Woodturning

By: Brent Goodman

Table of Contents iii

Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................ iii

Introduction ..................................................................................................... v

Chapter 1:What is woodturning? ............................................................................ 1

Chapter 1: What is woodturning? ........................................................................... 3

What is woodturning ....................................................................................... 3

What can be made ......................................................................................... 3

Chapter 2: How to get started? ............................................................................. 5

Chapter 2: How to get started? ............................................................................. 7

Decided what you are turning yet? ...................................................................... 7

What should I turn? ........................................................................................ 7

What do you need? ........................................................................................ 7

What do you need to get started? ..................................................................... 7

Chapter 3: Lets setup and turn some wood. .............................................................. 9

Chapter 3: Lets setup and turn some wood. .................................................... 11

Know how to set up your lathe? ........................................................................ 11

How do you put the blanks on the mandrel? ......................................................... 11

Ready to turn it on yet? .................................................................................. 13

Index ......................................................................................................... 15

Introduction v

Introduction

Woodturning, what is it? How do you do it? Well simply it is a different hobby that mostly the older generations participate in, but it is really for any one with some extra time and patience. This manual will give you a little bit of background on woodturning and also take you step by step in turning your first piece which we will decide later in the manual. It will take you step by step in deciding what you should turn and give you questions to ask yourself when wanting to turn something. It will also point out a few places where you should be cautious so that you don’t injure your fingers or hand.

Chapter 1: What is woodturning?

www.charlestownewoodturners.com

Chapter 1: What is woodturning? 3

Chapter 1: What is woodturning?

What is woodturning? Well woodturning is a hobby that has been around since the time of the Indians and even before them. It was used by early people throughout the world at first for creating plates and bowls for placing food on. Now days it is not so much used for making necessary items but as a hobby. It is also no longer just for turning wood but also turning metal and some stones. The best example without a picture would be to imagine a cylindrical piece of wood spinning between two points and shaving of a little bit at a time till you have a wooden baseball bat. Take a look at Figure 1 for an idea of an old lathe and then at Figure 2 for a modern lathe that also labels the parts. Some of the earliest lathes were powered by using a second person or the feet of the person turning the object (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Antique lathe. http://ochandelier.net/woodworker-chandeliers/

Figure 2. Modern Lathe. www.woodworking.co.ukTechnicalBeginnersbeginners.html

4 Woodturning

What can be made? As I mentioned earlier turning now days is not only for wood but also for turning metals and some stones, although for the hobby seeker mainly take part in turning wood only. Some of the more popular things made now days are just what earlier people made such as plates and bowls. Some people use their imagination and turn everything from pens to goblets and bowels (See Figure 3). Some people even turn snowmen out of one piece of wood and put on the face and the arms with drills and wood glue. Now these are all things that you can eventually get to in time after gaining experience and patience. We will talk about what we will turn in the next chapter though.

Figure 3. Woodturnings. By Ted Ingraham

Chapter 2: How to get started?

www.diytools.co.uk

http://www.diytools.co.uk/draper-58697-6-piece-hss-woodturning-chisel-set.html

Chapter 2: How to get started? 7

Chapter 2: How to get started?

Decided what you are turning yet? There are several things that need to be considered before you start turning especially has a beginner. Well in this chapter we will cover the basics of what you need to ask yourself before you begin any woodturning project.

What should I turn? This is a good place to start when deciding what to do. You need to know what you have the experience to turn and the time to turn. Some woodturning projects take more time than others for a few reasons. Some being that you need to let wood dry or it just may be a delicate project you don’t want to ruin or perhaps you are just new to woodturning. So for the purpose of this manual we will be turning a pen because it is small and doesn’t require a great deal of time or experience and if you happen to make a mistake you can always start over.

What do you need? Getting started doesn’t take much. If you don’t know if you will like or want to seriously invest in woodturning you can sometimes find wood working shops that will have the stuff to do it. If you would rather have your own stuff some things that you will need are in the following list.

What do you need to get started? • Lathe (Figure 4)

Figure 4. Lathe. www.woodworking.co.ukTechnicalBeginnersbeginners.html

8 Woodturning

• Roughing Gouge (Figure 5)

• Sandpaper grits 40, 80, and 360 • Spray on lacquer finish • Fine cloth • Wood • Pen Blanks • Mandrel with appropriate bushings (Figure 6)

• Pen Kits • CA glue

Figure 5. Roughing Gouge. http://www.highlandwoodworking.com

Figure 6. Mandrel with bushings. http://aroundthewoods.com/pens.html

Chapter 3: Ready to turn some wood?

http://www.macminn.com/main.asp?goto=pmProcess.asp

Chapter 3:Lets setup and turn some wood? 11

Chapter 3: Ready to setup and turn some wood?

Know how to set up your lathe? Know that you know what woodturning is and we know what you are going to turn it is now time to set it up and get started. First thing that needs to be done is to put the pen blanks on the mandrel. Now most of the times these come with holes drilled in the middle for just this purpose, but in case there isn’t don’t worry just take a drill and depending on the type of pen you are making you will get a appropriate drill bit and drill a hole through the center. Now after your pen blanks have the centers drilled out you will put them on the mandrel using the following steps.

How do you put the blanks on the mandrel? 1. Apply the mandrel to the headstock of the lathe. 2. Slide on one of the bushings. 3. Place the first blank on the mandrel (Figure 7).

4. Followed by the second bushing.

Figure 7. Mandrel on lathe. http://aroundthewoods.com/pens.html

12 Woodturning

5. Apply the second blank (Figure 8).

6. Place the last bushing on the mandrel. 7. Apply a nut and twist so it is tight enough to keep the blanks from spinning on the

mandrel. 8. Slide the tailstock up to the end of the mandrel and secure it (Figure 9).

Figure 8. Blanks on mandrel. http://aroundthewoods.com/pens.html

Figure 9. Ready to turn a pen. http://aroundthewoods.com/pens.html

Chapter 3:Lets setup and turn some wood? 13

Ready to turn it on yet? Now that you have the blanks on the mandrel and the mandrel on the lathe, you are almost ready to turn on the lathe. Just make sure that all the locks on the tool rest and the tailstock are secure.

1. Place the tool rest so that is parallel with the mandrel and an inch away. 2. Make sure everything is clear from the Mandrel.

3. Turn the power switch on. • If it doesn’t power on turn off and make sure power cord is plugged in.

Are you ready to actually turn some wood? Ok so now that you have everything at hand and assembled and the lathe powers on you are about ready to start turning your pen. Now just follow the steps.

1. Place the edge of the gouge on the tool rest just barely away from the wood. 2. Grip the handle with your right hand. 3. Place your left hand palm open on the tool above the tool rest.

4. Using finesse close the gap between the gouge and the spinning wood. • It is normal for the gouge to jump when it comes in contact with the wood.

5. Slide the gouge left and right till the blanks are round. 6. Using more finesse make the ends of the blanks about flush with the bushings.

How to get ready for the finish? Ok so now you have turned the wood down and roughed out the edges and actually made a originally rectangular piece of wood round. Now you will move the tool rest out of the way. You will start with coarse sandpaper like 40 or 80. You might want to find an old piece of cloth to help hold the sandpaper on the wood so that the heat of the friction doesn’t bother your fingers.

1. Use the coarse sandpaper to smooth out any rough patches left by the gouge. • You can use up to any grit sandpaper you want it is your preference.

2. Blow or use an air compressor to remove any wood dust from the blanks. 3. Move the tool rest out of the way and away from the mandrel and blanks. 4. With the lathe still on spray the blanks two or three times with the spray on lacquer. 5. Take a clean piece of cloth and hold it against the blanks till you feel the heat on your

fingers. • Steps 4 and 5 can be repeated to your preference.

Caution: Keep fingers and hands clear to prevent hand injury.

Caution: Don’t grip tool with left hand could injure fingers and hand.

14 Woodturning

Ready to start writing yet? Now that you have turned you pen now all that is left to do is assemble the parts. Take a look at figure 10 to see what comes in a regular pen kit and how they are labeled for the following steps.

1. Take piece A and screw it in to the bottom of piece B. 2. Apply glue to the outside of piece B and slide a blank on it.

• Wipe away any excess glue that seeps out. 3. Screw piece D in to piece B. 4. Slide piece E over Piece D. 5. Apply glue to piece C and put the second blank on it. 6. Hold piece F on top of the second blank while screwing piece H to the top. 7. Now insert piece I to D and twist.

Now you have your very own wood turned pen.

Figure 10. Pen Kit. www.penkitsuk.com

A

B C

D E F

H

Figure 11. Finished Pen. www.woodworkingtalk.com

I

Index 15

Index lacquer, 9, 15 lathe, iii, 3, 9, 13, 15 mandrel, iii, 13, 15

sandpaper, 9, 15 woodturning, iii, v, 1, 3, 9, 13

Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: What is woodturning?Chapter 1: What is woodturning?What is woodturning?What can be made?

Chapter 2: How to get started?Chapter 2: How to get started?Decided what you are turning yet?What should I turn?What do you need?What do you need to get started?

Chapter 3: Ready to turn some wood?Chapter 3: Ready to setup and turn some wood?Know how to set up your lathe?How do you put the blanks on the mandrel?Ready to turn it on yet?Are you ready to actually turn some wood?How to get ready for the finish?Ready to start writing yet?

Index