Bit the bullet and had a 'go'

[Jenx]

After deciding I'd like a little go at turning wood a few weeks ago - I finally got a little lathe off the dreaded "fleabay" - drove from Aberdeen to Devon to get it, shot over to Axminsters to get some tools, and came back up the road, full of enthusiasm and service-station coffee.

After finding 'here' .. I got a copy of the Keith Rowley book, which seems to be the 'bible', and screwed a log onto the electric wood-whisk, and poked some sharp things at it.

Having never turned anything other than a corner in my life before...
I tried one of those honey-blobber things, and then a bowl.... the result of which was this :

Before it was oiled :

and the underneath of it :

Now, I appreciate that its kinda 'agricultrual' and the base of it looks way too heavy... but for a first ever go, I wasn't too despondant with what I ended up with... although it didn't look anything like I thought it was going to when it started out !

The Book said " beware the Skew Chisel, for she is the tool hardest to master", well when THAT was written, obviously the BOWL GOUGE had yet to be invented, because it truly is the tool of the devil himself ! I really struggled to get any degree of control over it at all. !
( not that I had any over the skew either ! )

Anyways... I'm having great fun - it'll be something brilliant to do whilst the bike's off the road for winter and I hold you all responsible for this new-found interest in a material I previously only thought was any use for making rough supports for water tanks in people's attics !

I feel this is the start of a very very slippery slope, which seems to be referred to once or twice elsewhere !

All the best to everyone..

Alun

 

[TEP]

Lookin' good Alun, that bowl is a lot better looking than my first attempt. =D> Keep up the good work.

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome aboard Alun!

You've made a good start if all you had was the book :shock:

The best advice for anyone new to turning is get some hands on advice from a local woodturning club or consider taking a course... the longer you leave it the harder it will be to shed any bad habits acquired :wink:

If you could measure frustration in £'s it will save you a fortune :lol:

(as you're in Aberdeen I'm sure that will appeal )

 

[CHJ]

Very good for first bowl Alun, just a little more care in removing tool/sanding marks is all I would comment on.

On the tool front sounds like you still need to master the bevel contact, if you have this correct you can press as hard as you like and the tool won't cut or dig in, from this condition it is only a VERY SMALL change of angle to just start the cutting edge shaving the wood, when you get a feel for the slimmest of shavings you can slowly increase the angle to deepen the cut. Try and support the tool handle on your waist/hip area and move your body to swing the tool, not just your hands, that way you have far more rigid control of tool movement when the wood tries to grab it.

In addition to Keith Rowleys book then have a look at:
http://www.turningtools.co.uk/wtintro/wtintro.html and study the tool approach angles

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Alun and welcome
Nice bowl for a first attempt.
Things will only get better.
Paul.J.

 

[Bodrighy]

Lookin' good Alun, that bowl is a lot better looking than my first attempt. =D> Keep up the good work.

Definitely second that....still get things that look worse

Pete

 

[Blister]

Nice one Mate

Keep at it and you will get where you want to be :wink:

 

[PowerTool]

Excellent piece - keep on sliding down the slope.. :wink:

Andrew

 

[santiniuk]

Well what a cracking start ! I'm envious Alun :twisted:

Seriously I'm probably a couple of months ahead of you but know exactly how rewarding these first turnings are and how addictive it ends up.

Keep practising with the bowl gouge and I'm sure all of a sudden you will find the sweetspot of the bevel contact. (It was like a Eureka moment for me, all of a sudden the shavings looked like real ones!)

It goes without saying that keeping the tools sharp has made a huge improvement too. A lot less sanding

Cheers

Shaun

 

[Jenx]

Thanks everyone for the the welcome and the encouragement.....
have found a fairly local club which meets last sunday in the month, and the local hardwoods supplier has told me I can tag along with him to get started.. so that should be a great help !

Couldn't resist having a play with some old pine that was left over from a job in the house, just for some more practice... and for kids to paint.

Will look into seeing if I can get on a course somewhere - very much take the point on board that by doing so, it could save £££'s in the long run, when offsetting the cost of 'mistakes', against the cost of a course itself.

It beats having to endure 'Eastenders' or 'Big brother' in the evening though - wish I'd done this ages ago !
#-o

 

[TEP]

Lookin' good once again Alun. Can I ask, how long have you been turning? That is quite a good finish on that pine, not the easiest of woods to work, well done.

 

[Paul.J]

Very nice Alun :shock:
Paul.J.

 

[Jenx]

Lookin' good once again Alun. Can I ask, how long have you been turning? That is quite a good finish on that pine, not the easiest of woods to work, well done.

Hi Tam ... I've had the lathe for about 10 days, spent maybe
12 hours on it in total. - prior to that, never done it before - but always wanted to.
Made so far -- 1 bowl, 1 snowman, three trees, a goblet, a base of a table lamp -- ( will try and make the shaft / stem bit tonight hopefully.. its sycamore and has come up right nice, so far.. but I have plenty of opportunity left to totally ruin it yet :wink: ) and a mound of shavings and sawdust that would scare Edmund Hilary.

Oh, and been "hit in the heid" by the first lump of pine i put on - a highly valuable lesson in ensuring the wood is secured properly, which I will not forget for at least the next ten days, courtesy of an outstandingly bruised forhead and my new neighbour, who came out her house to investigate the barrage of verbal obscenities eminating from my garage, who is unlikely to let me forget it. ( and I thought I was standing out the line of fire too ! )

 

[Gaz_XB9R]

Alun, I also am from Aberdeenshire and was thinking about going to the Grampian Turners meet sometime.

Can I ask where you get your hardwood from? My source has been the internet so far.

I've had about 3hrs so far on my new lathe and made a twist top pencil from an American Black Walnut blank.

I've got a spalted beech bowl blank coming too. Looking forward to getting a start on that.

Unfortunately I bought a set of 3 pen turning tools but have a few full size tools on order.

 

[oddsocks]

Alun, as TEP says, a very nice finish on pine - far better than mine were when I started turning these things, and that was after a 2 day course! After just 10 days in the hobby and 12 hours on the lathe it is very impressive.
I can't wait for your masterclasses in a few months time

Keep posting the photos -they are inspiring

Dave

 

[Blister]

looking good there mate

Keep it comming !!!!!!!


:wink: