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+-- Thread: new lathe. (/showthread.php?tid=7361314)
RE: new lathe. - charliez - 03-03-2021
Nothing more depressing than blowing one up on a new machine. It's ok. It happens. You'll be surprised how accurate your feel can be. Turn it off and feel the thickness often. I can get them pretty dern thin without a blowup sometimes. A simple stick held across the top and another at a 90 going into the bottom is enough for the bottom. Maybe one day I'll get a fancy gauge to measure sides but really it's feel for me that works best.
RE: new lathe. - RustyN - 03-03-2021
(03-03-2021, 07:44 AM)charliez Wrote: Nothing more depressing than blowing one up on a new machine. It's ok. It happens. You'll be surprised how accurate your feel can be. Turn it off and feel the thickness often. I can get them pretty dern thin without a blowup sometimes. A simple stick held across the top and another at a 90 going into the bottom is enough for the bottom. Maybe one day I'll get a fancy gauge to measure sides but really it's feel for me that works best.I do stop to feel it often. I had a catch that blew the piece out and caused the crack.
RE: new lathe. - charliez - 03-03-2021
With my new machine...and grinding setup...I've been working on getting better at sharpening (I probably said this already) and how I use the tools. When sharpening with a belt sander, there;s not much point on getting serious on how you use your tools. Yesterday I got my MT2 drill chuck in and my project was to see about using a forstner bit (which is also new, I've always wanted a set) and a skew I custom ground to make a quick socket to chuck a piece with. It went just as expected and worked well. I made a little mesquite ring bowl. I'll probably give it away. I don't have any rings and I'm not looking forward to getting another one any time soon. I also was paying attention to how the wood was peeling away. I was getting some really nice ribbon shavings and the cut surface almost didn't need sanding. It's amazing what you can do with a good machine and properly sharpened tools. I almost took a pic of a handfull of them. Maybe we can do a shaving of the week contest or thread.
RE: new lathe. - CStan - 03-03-2021
(03-02-2021, 04:15 PM)RustyN Wrote: It didn’t say in the manual but it looks like the extension can only go on the tail stock end. The headstock end is made a little different to accept the outrigger.
Thanks Rusty.
RE: new lathe. - MichaelMouse - 03-03-2021
(03-03-2021, 07:55 AM)RustyN Wrote: I do stop to feel it often. I had a catch that blew the piece out and caused the crack.
Thought that was what it looked like. Couple of thoughts for you to avoid a catch.
First, do your inside work slightly below centerline. If what's above is wider than where you're cutting, you will not get the edge underneath the wood and catch. Same reasoning cuts above centerline on convex side.
Second, keep the edge like a (C or as close as possible. That way anything above will kick the gouge away from, not hook it under the work. I use broad sweep "continental" gouges, which gets me a lot longer sharp working edge to work between hones.
I'm a firm believer in fingers over calipers for thickness measure on open work. Also no foul on having the bottom thicker than the rim to gain a lower center of gravity. I consider thicker absolutely necessary on popcorn bowls, because they don't transfer heat as quickly to your lap....
RE: new lathe. - EightFingers - 03-03-2021
“First, do your inside work slightly below centerline. “
I’ve never done it that way, am I missing something?
RE: new lathe. - RustyN - 03-03-2021
I added a shelf on the bottom and a little weight. I also rotated the head a little to turn the inside of a bowl and it worked great.
RE: new lathe. - EightFingers - 03-04-2021
That wood looks almost like persimmon...
RE: new lathe. - MichaelMouse - 03-04-2021
(03-03-2021, 04:48 PM)EightFingers Wrote: “First, do your inside work slightly below centerline. “
I’ve never done it that way, am I missing something?
A bit of clearance that makes a catch less likely. Air above the edge doesn't catch. Wood does.
RE: new lathe. - Grey Mountain - 03-04-2021
(03-03-2021, 06:46 PM)RustyN Wrote: I added a shelf on the bottom and a little weight. I also rotated the head a little to turn the inside of a bowl and it worked great.
Good on the added weight. Might consider sand bags rather than wood. Sand absorsbs vibration.
GM