Pick out a piece of wood with interesting figuring. Be aware that some wood changes appearance with light and air exposure and will begin to look dull with time, such as Papua or Purple Heart wood. If you are not comfortable using a scrap piece of wood there are numerous wood blanks that can be purchased in all sorts of exotic woods.
2. Examine your wood. It is very important that you examine the wood you are using for your pen project. Make sure that your wood is dry and without faults or cracks. Damp and cracked wood will make for a lousy pen, if you can even make one out of that type of wood at all.3. It is better to be oversize than undersized. If you have to choose between an over sized wood blank and an undersized blank, always choose the over sized one. This will give you some leeway just in case you make a mistake.4. Have an idea. As with everything else in life, your pen will turn out better if you have an idea on what you want to create before you start. Decide before using the wood lathe on what type of shape you want your pen to be.5. Mark the wood blank before you cut. It is nice to put a pencil mark across the grain of the wood before you start. This will make it easier to match up the grain pattern after you cut the wood blank.6. Make sure your ends are square. If the ends of your wood blank are not perfectly square before using the wood lathe, there will be possibilities of cracking when the pen is assembled.7. The smaller wood lathe the better. This tip is really just meant to make your life easier. Any wood lathe is suitable for pen turning; however, the smaller the wood lathe the easier your job is.8. Keep it simple the first couple of times. It is tempting to want to do some fun and intricate pen shapes the first couple of times but stick to the basics until you figure out just exactly what it is you are doing.A pen is an easy project that can help you with the beginning possibilities of your new wood lathe. After you conquer creating your own pen, there are several other projects to start with

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Wood Lathe Safety: Keep Your Lathe In Good Condition

Power tools such as table saws and wood lathes are inherently dangerous although the wood lathe is likely one the safest of the larger power tools in the woodworking shop. Yet there are some considerations in the maintenance of a wood lathe that keep safety standards high.Maintenance for the wood lathe may be channeled into three categories, long term, regular and steady. For the amateur wood turner this can for all intents and purposes be thought of as yearly, monthly, and by the session. With a little thought and preparation, this need not be a tedious set of procedures but simply a part of the wood turning experience. Too often we ignore the bigger parts of a lathe until they break. This causes frustration an interruption in work flow that may last for weeks waiting for parts.Yearly maintenance looks at the overall health of the lathe. Wood lathes rotate wood between head stocks and tail stocks while allowing the turner to move tools back and forth to remove wood. This means there are bearings for things that rotate, motors that drive the rotations, belts to move power from one location to another, and metal sliding on metal to allow tools to move.The simplest of these to check is the sliding of tools rests and tail stocks over the ways of a lathe to man oeuvre tools and hold wood. If there is hesitation in the movement of either it is usually due to rust on the ways or finishes that have hardened on the metal. Remove the tail stock and the tool rest banjo from the lathe and check for either on the bottom of each. Clean rust and finish from the ways, banjo and tail stock with fine sandpaper, steel wool or cleaner and apply wax to the ways for easier movement and rust prevention before replacing the tail stock and banjo.Check belts for wear and replace them from spare belts that you have on hand. Belts tend to be the inexpensive side of lathe repair and it is good to have a spare one in the shop. Likewise, bearing will likely announce incipient wear with noise or movement and should be ordered before demanding replacement. Each lathe is slightly different for bearing replacement so follow your manufacturers advice.At least monthly blow any dust out of the motor and inspect the wiring for good repair. Mounting bolts can loosen with vibration from turning wood and should be checked for tightness. This is a good time to look at belts and bearings for wear and to order new ones for the annual checkup.Before every turning session make sure that the lathe is not crowded with other tools and there is plenty of room to move around it while turning. Be sure all tools are sharp and the sharpening station is ready to go with a cleaned wheel. Just before turning the lathe on check one more time to be certain the moving wood will clear the tool rest and all parts of the lathe are tightened down.Very quickly this all becomes second nature and adds to the enjoyment of turning wood. The satisfaction of knowing the tools are in order will only add to the satisfaction and pleasure of the wood turning experience.

