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A
Place to Turn...
I took a week off work right after Easter of ‘04 and this new
turning station was the result. It is a ShopNotes projects
(issue 67) with some modifications to meet the requirements of
my shop. It is HEAVY! Materials include 3 sheets of 3/4" MDF so
the station is heavy and stable, 1 sheet of 1/4" hard board for
the back and drawer bottoms, 1 sheet of Baltic Birch plywood for
drawers, 12 BD FT of Ash. The five 16"
full extension slides cost almost as much as
the sheet goods!
One of the things I did different is add two levels to the
top and cover them with high-pressure laminate. This was done
for a couple reasons. First, because I like the height of the
Tormek for grinding gouges, and second, to contain the WATER!
The Tormek is a wonderful machine, but it is messy! The high
pressure laminate is
the perfect waterproof solution.
 
The Lathe side is three layers of MDF wrapped in Ash. Heavy
and stable! The grinder side is two layers of MDF, as this side
did not need the mass.
The Large drawer holds various measuring tools and also long
turning chisels. I can expand it later if I need more room.
 
The two top drawers are as designed in the ShopNotes plan. No
drawer bottoms so the chips simply fall through! Great idea. The
racks can be moved back and forth to accommodate various lengths
of turning chisels.
 
These two drawers I added to my modification of the design.
The drawer on the left holds the various EXPENSIVE jigs that go
with the grinder. If you are going to spend this kind of money,
it behooves one to care for the jigs! The drawer on the right is
8" deep. I cut various grooves in the sides so it is ready to
compartment up when I figure out how I want to utilize the
space.
Finally, the bottom is not a drawer, but a step! Pulls out to
get a better angle on the grinder when sharpening plane irons,
etc. Thanks for the great idea Norm!
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The
Lathe
A
Jet Mini Lathe. Although they call it a
'mini', it is plenty powerful enough to turn a ten-inch bowl.
Turning can be very addicting. My family loves the small
creations that come off it, and it definitely is a 'developed'
skill. It is going to take some time before I get the hang of
this machine! My first Jet tool. So far, I am impressed!
Note: The lathe is only about 1/3 the total cost of turning!
When you add tools, sharpening gear, chucks, face shield, etc.,
you have begun to add up some numbers. Of course you can always
get a lathe and pick up other items over time! That is what I am
doing.
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Sharpening...
The
Easy way!
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Tormek Sharpening System |
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Prolong the cutting efficiency of your edge tools by preventing any loss of temper in the steel with this ingenious water cooled sharpening system from
Sweden! New! Now includes Universal Support with Micro Adjust foundation of the system. Can be placed for grinding towards or away from the edge.
Tormek Sharpening System |
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I had NO IDEA how different turning is with perfectly
sharp and honed tools. Now I know! It is truly amazing. I have
gone through tons of blanks in frustration thinking all the
while that my technique is bad. What I discovered is that my
technique was fine; I was just putting to much pressure on the
tool because they were not sharp enough to make a slicing cut on
the wood fibers, and I had been simply tearing them into shape.
The Tormek is an expensive machine, but it REALLY makes all the
difference in the world in my turning. I only wish I could have
discovered this earlier, it would have saves me TONS of
frustration and $$$.
Turning tools do a number on the stone and it can get it out
of round fairly quickly. Fortunately, Tormek makes a jig that
allows you to cut a flat and round surface again, the ADV-50D
Stone Truing Tool. Jeff Farris, the Tormek Guru from Sharptools
USA, states that you need to patiently move the diamond tipped
truing tool across the stone. Unfortunately, I could NEVER go
slowly enough without creating tons of ridges.
Then I saw online that someone came up with a jig to slowly
move the tool across the face of the stone. The problem with the
purchased jig is that it is WAY more than the couple dollars I
have into this jig.
This thing is simple enough, a small block of maple and a few
holes filled with brass inserts and a knob attached to a length of ¼”
threaded rod. It creates a very smooth and flat surface in one
pass. Well worth the few minutes to create the jig.
My
First Sharpening Machine
  
The first lesson I learned with turning is you need sharp
tools to make smooth, controlled cuts! So, I bought Delta's 6"
variable speed grinder (Model GR250). The speeds range from 2000
to 3450 RPMs. What I particularly liked about this machine is
that I could get dual duty out of it. High speed for fast, rough
grinding and SLOW for grinding turning tools! It has been a
great machine! I then watched a professional turner hand grind
(without a jig) his tools. I figured it couldn’t be so tough.
Wow, was I wrong! My first attempt at hand grinding had my tools
had them looking (and cutting) horribly! The lesson was clear I
needed a jig.
I turned to the web and a GREAT site hosted by an online
woodworking friend, Marc Phillips (a.k.a. Woodmangler).
Visit his very
informative site. Marc sent me the basic measurements for
the arm of the sharpening jig and I made of version of his jig
by looking at the pictures on his site. I used a piece of 1/2"
MDO plywood for the base and solid white oak stock for the rest
because that is what I had laying around in the wood storage
cart. The jig is a MUST HAVE for your lathe. It will cost about
$100 to purchase a commercial jig which does the same thing mine
does for the cost of some scraps of wood. I do realize that some
do not have time or energy to build jigs and have asked what I
would buy. If I were going to purchase a jig and could not
afford the Tormek, I would get the Sorby or the
Wolverine.
I purchased a $30 set of high-speed steel turning tools from
Harbor Freight. Some argue that purchasing
'cheap' tools is a waste of money. I contend that I would rather
learn to sharpen a $5 gouge or skew chisel rather than learn on
a $60 gouge or chisel! I built the gouge jig (above) to put a
good fingernail grind on a gouge, got consistent with the grind,
and so I purchased my first 'real' gouge. A Henry Taylor Artisan
3/8" Bowl gouge. Great tool!
The next tool purchase I made was a 1/2"
Sorby Spindle Master. This chisel does a great
job with coves, beads, and end grain, and it as BREEZE to
sharpen. Simply take a
Diamond Hone Sharpener and hone the top. The
bevel takes care of itself as you ride the bevel on the work
piece. I found this tool does not cut as smooth a shearing cut
as a skew chisel, but as yet I have not had a catch with the
spindle master. Can't say that for the Skew chisel!
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A
Few Projects
 
The first project off the lathe. Turned green.
My First Desk Pen
Walnut finished with CA to fill grain and a couple coats of
wax.
A
Mr. Olivander Wannabe!
I turned these for our first ever Vacation Bible School at
Holy Cross Episcopal Church in the summer of 2004—Welcome to
Hogwarts! The gospel according to Harry Potter…
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