Early Access Video: What comes with a lathe?
Added 2021-12-18 12:01:01 +0000 UTCFriends:
To wrap up 2021, we’re going in a totally different direction. Many of you turn and many of you would like to learn woodturning, so let’s do it!
I’ve purchased an inexpensive import lathe and today’s video shows me getting it out, setting it up, learning the accessories, and cobbling together a turning bench and turning space in my shop. The focus is on safety and getting a solid foundation of knowledge before you even turn the machine on.
In 2022, we’ll do a whole series of videos for brand new turners. We’ll buy the tools, learn sharpening, check out carbide tools, and make some projects. It’s going to be a lot of fun. (It also gives me an excuse to do more turning, which I’ve been missing.)
This is our final video for the year and my team and I are going on much-needed Holiday Break. We’ll be back in mid-January with fresh videos and new projects for the coming year. (Oh, and we have one more Workbench Session this month. I’ll be announcing that directly.)
The revised version of One Week to Woodturning will be available on Wednesday and of course, there will be a Patron discount, so stay tuned for that!
Happy Holidays!
--Rex
Comments
I promise I'll build one once all this snow melts.
Rex Krueger
2022-02-01 14:32:10 +0000 UTCGreat video! I am looking forward to learning more about turning. Since a lot of us are trying to learn hand tool techniques, would it be too much to ask for a spring pole lathe build project? I’ve seen a few posts about people converting their bench tail vises into small turning stations. It would be a really cool accessory to your quick stack workbench. I’m planning on purchasing the workbench course and I would definitely pay a little more for that add-on. Thanks again!
Frank Arrasmith
2022-01-17 02:16:44 +0000 UTCThere is a lot of differences. Most of them favor the metal lathe. First, you do not have to stand around feeding your lathe tools in. as most metal lethes have a self feeding mechanism. You can plan your piece to within a few millimeters - at lease on the outside. Individual wood pieces have different grain structure so you should plan on doing interiors by hand = unless you are leaving them thick. Now, for the downside. You will never get the metal lathe free enough of metal shaving to keep from getting tiny metal pieces in your wood pieces. Two, I picked up a used woodworkng lathe for about the price of a motor. $90 with tools. Unless you are extremely lucky, don't expect to find a metal lathe for under $200. If you do, it is most likely a toy or in need of total restoration. Metal lathes are great for production of exact parts. Wood working lathes just about beg you to consider the grain of the wood and get creative.. They both have their place in a shop. - just not the same place.
Joseph Lorentzen
2021-12-27 06:47:09 +0000 UTCMorning Rex, are there any practical differences between a woodworking lathe and one that can turn metal? I'd much prefer to get one that could do both rather than one that is solely for wood turning.
A1BASE
2021-12-23 15:53:52 +0000 UTCThat's be a great video for those of use who haven't turned a pen yet.
Kyle Painter
2021-12-21 19:10:05 +0000 UTCIt would be great to hear it in a video :^)
Thomas Hverring
2021-12-21 14:39:16 +0000 UTCCalipers are a good thing to have. You can see me use mine in the video. Starrett forever!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:34:47 +0000 UTCI really need to turn a pen.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:33:27 +0000 UTCI've heard that the Record lathes are very nice. They certainly look stout.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:33:15 +0000 UTCI bet some of those drill lathes are a decent way to get started. You gotta start somewhere!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:32:51 +0000 UTCIt's true; a decent lathe is pretty quiet. Green wood is pretty quiet, too. Powered saws are a hundred times louder.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:32:05 +0000 UTCThe spring-pole lathe will probably happen this summer. I hope it will.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:31:21 +0000 UTCThis lathe takes up very little space and with a 12" swing, it can handle a lot. I think you can find the space. I've met people who turn in apartments.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:30:49 +0000 UTCThis Wen lathe has an optional bed extension, too. That might be a fun video down the road!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:30:10 +0000 UTCThat's great! I love to turn and I've missed it for the last year or so. I'm looking forward to this!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:29:28 +0000 UTCAgreed!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:28:34 +0000 UTCOutstanding!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:28:22 +0000 UTCWe're posting it later today!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:28:15 +0000 UTCI appreciate that.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:28:05 +0000 UTCAwesome. There are some lathe "kits" out there where you buy all the parts and make the bed from wood. Google around; I'm sure you'll get some ideas.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:27:58 +0000 UTCIt's on the list, but it's currently Winter in Ohio and that's an outdoor project.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:27:12 +0000 UTCAnd to you!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:26:50 +0000 UTCGlad it was helpful!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:26:43 +0000 UTCTurning sent me to the hospital once. Wear a face-shield and most of the danger is handled...but not all of it.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:26:04 +0000 UTCMan, I bet that treadle lathe is fun. I used one once. It was....different.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:25:10 +0000 UTCYou know, I've been down that road and I think that inexpensive lathes have gotten too good to bother making one. If you can buy a good lathe for under $300, then it's better to spend the money and get after it. YMMV.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:23:51 +0000 UTCTLDR: Carbide is good for starting and good for unusual materials, but anyone who wants to get really good at turning will want to get HSS tools and learn to sharpen them.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:22:38 +0000 UTCI hope I live up to your expectations!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:21:29 +0000 UTCI didn't want to bum anyone out with that. Sorry!
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:21:05 +0000 UTC"The best lathe is a free lathe." --Me.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:20:44 +0000 UTCI think a little more turning is going to be a lot of fun.
Rex Krueger
2021-12-21 14:09:27 +0000 UTCWhen I got my wood lathe last year I downloaded your book that day, now I'm patiently waiting to get enough tools to actually make something with it. Started right and got a pair of Starrett Inside & Outside calipers as well as a set of digital read out calipers. I stopped there to pay off some bills before going back and getting long lasting tools.
Solia
2021-12-21 06:06:57 +0000 UTCI did get your book (Kindle version) and it helped me get started. I have mostly just turned pens so far though so hope to get into doing more things though - so looking forward to this!
Kenny Raby
2021-12-20 15:49:01 +0000 UTCMerry Christmas Rex. I have actually been thinking of getting a lathe. I was looking at record cornet herald as my first because it will be a one and done type purchase and I will be able to grow and it can grow with me.
Boney Boards
2021-12-20 01:22:57 +0000 UTCI... sort of have an even cheaper Lathe, though presently I have no way to use it. This may be a Good Thing... it's one made by Zyliss, and I got it for £5 in a sale of a deceased Carver's gear as no-one else wanted it. It works on the basis that you use a Drill to drive it, attached via a Collar that goes round the body. Before I had a chance to do it, my corded drill burnt its motor out - something that I'm sure would have happened even sooner had I tried it out as a Lathe - and I'm already thinking that this thing could be more dangerous than anything - limited speed control etc. Sometimes cheap lathes come up at ALDI or LIDL in the UK - reviews however seem to indicate that these are not exactly using premium materials! Caveat Emptor as they say...
Rob Weir
2021-12-19 13:30:15 +0000 UTCAwesome! I'll look some more into it then :^) Thanks!
Thomas Hverring
2021-12-19 12:51:12 +0000 UTCDon't stress about it. Lathe is as silent as a drill press. I can use it in my garage in the middle of the night too.
Csongor Halmai
2021-12-19 06:05:59 +0000 UTCI read that book last year :^) I don't have a lathe but would love to have one. I'm just worried it will too much noise (neighbors!). Happy Holidays to you, Rex, and all of your team!
Thomas Hverring
2021-12-19 00:45:06 +0000 UTCWhuuuut?! You aren't going to build a foot powered treadle lathe from a log and some branches? Thank goodness Rex. Had me worried as i am about three tool videos behind already. Thank you Rex for helping me and many others maintain our sanity these last two years. Looking forward to seeing the new series. Please have a safe and sane Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My best wishes to you, your family and your great production crew. Now, maybe Santa hasn't got my Christmas gift yet and I can change the list before (s)he takes off.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-12-18 22:39:18 +0000 UTCRex, my wife is going to hate you for this video. I have not considered a lathe lately due to space limitation in my shop. But now, after watching this I am mentally putting together a plan to fit one in. If I'm still alive after she finds out, I think I can make it work. Thanks for all your good videos. Ed
Edward Conway
2021-12-18 20:53:51 +0000 UTCI have a small Delta benchtop lather and it has an available extension for the bed that allows me to turn out to 48in long. That in itself was a massive improvement on a small lather. It is heavy enough that it will sit on a rough plank happily while I use it. It is an MT2 as well so with the addition of a 1/2in chuck with an adapter to go in the tailstock and a 4 jaw chuck for the other end it is able to do a lot. Add a set of carbide insert tools and it is a fun tool. As always this is a very instructive video that any new tool user will most definitely appreciate. This is a good think you do Rex. Keep up the good work.
Paul Boegel
2021-12-18 17:17:18 +0000 UTCI read Rex's book this past spring because I was vaguely interested in turning, though my shop is otherwise all hand tools (though I didn't want to go the spring pole lathe direction). Then in June, my brother-in-law's girlfriend, who has done some woodworking at one of those co-ops where you rent hours on communal machines, pushed me to get a lathe (not knowing I had been thinking about it). That afternoon, I found a used Delta midi-lathe (12 inch swing, 17 inch between centers) on craigslist, and picked it up for about $225, which included a basic tool set that had an amazon price of $80. It didn't come with all the extra parts, so I had to make my own knockout bar (the handle was my first lathe project), and I still should get a spanner so that I don't have to use my too-thick adjustable wrench. I've already since spent over double the lathe price on tools and accessories (Oneway chuck + extra jaws, faceplates, drill chuck, center finder, bowl gouge, face mask, respirator, lumber to create a lathe stand, etc.). I've started turning bowls, and earrings for my wife. All of which is to say: I'm really excited about this new series of videos.
Kyle Painter
2021-12-18 17:09:20 +0000 UTCExcellent point on face shields. Face shields in a wood shop is an absolute must! Wear it for any tool that throws out material such as grinders. Also a vigorous dust collection system lessens safety issues.