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Using Your Mini Wood Lathe the Right Way

Lathes are available in a wide range of sizes. You can invest in an industrial quality wood lathe that ways over eight hundred pounds. You can also purchase a mini wood lathe for smaller household do-it-yourself projects.It is important to remember that different lathes really are intended for different purposes and projects. If you want to get the most out of mini wood lathe, you'll want to spend some time thinking about the right way to use it. Here are a few recommendations.Don't Bite Off More Than You Can ChewMini lathes are built for small jobs. Period. The last thing you want to do is to try to press one of these lightweight solutions into service for an oversize job.Initially, you'll often find it impossible. The small lathes simply won't accept large pieces of wood. You may be able to stretch its limits, intentionally or otherwise. That's why you should read your lathe's manual carefully to determine the maximum size you can safely use.When you overload your mini wood lathe, it decreases the tool's effectiveness. It can also put too much pressure on the lathe. These tools exist to handle smaller jobs. They aren't sturdy or robust enough to hold up to the abuse of larger jobs. They simply lack the strength. If you try to do too much, you're likely to subject your tool to excess wear, resulting in rapid project failure.Take Your Mini Lathe SeriouslyYes, your mini lathe is a lot smaller than a full-sized model. It may even strike you as having an almost toy-like appearance. However, it's not a toy. It is a serious piece of machinery with electric-powered moving parts. You can't afford to take that lightly.You may be accustomed to working with more intimidating equipment, but you can't let that serve as an excuse to ignore safety recommendations. You should follow all of the safety and operation guidelines for your tool and you should treat every mini lathe project as seriously as you'd treat a larger job.Take Your TimeMoving at a measured, deliberate pace will help with respect to safety, but it will also have a very real impact on the final outcome of your project. You don't really want to speed through any job, but a mini wood lathe justifies some extra patience.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4352151

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Wood Lathe Turning Christmas Tree Ornament

6:35 AM  Wood lathe video, Wood turning Techniques, woodturning lessons  No comments

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Homemade Wood Lathe ( a good start! )

6:37 AM  Wood lathe video, Wood turning Techniques, woodturning for beginners, woodturning lessons  No comments

The elusive homemade wood lathe can be built if you make yourself Do It! This video shows how I made the mandrel/arbor for mounting turning stock onto a motor. The mandrel/arbor needs to be made out of a piece of hard wood!!! I use poplar in the video for testing the build procedure. Soft wood does not work and is dangerous!!! In fact, doing, is dangerous! This video is not an invitation for practice, It is only for illustrative purposes.

Turning a laminated wooden vase on the lathe

6:38 AM  Wood turning machines, Wood turning Techniques, woodturning, woodturning for beginners, woodturning lessons  No comments

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An Introduction to the Wood Lathe Chuck

A wood lathe chuck can be an excellent addition to any wood lathe. A chuck allows one to turn smaller pieces of wood with a high degree of flexibility while avoiding the inconvenience supporting the wood with the tail stock.Many people use wood lathe chucks for smaller projects. They are an absolutely necessary tool for anyone who would like to turn wooden bowls or similar items.You can choose your wood lathe chuck from two different options. Three-jaw chucks center the wood in the lathe automatically and are well suited for symmetrical projects. That is because these chucks basically immobilize the wood, which means all rounding will be toward the true center of the wood. These are the lathe chucks with which most woodworkers first experiment. They produce great results, even though they are somewhat limited in what they can do.A four-jaw wood lathe chuck offers more flexibility. These chucks allow the lathe user to move the wood during the turning process. This allows the operator to create rounded pieces that are not necessarily symmetrical or centered. These chucks are ideal for those who are handling very specialized aspects of custom projects and for artists who do not want to find themselves limited any more than necessary.Suppliers provide three-jaw and four-jaw chucks in multiple sizes. A jewelry maker may find himself using a tiny, one-inch chuck. Meanwhile, a turner of a large wooden bowl may work with a chuck with a full two-foot diameter! There is a chuck for every project and every preference.Your choice of a chuck size must be governed by two factors: the size of the lathe upon which the chuck will be used and the size of the wood pieces you plan to turn. Before you purchase a wood lathe chuck, double check your lathe's capacity and determine the chuck's intended use. That will help you to secure the right tool for your specific needs.Lathe chucks can produce some amazing effects. Any lathe-using woodworker will be able to find a number of uses for these tools.At the same time, it is important to note that these devices are best managed by experienced lathe users. That is particularly true of the manually manipulate four-jaw chuck. Additionally, numerous accidents occur when chucks become stuck. Anyone using a wood lathe chuck should make safety a top priority and should know the proper procedure for handling a stuck chuck.If you are serious about woodworking and love your lathe, you can make it even more valuable, flexible and enjoyable by adding a three-jaw or four-jaw chuck to the mix. These great tools make it possible to use your lathe to complete a number of gorgeous products.

