Lathes Clubs/ startng out

[sealover1]

hi guys does anyone know of any clubs in the Devon Torbay area please?

used to do this as I kid at school and really enjoyed it and been thinking of starting up again but it has been some 35 years now since I have done anything like this.

got a little space in my garage but only a 200-300 to spend can you get one for that? not looking at doing big stuff but saying that once you get the bug you never know do ya lol

not sure where to start really as like I said its been a while now

 

[Bodrighy]

There is a list of AWGB clubs here. There are others that aren't allied to the AWGB but I'm not sure where you find out about them.

Pete

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Like you, I started with a fairly low budget. My first lathe came to me via Freecycle. When I moved on, I returned the favour and passed it on to another beginner via Freecycle.
It's amazing how supportive other turners are, generally speaking, as well. There will always be the oddball "nay sayer" who wants to keep the hobby/craft to a small clique, but thankfully those are few and far between.
Some will say you can't turn successfully without the most expensive of everything. I disagree, although the cheapest is not normally much use. It's a bit like saying someone with a very expensive camera must take really good photos.

Good luck with the hunt.

 

[sealover1]

thanks for the list will pop over to see what's happening at the Torbay club and see how they are with new members.

I agree Taz having the best is nice if you can afford it but then like you said you don't really need the best to make some nice work.

cheers

 

[Bodrighy]

I have been turning full time for about 6 years and had only old 2nd hand lathes. Not fancy but good solid lathes that do the job. When starting out you are probably better off spending a couple of hundred on something like a Tyme than the same money on some cheap new lathe that will soon fall apart. Same with tools. A few good quality ones are better than a load of super fancy ones.

Pete

 

[sealover1]

what sort of used lathes can I get for say around £200 (can things like ebay links be put on here?) and which are good quality tools not even thought about tools yet is there like a starter pack ??

 

[BearTricks]

Like you, I started with a fairly low budget. My first lathe came to me via Freecycle. When I moved on, I returned the favour and passed it on to another beginner via Freecycle.
It's amazing how supportive other turners are, generally speaking, as well. There will always be the oddball "nay sayer" who wants to keep the hobby/craft to a small clique, but thankfully those are few and far between.
Some will say you can't turn successfully without the most expensive of everything. I disagree, although the cheapest is not normally much use. It's a bit like saying someone with a very expensive camera must take really good photos.

Good luck with the hunt.

I don't know. I have a degree in photography and one of the reasons I'm not doing it as a career is that modern cameras are so good and affordable now that just about anyone can take a decent picture with some very basic knowledge of composition. Modern cameras make things look so good that many people can't tell the difference between a photo where the camera has done most of the work and one where the photographer knows what they're doing.

That said, I did make some very nice cuts with a spindle gouge from a cheap starter set today, whereas I nearly flung my Robert Sorby bowl gouge across the shed when I had to reshape my bowl after a nasty catch.

 

[Bodrighy]

The skill in any discipline comes with practice not equipment as a general rule. Having said that I believe that poor quality tools and equipment can limit you. My personal experience is based on learning at school originally on union graduates with no chucks, no variable speeds and only scrapers of various shapes. If I have any skill now it is because I loved what I do and learned to turn with the basics not with fancy tools lathes etc. To get a lathe of equivalent quality to the 30 or 40 year old British ones you will need to spend well over £1000 and to learn to turn you are better off starting with the basic tools, spindle, bowl gouge, skew (learn to use it, most versatile tool there is). With these you can turn most things. Other tools make life easier but won't make you a better turner.

Pete

 

[sealover1]

well went to the Torbay Woodturners Club tonight but I think I forgot the secrete handshake lol. god did I get some strange looks when thinking I'm I at the right place and should I come in.

anyways I don't think I will go there again as I feel you have to be a pro or recommended by an already member or something and I'm neither of um

well my next step in beginning to learn woodturning is to deicide maybe it was a bad ideal in the 1st place lol

when you read all the pitfalls of buying 2nd hand and buying new is so expensive...

 

[Dave Brookes]

That's a real shame and in which case, they don't deserve you as a member.
As Chairman of the Didcot Club I ensure we make all visitors welcome and have a committee member who takes them through the evenings activities, introduces them to other committee folk and encourages them to take part.

