Thought I'd say Hi and ask some advice.

[Rlewisrlou66]

Hi there,
My name is Ryan and I'm from Chepstow.

I've been toying with the idea for a while and jumped at the chance to buy my first wood turning lathe.
I bought a Draper WTL 30 from a guy around the corner for £60.
I'm going give it a good clean up before I set it up and start turning with it so I can get to know all the parts a bit better.
Does anyone know if parts from other lathes will fit this model?

A few of the hand (cranks?) are shredded on the inside of the handle so they need a slight twist before they bite.
I was thinking of adding Hand Wheels instead of the orange crank handles that are on there at the moment,
there are a few in tight spaces if anyone has any ideas of what to use here it would be much appreciated.
I was also thinking of either touching up the paint or re finishing it completely, Is this a good idea?

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I think the damaged handles you refer to are 'Bristol Levers', which can be obtained quite cheaply from a number of sources eg.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-locking-levers

Hope you have fun with your new acquisition and don't be afraid to ask for advice.

Regards Mick

 

[Rlewisrlou66]

That's the ones thanks Mick.
I think they will look better in black than Draper Florescent orange too.

 

[Rlewisrlou66]

Oops I forgot to add that I haven't bought any chisels/gouges/turning tools yet and wanted to ask if I'm better off buying a second hand or cheap set first or will that be counter productive in the long run?

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Are you able to go along to a local club? It would be beneficial for you to 'have a go' at turning to see how much you like it before deciding on how much you want to lay out on tooling etc.

Regards Mick

 

[SVB]

Ryan,

as you are so close i'd give these folks a look. They have a really excellent tuition arrangement and I'd think well worth the bridge toll.

http://www.maxcareywoodturningtrust.org.uk

BRgds

Simon

 

[Rlewisrlou66]

Thanks for the advice guys,
I'll have to check out The Max Carey guys and no need to worry about the Bridge Toll I ride a Bike thanks again for the link Simon.
The guy I bought the Lathe from told me about a local group around near me but said the membership fees were a bit steep so I think a trip over the bridge may be in order.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

If I can just throw my hat in the ring at this point. Please do yourself a favour and don't buy one of the cheapo tool sets. I did when I got my lathe, and had a few close shaves because of my inexperience. They are cheap steel, and don't hold an edge very well, are prone to overheating because of the blunt edges, and bend/snap alarmingly easily if you get a catch. (which you most likely will)
I currently have a range of the Axminster "Perform" tools, and some Faithfull tools which although relatively inexpensive are good enough for my amateur fumblings. The thing about secondhand tools is, they have generally been used by turners who know what they are doing and have cared for them. (although not always)

 

[KimG]

+1 for Taz' comment, stick to decent quality for tools. Good makes are Crown, Axminster, Robert Sorby, Henry Taylor. Also try and stick to High speed steel versions (though you don't really see many carbon steel tools these days) as they will be easier to look after (being less prone to losing their hardness when over heated) and last longer, being harder.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

Hi Ryan,
You can get the levers you need from either the tool shop in Ross on Wye or Toolite in Mitcheldean. I think there's a tool shop in Lydney too that might also have them but I'm not sure on that one.

Touching up the paint isn't a bad idea, especially if you are turning green wood which can often spray sap onto anything in the firing line! Just don't get paint on the bits that shouldn't be painted - like the bed bars. You want the tool rest and tailstock to slide easily. You can protect those from rust with a little paste wax or one of the proprietary rust preventers.

If you are looking for a club, the (very reasonably priced ) Forest of Dean woodturners meets on the third Wednesday of every month and the first visit is free. More details are on the website at www.forestwoodturners.co.uk/

 

[procell]

+1 re quality tools

In addition to the actual tools one thing you will definitely need is some means of sharpening them. A simple bench grinder will suffice to start with. There are various jigs and sharpening systems about for use with normal bench grinders and until you are certain you like it I would suggest these are your best bet. Later you can think about such things as wetstone grinders which solve the problem of overheating when sharpening.

 

[Rlewisrlou66]

Thanks Guys,
Loads of useful info now just to convince the Mrs that I need the more expensive tools.
Thank you for that info Paul I'll have to go on a road trip to the shops you mentioned.
I think I'm covered for sharpening my Dad gave me his old bench grinder cause he bought himself an all in one sharpener with drill bit attachments.
As for painting would Engine Enamel be hard wearing enough?

 

[SVB]

re paint, i'd expect anything desgned for metal would be fine, other than providing a coating it is really only decrative. Hamerite springs to mind but i suspect your selection is fine also.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Thanks Guys,
Loads of useful info now just to convince the Mrs that I need the more expensive tools.

Not much convincing really. A snapped tool firing at you at 1000RPM can maim or kill. If she won't allow you to buy decent tools, spend the extra on your life assurance.

 

[SVB]

my Dad gave me his old bench grinder cause he bought himself an all in one sharpener with drill bit attachments.

I would recommend, as you got the grinder gratis, that you get a 'white' wheel for the grinder. It is what is needed to sharpen HSS tools, a bog std grey wheel as supplied with most DIY grinders is not really suitable.

Simon

 

[Rlewisrlou66]

Hi guys rather than start a new post I thought I would add to this one with more questions.
In the Manual for my Lathe it states that in order to use the outbound spindle to turn larger stock you need to build a stand.
Problem being is that their stand diagram looks like its made from a wooden orange (fruit) crate and not very safe at all.
So here is my question. What would be the best way to set up for outbound turning? What extras will I need apart from a tool rest and something solid?
I'm thinking that while I build/set up my bench I may as well set it up for both while I'm at it.

 

[SVB]

Outboard turning. OK - my advice here, (may seem a bit negative / grumpy but not meant to be so, just honest).

If I were you, I'd earn my wings with turning inboard (normal side) first. This is for three reasons:
1) Safety (yours) - as a beginner I would guess you can get something like 4"+ in radius on the inboard side, this will give you more than enough to deal with as you are learning tool control etc
2) Capability of Lathe - What range of speed do you have - a 12"+ bowl that is out of balance prior to roughing out will have quite a high peripheral speed unless you have a abnormally low bottom speed for this type of lathe - again not funny. I don't know what model you have but draper tend to be aimed more at the diy / beginner market. Therefore the bearings etc will be matched as such even if you have the unit bolted to a substancial stand / bench to stop it walking across the shop as soon as you hit the green button.
3) tooling. To take forces from roughing a project as in (2), a steel rather than timber rest is needed. This will need to be fabricated and is not cheap. The thread on the outboard end could be different I expect (often LH thread to stop a piece working loose in operation) so a second set of faceplates / chucks could be needed. IF not different, make sure you understand / use the locking method engineered into the product and make an honest appraisal if you trust what is offered.

The only exception to the above advice to make use of the outboard side would be to make a disc sander at this end: get a simple faceplate and make a 10" sanding disc from a piece of 3/4 ply etc and a table style rest to use with it.

Hope this helps and is taken in the constructive spirt it is meant.

Simon

 

[Rlewisrlou66]

Hi Simon,
Thanks for the sound advice don't worry I'm not the type of person to take offence by constructive honest advice from someone who knows more about something than I do.
I have the LH thread faceplate for the outboard side it was given to me by the guy I bought the lathe off as he didn't know what it was for.
I have a Draper WTL 30 and its speeds are .460, 800, 1320, 2180, 3270.
I like your idea of a sanding disk and I think I might make one till I'm ready to use the outboard for turning.
Thanks again.