Richard C von Brecht
2021-12-18 17:09:11 +0000 UTCMerry Christmas! I just got my lathe, this video could not be more timely, thanks kindly
William Allen
2021-12-18 17:06:43 +0000 UTCI am definitely going to buy the PDF version of the book when it becomes available
Stuart
2021-12-18 16:52:03 +0000 UTCMerry Christmas Rex. Thank you for all of your intelligence, innovation and inspiration this year! We have benefitted a great deal from your hard work. Have a good rest!
John Hiemstra
2021-12-18 16:40:53 +0000 UTCI'm pretty new to turning myself. I've recently found some good sources of bowl blanks on Etsy, if you don't want to have to drive 2 hours. It's mostly domestics, but you can get a lot of rarer woods not often found in stores (I just received box elder and persimmon yesterday), and plenty of spalted blank selections.
Kyle Painter
2021-12-18 16:40:51 +0000 UTCPerfect timing. I just bought some old lathe parts off of Ebay, only thing missing was the bed and I can make that, will be watching with interest as you dive deeper;)
John Griswold
2021-12-18 15:49:12 +0000 UTCAny chance we'll get a WWFH spring pole or treadle lathe video? I don't currently turn, but the videos look interesting.
Geoffrey Wilson
2021-12-18 15:35:33 +0000 UTCRex, To you & Yours a Merry Christmas, and A Very Happy and prosperous New Year.....
Kevin S Thomas
2021-12-18 15:27:18 +0000 UTCSo, to add to my last post.... Get the bigger lathe, that 12" length is really only about six inches or even less, depending on what accessories one is using.... Because adding a 4 jaw chuck is a necessity for me, and a drill chuck for the tailstock....when you do the math? Go bigger and longer.... My ramblings here are those of a absolute beginner woodturner, so please don't take anything I say as anything to do, but, just what I think I have experienced. I have Rex's book, and have benefited from being a Patron, and participating on his forum. There are some mighty fine experienced woodturners on the forum, who have helped with tips that I use everytime on the lathe. I put my N95's back in the storage tote and unboxed my 3M respirator and ordered some of those pink filters a month ago....so much easier to breathe clean air and no fogged glasses...the harbor freight face shield is starting to get scary with a few bowl going flying across the garage, so a real face shield like the one in the video is probably on order later today. Rex.....thanks for making this video for me!!! haha....
Craig Thibodeaux
2021-12-18 15:17:17 +0000 UTChaha...almost feel like this video was custom made for me! I had a relative give me one of the smaller lathes 2 months ago. The relative actually gave me a choice of which one I wanted of the two you show in the video. I felt grateful that he was offering to get me anything so I naturally said, the smaller one would be fine... To what Rex says about outgrowing it...I wasn't sure that would be true, until the second day I was turning on it....then I was absolutely sure it was too small for what I really wanted to do. It will almost do what I want to do. So, what it will absolutely do for me is allow me to learn with smaller pieces, which is probably safer (actually, absolutely safer). What have I learned in 2 months? Woodturning is a lot of fun. It is dangerous....which can be mitigated....but not eliminated. Living is dangerous also. Woodturning adds fun, and something creative almost immediately. I have turned items that I will be giving for Christmas presents in 2 months...
Craig Thibodeaux
2021-12-18 15:04:54 +0000 UTCThanks, Rex for breaking this down so simply. I think getting a lathe and turning, as you mentioned, can be intimidating to many. But you take that and explain it so people probably can’t wait to ask Santa for a new lathe now! Have a blessed Christmas. I got a vintage treadle fly-wheel lathe recently and hope to get it set up this coming new year. But that lathe in your video looks intriguing! Looking forward to seeing your next videos on lathe set-up and turning. Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas!
Sean O'Neill
2021-12-18 15:04:34 +0000 UTCNice. I am interested in wood turning. I have been looking into how to make and build my own wood lathe and will undertake it one day. Thanks.
James Farmer
2021-12-18 14:40:34 +0000 UTCBy pure coincidence, that very face shield is being delivered to me today. I look forward to your thoughts on carbide tools. I have become a fan, and turning handles for them is a good beginner project.
Brian Taylor
2021-12-18 13:56:58 +0000 UTCI am very excited for this series. Thanks for doing it. I have your book and used it to get started using my shopsmith lathe last year during the winter and haven’t touched it since the weather was good. Started thinking about turning again and realized that I forgot most of whatI learned. So looking forward to basic techniques done in your style which I love!
Robert Bullock
2021-12-18 13:13:00 +0000 UTC“This is the cheapest lathe I’ve ever seen.” Hey, that’s the one I have! “And you shouldn’t buy it.” Crap.
Brian Suker
2021-12-18 12:52:23 +0000 UTCHi Rex, this sounds exciting. I was recently offered a wood lathe by someone who's giving it up so the timing couldn't be better :)
Jim
2021-12-18 12:33:13 +0000 UTCNice timing. I read your book a few months ago when I was thinking I should get back to my lathe. I've accumulated a few more tools, made a few bowls verging on successful ( which I was unable to do when I first got it, creating instead concave projectiles mostly ). And this morning a 2 hour road trip to a store that sells more exotic woods to get some interesting blanks. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Barry
2021-12-18 12:28:54 +0000 UTC