Don't lose heart, there are plenty of us on this forum always willing to help wherever possible.

Dave

 

[Castanea]

Try not to loose heart! I went to a club for the first time recently and they're an "interesting" bunch - it can feel like an uphill struggle. It may be worth giving them a second chance to make you feel welcome. As for second hand lathes - I think people tend to talk about problems and pitfalls more than good experiences. I've bought so many things second hand over the years and had a tiny number of problems compared to the many many purchases I've been really pleased with. In particular the two lathes I've bought recently have both been really good and turning is an absolute pleasure. The kit costs a bit (but most of it is second hand) but the wood I turn is all free. It takes some time to get into shape but I find it satisfying to be able to take all sorts of bits and pieces of wood and make something of them. It's also satisfying to eventually master a tool you've struggled with. This evening I just turned a little spinning top but did it all with the skew which can be a challenge. It threw me a couple of times - I got straight back on each time and ended the evening feeling the score was about 3:1 to me - a satisfying evening's work and my little top is rather nice too. So keep at it! There's a hurdle or two to get over but the other side of the hurdles is an addiction you can be proud of

 

[sealover1]

thanks guys. Yeah I really do want to give it ago still just no ideal where to start really lets say if I had £200-£300 to buy a used lathes can it be done for that price? and if yes could you recommend a make or model or models that can be bought used for that price or maybe I can leave a search on ebay and see what comes up.

what sort of tools would I need to start off with? can you buy like a starters set of tools?

can links be added on here as if I see one for sale be nice if I could put a link up and ask what members think before I buy it

cheers

 

[gavinr]

as a newcomer, as in the last month, i can maybe give a bit of a perspective...

you can definitely get a great lathe for that cash, just be prepared to look and look and look and also be prepared to travel. i got mine from a classified section of the website of a small woodturning club up-country.

one of the best bits of advice i was given, on this forum, was to buy keith rowley's woodturning a foundation course book. i paid about 3quid delivered off amazon and it is brilliant. it will also answer your tools questions.

i can totally see the point of going to a club if you could fine a decent club, it would save a lot of learning time especially with things like sharpening and 'how do you do this.'

with the lathe, i'm focusing on small simple bits and going steady. i can fully see how you could really hurt yourself if you stepped in too deep too fast.

and at the risk of sounding opportunistic, i have an old coronet hobby lathe that i'm about to sell cheaply. its in west cornwall.

 

[sealover1]

as a newcomer, as in the last month, i can maybe give a bit of a perspective...

you can definitely get a great lathe for that cash, just be prepared to look and look and look and also be prepared to travel. i got mine from a classified section of the website of a small woodturning club up-country.

one of the best bits of advice i was given, on this forum, was to buy keith rowley's woodturning a foundation course book. i paid about 3quid delivered off amazon and it is brilliant. it will also answer your tools questions.

i can totally see the point of going to a club if you could fine a decent club, it would save a lot of learning time especially with things like sharpening and 'how do you do this.'

with the lathe, i'm focusing on small simple bits and going steady. i can fully see how you could really hurt yourself if you stepped in too deep too fast.

and at the risk of sounding opportunistic, i have an old coronet hobby lathe that i'm about to sell cheaply. its in west cornwall.

cheers gavinr

whats a coronet hobby lathe like I don't know nowt about them and what part of cornwall are you and how cheaply you selling it for?

 

[sealover1]

what do you guys think of this as a starter kit would there be any questions I should be asking the seller??

not sure if links are ok let me know if not can change to item number

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171773727665? ... 1fbb2&cp=1

 

[BearTricks]

I'm another new starter, so my experience doesn't quite match up with most of the people on this forum, but I've already learned a few things that I wish I knew a month or two ago.

First, I budgeted £200, then ended up spending double that on a better lathe than I was originally eyeing up. That was probably the best decision I could have made. Get the best you can reasonably afford.

When it comes to sharpening, I researched like crazy and came to the conclusion that there are equal amounts of people making good work sharpening tools on budget grinders as there are using Tormeks, Wolverines and the like. I bought the Screwfix Titan 8" bench grinder, fitted it with a white wheel from Abtec (Although before that arrived I was getting good enough results if I was careful with the wheel that came on it) and I built Keith Rowley's homemade grinding jig very badly with some scrap and about 70p worth of bolts. It's not pretty but it does the job no problem. The Titan grinder is ten times better than most tools at the same price point, and I struggled to find an eight inch grinder with a motor that powerful for that cheap. It does seem to be hit and miss whether you get one with wheel wobble or not but luckily mine was minor and dressing the wheels properly with a diamond tool made it barely noticeable, if at all.

My last good decision was a honeywell bionic face shield and a 3m mask with changeable P3 filters. I turn in a fairly well ventilated environment so I don't feel the need for a powered respirator. I've yet to blow one piece of sawdust out of my nose after turning.

If you think you'll need a chuck at all, get the best you can find. I thought I could use the budget piece of junk that was thrown in free with my lathe and I still haven't found all the pieces of one bowl that shattered and ping-ponged around the shed. I'd like to sell the chuck, but I don't think I could bring myself to subject someone else to something that dangerous. I'm saving for a Nova or a Patriot.

Finally, I'm not sure about anyone else but if I had a decent amount of money to spend on one tool I'd pick the spindle gouge. I have a mid-range starter set and it's all good, even the spindle, but I do 80% of my turning with it so I'm on the lookout for a better one. I thought the bowl gouge would be most important, but honestly I've finished bowls using just the spindle gouge and round ended scraper. My Robert Sorby bowl gouge gets more action rounding down blanks during faceplate work.

 

[sealover1]

I'm another new starter, so my experience doesn't quite match up with most of the people on this forum, but I've already learned a few things that I wish I knew a month or two ago.

First, I budgeted £200, then ended up spending double that on a better lathe than I was originally eyeing up. That was probably the best decision I could have made. Get the best you can reasonably afford.

When it comes to sharpening, I researched like crazy and came to the conclusion that there are equal amounts of people making good work sharpening tools on budget grinders as there are using Tormeks, Wolverines and the like. I bought the Screwfix Titan 8" bench grinder, fitted it with a white wheel from Abtec (Although before that arrived I was getting good enough results if I was careful with the wheel that came on it) and I built Keith Rowley's homemade grinding jig very badly with some scrap and about 70p worth of bolts. It's not pretty but it does the job no problem. The Titan grinder is ten times better than most tools at the same price point, and I struggled to find an eight inch grinder with a motor that powerful for that cheap. It does seem to be hit and miss whether you get one with wheel wobble or not but luckily mine was minor and dressing the wheels properly with a diamond tool made it barely noticeable, if at all.

My last good decision was a honeywell bionic face shield and a 3m mask with changeable P3 filters. I turn in a fairly well ventilated environment so I don't feel the need for a powered respirator. I've yet to blow one piece of sawdust out of my nose after turning.

If you think you'll need a chuck at all, get the best you can find. I thought I could use the budget piece of junk that was thrown in free with my lathe and I still haven't found all the pieces of one bowl that shattered and ping-ponged around the shed. I'd like to sell the chuck, but I don't think I could bring myself to subject someone else to something that dangerous. I'm saving for a Nova or a Patriot.

Finally, I'm not sure about anyone else but if I had a decent amount of money to spend on one tool I'd pick the spindle gouge. I have a mid-range starter set and it's all good, even the spindle, but I do 80% of my turning with it so I'm on the lookout for a better one. I thought the bowl gouge would be most important, but honestly I've finished bowls using just the spindle gouge and round ended scraper. My Robert Sorby bowl gouge gets more action rounding down blanks during faceplate work.

what lathe did you start off with and end up with mate? not even thought about sharpening stuff yet lol.

 

[Mark Hancock]

what do you guys think of this as a starter kit would there be any questions I should be asking the seller??

not sure if links are ok let me know if not can change to item number

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171773727665? ... 1fbb2&cp=1

IMHO the opening bid of £175 would be good for just the tools shown (2nd picture) so with the lathe as well a great starter kit. All you would need is some good tuition to be up and running in no time.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I wonder if the catch he got with the gouge third from left prompted his selling his gear?

 

[Mark Hancock]

I wonder if the catch he got with the gouge third from left prompted his selling his gear?

That's pretty common with the inappropriate use of a spindle roughing gouge but he has a Continental version still in it's package