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Anonymous

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Do you guys remember?
A few months back I was on this very forum with a budget of £300 and looking for help.
Well I ended up buying a Perform CCL lathe (the 1HP). Who was I trying to kid with that kind of budget :eek: I got the lathe £249. with a chuck £100. went to Peter Childs (Big mistake. Not 'cos it's a bad place but it was so tempting :twisted: ) Chris childs was very helpful. (Trend mask.Set of quality chisels, abrasives finishes etc £400) Now I've started to buy some good lumber, and that will have put a very big dent in a grand :( .SWMBO has been very understanding. But she will soon get fed up with my attempts. There is only so much round wood they will put up with. Still, I am enjoying it. Thanks to all who helped me. Oh and by the way, back then I was Eric. I'll keep you posted.
 
Eric,

I know the feeling. I went to Peter Child's and was lucky to be restrained enough to spend only £50 on stuff I didn't realise I wanted until I got there!

I've got the little brother to your Perform lathe and need a couple of days of workshop time to make a proper place to keep it now. Of course, that will mean spending some money on plywood to build a cupboard to keep it on...

Then I'll have everything I could possibly want. Apart from a chuck system, a few more chisels, a drill chuck and drawer-bar. Oh, and it would be really great to get some lessons. And a subscription to a turning mag, and...

Happy turning,

AG
 
Eric,

Ah, I see where we went wrong. We warned you about the escalating budget requirements, but not your SWMBO...
Hmm, maybe just as well? :wink:
Glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the update. :D

So AG, have you actually turned anything yet? I'm agog and bated here you know. :lol:

Cheers, Alf
 
Alf,

I've turned some square beech into some round scrap beech :oops:

I've got to get the 'shop setup for turning properly. And that means tidying it :shock: so it may be another few weeks/months/years* yet...

AG

* Delete as applicable
 
Afterglow":2hcxl5yy said:
I've turned some square beech into some round scrap beech :oops:
Ahh, so you've been turning decorative firewood. :D

Afterglow":2hcxl5yy said:
weeks/months/years* yet... * Delete as applicable
You forgot eons*... :wink:

Cheers, Alf

*The length of time it takes to make a coffee table in ash :oops:
 
Afterglow,

I've only been turning for a short while - on and off - but all self taught (i.e. books etc.). One thing that really helped me was buying one of those Record turning kits - i.e. the ones that come with the wood & video from Alan Holtham.

I bought the table lamp kit - and at first was a little worried it was too advanced for me - but the end result looked OK (but a little different to to Alan's version of course).

Of course I ended up doing a lot of doodles using cheap wood before making the kit, but being able to see Alan do it first on screen was a big help (end result posted in the gallery, but it hasn't appeared yet :? )

Anyway, I'd very much recommend them - they may seem expensive (I think I paid about £20-£25), but when you consider that you get the wood, fittings, plan and video it's very good value really, and the video is really worth it.

Cheers,
Martin.
 
Hi Martin,

Thanks for the tip - I'll have to think about that - it certainly sounds a great idea. I've bought the Keith Rowley "Woodturning - A Foundation Course" book and video set, and the video certainly helps the subject come to life, and so I see what you mean.

Unfortunately for the moment, I've got a lot going on outside of woodworking that's really dragging me away from the workshop. I've got a table in need of only a few hours to finish it, but I just can't get back to it at the moment. I also have nowhere sensible to keep the lathe and tools yet, so I've got to build or buy a home for them.

On the topic of where to keep it, I'm thinking about getting one of the bigger Axminster bench shown here:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=TSA33D

If it's as good in the real world as it looks online, it would help clean up my shop and provide a decent stand for the lathe. In fact, I might be able to squeeze two of them in, and have a permanent home for my Tormek and maybe my morticer too.

Cheers,

AG
 
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