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Making a Pen with Your New Wood Lathe

So you just purchased a wood lathe but do not know what kind of project you should start out with. As soon as the right amount of skill is obtained, beautiful pieces of woodwork can be created with a wood lathe. However, before you get too over your head, it is best to start out with a basic wood turning project. My recommendation would be beginning by carving your very own pen.Pen turning is a common hobby or past time. These homemade pens can make excellent gifts for any event. Pen turning is a fun yet practical project that can help you get a taste of the capabilities of your wood lathe. The following are some tips in preparing your wood for the lathe that will help you make your first wood lathe experience successful.1. Pick an interesting wood blank. One of the great things about pen turning is you can use any sort of wood you want, including scrap pieces from other projects. Pick out a piece of wood with interesting figuring. Be aware that some wood changes appearance with light and air exposure and will begin to look dull with time, such as Papua or Purple Heart wood. If you are not comfortable using a scrap piece of wood there are numerous wood blanks that can be purchased in all sorts of exotic woods.
2. Examine your wood. It is very important that you examine the wood you are using for your pen project. Make sure that your wood is dry and without faults or cracks. Damp and cracked wood will make for a lousy pen, if you can even make one out of that type of wood at all.3. It is better to be oversize than undersized. If you have to choose between an over sized wood blank and an undersized blank, always choose the over sized one. This will give you some leeway just in case you make a mistake.4. Have an idea. As with everything else in life, your pen will turn out better if you have an idea on what you want to create before you start. Decide before using the wood lathe on what type of shape you want your pen to be.5. Mark the wood blank before you cut. It is nice to put a pencil mark across the grain of the wood before you start. This will make it easier to match up the grain pattern after you cut the wood blank.6. Make sure your ends are square. If the ends of your wood blank are not perfectly square before using the wood lathe, there will be possibilities of cracking when the pen is assembled.7. The smaller wood lathe the better. This tip is really just meant to make your life easier. Any wood lathe is suitable for pen turning; however, the smaller the wood lathe the easier your job is.8. Keep it simple the first couple of times. It is tempting to want to do some fun and intricate pen shapes the first couple of times but stick to the basics until you figure out just exactly what it is you are doing.A pen is an easy project that can help you with the beginning possibilities of your new wood lathe. After you conquer creating your own pen, there are several other projects to start with

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Wood Lathe Safety: Keep Your Lathe In Good Condition

Power tools such as table saws and wood lathes are inherently dangerous although the wood lathe is likely one the safest of the larger power tools in the woodworking shop. Yet there are some considerations in the maintenance of a wood lathe that keep safety standards high.Maintenance for the wood lathe may be channeled into three categories, long term, regular and steady. For the amateur wood turner this can for all intents and purposes be thought of as yearly, monthly, and by the session. With a little thought and preparation, this need not be a tedious set of procedures but simply a part of the wood turning experience. Too often we ignore the bigger parts of a lathe until they break. This causes frustration an interruption in work flow that may last for weeks waiting for parts.Yearly maintenance looks at the overall health of the lathe. Wood lathes rotate wood between head stocks and tail stocks while allowing the turner to move tools back and forth to remove wood. This means there are bearings for things that rotate, motors that drive the rotations, belts to move power from one location to another, and metal sliding on metal to allow tools to move.The simplest of these to check is the sliding of tools rests and tail stocks over the ways of a lathe to man oeuvre tools and hold wood. If there is hesitation in the movement of either it is usually due to rust on the ways or finishes that have hardened on the metal. Remove the tail stock and the tool rest banjo from the lathe and check for either on the bottom of each. Clean rust and finish from the ways, banjo and tail stock with fine sandpaper, steel wool or cleaner and apply wax to the ways for easier movement and rust prevention before replacing the tail stock and banjo.Check belts for wear and replace them from spare belts that you have on hand. Belts tend to be the inexpensive side of lathe repair and it is good to have a spare one in the shop. Likewise, bearing will likely announce incipient wear with noise or movement and should be ordered before demanding replacement. Each lathe is slightly different for bearing replacement so follow your manufacturers advice.At least monthly blow any dust out of the motor and inspect the wiring for good repair. Mounting bolts can loosen with vibration from turning wood and should be checked for tightness. This is a good time to look at belts and bearings for wear and to order new ones for the annual checkup.Before every turning session make sure that the lathe is not crowded with other tools and there is plenty of room to move around it while turning. Be sure all tools are sharp and the sharpening station is ready to go with a cleaned wheel. Just before turning the lathe on check one more time to be certain the moving wood will clear the tool rest and all parts of the lathe are tightened down.Very quickly this all becomes second nature and adds to the enjoyment of turning wood. The satisfaction of knowing the tools are in order will only add to the satisfaction and pleasure of the wood turning experience.

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Using Your Mini Wood Lathe the Right Way

Lathes are available in a wide range of sizes. You can invest in an industrial quality wood lathe that ways over eight hundred pounds. You can also purchase a mini wood lathe for smaller household do-it-yourself projects.It is important to remember that different lathes really are intended for different purposes and projects. If you want to get the most out of mini wood lathe, you'll want to spend some time thinking about the right way to use it. Here are a few recommendations.Don't Bite Off More Than You Can ChewMini lathes are built for small jobs. Period. The last thing you want to do is to try to press one of these lightweight solutions into service for an oversize job.Initially, you'll often find it impossible. The small lathes simply won't accept large pieces of wood. You may be able to stretch its limits, intentionally or otherwise. That's why you should read your lathe's manual carefully to determine the maximum size you can safely use.When you overload your mini wood lathe, it decreases the tool's effectiveness. It can also put too much pressure on the lathe. These tools exist to handle smaller jobs. They aren't sturdy or robust enough to hold up to the abuse of larger jobs. They simply lack the strength. If you try to do too much, you're likely to subject your tool to excess wear, resulting in rapid project failure.Take Your Mini Lathe SeriouslyYes, your mini lathe is a lot smaller than a full-sized model. It may even strike you as having an almost toy-like appearance. However, it's not a toy. It is a serious piece of machinery with electric-powered moving parts. You can't afford to take that lightly.You may be accustomed to working with more intimidating equipment, but you can't let that serve as an excuse to ignore safety recommendations. You should follow all of the safety and operation guidelines for your tool and you should treat every mini lathe project as seriously as you'd treat a larger job.Take Your TimeMoving at a measured, deliberate pace will help with respect to safety, but it will also have a very real impact on the final outcome of your project. You don't really want to speed through any job, but a mini wood lathe justifies some extra patience.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4352151

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Wood Lathe Tools

High quality equate to higher quality projects if the operator is efficient and well trained. Wood turning is an art and craft that many use to soothe their nerves or to create beautiful wooden objects. An integral part of the lathe is the wood lathe tool rest that can be re positioned as the project becomes smaller.Wood turning tools can be purchased easily, but the quality of the cutting tool will make a huge difference in the outcome of any lathe project. A lathe cutting tool that is made of high quality steel will create wonderful results. But if the lathe operator does not know how to properly sharpen them, they will not cut properly; costing the operator much more time to bring the wood to final shape.Lathe tools come in various sizes and many shapes and gives the operator the perfect angle to turn wood while working in many different angles. There are so many different shapes to the cutting tool that it can be overly confusing to a novice. It is advisable to learn the lathe and tool sharpening techniques by a trained professional. they can teach you so many different methods and tricks by using their own experiences.Wood turning professionals and instructors can teach you how to sharpen wood turning tools, which is an element that some novice turners never consider important. But if you have ever tried cutting a piece of wood with a butter knife, you will understand how critical the art of sharpening can be.
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Woodworking And The Wood Lathe

Make A Clock With Hidden Storage

 
When moving from flat style woodworking like cabinet work and jewelry boxes to round work like bowls and pens, it appears that all that is needed will be a wood lathe and a few cutting tools. While there are many wood turning tools that could be gotten over the years, there are many other tools that are needed in order to explore the world of wood turning. Thankfully, many of these tools are already owned by the typical woodworker as are the skills to use them.Wood needs to be prepared for the wood lathe. This begins for many projects with a log. One of the things that the typical woodworker needs to do when changing to work with the wood lathe is alter the way he or she thinks of getting wood. Instead of beginning with a nice, flat board from the local lumber dealer, a wood turner often starts with a felled log from the local tree surgeon or firewood supplier. The principle tool for beginning this procedure is a chain saw. Many woodworkers will have one of these for rough work and if not, an electric one will suffice for most needs.Following the roughing of wood with the chain saw, there is the need to get it into reasonable shape for the lathe. This often means cutting it round or into long squares. One of the best tools for this is the band saw, owned by many woodworkers. It is also regarded as one of the safest saws in the shop and some would consider it one of the safest tools generally. It excels at long, circular cuts and with a bit of practice will do an admirable job at straight cuts as well. The fourteen inch band saw which will generally cut to a depth of six inches through hardwood, is a common feature in many woodworking shops. It is seldom that a wood turner will need a greater depth of cut but risers can be obtained for most fourteen inch saws on the market and they can be retrofitted to cut to depth of up to twelve inches.Lathe tools need to be frequently sharpened. Some of the wood that turners like to work with will have lots of knots, included bark or grit from the felling of the tree. These conditions combined with the high speeds of the moving wood tend to quickly dull a tool. Most woodworking shops have a grinder used to remove nicks from plane blades and chisels and to reshape an edge before using whet stones to fine tune the cutting edge. Replacing one of the wheels with a fine grit aluminum oxide wheel and adding a sharpening jig quickly and simply turns the the grinder into a lathe tool sharpener and also allows its original use at the other wheel. The sharpening jig is not necessary but very nice and can be easily made in the home woodworking shop.So the need for wood lathe tools for the home woodworker quickly becomes reduced to the lathe itself and the various cutting tools that may be needed. Many if not all of the other tools will be found already in the home woodworking shop. Of course, this is all followed by the enjoyment of learning new woodworking skills at the wood lathe and the continued pleasure of making new works in wood.
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