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Woodturning Basicsfor Beginners

Created exclusively for Craftsy by Ed Pretty

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Meet the Expert

The ABCs of Woodturning: The Basics

Safety at the Lathe: Woodturning Safety Tips

Sharpening Woodturning Tools Properly Changes Everything

Sharpening Woodturning Tools Using a Jig

02

01

05

08

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ED PRETTY

Since 2006, Ed Pretty has followed his avocation of woodturner full-time in his own shop in Langley, British Columbia. Ed learned to turn at the age of 9 from his father, a skilled turner. He helped form the first woodturning guild in his region in 1988. He joined a second guild in 2007, and he’s also a member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). He considers himself a maker of art with work presently in two galleries and pieces in collections as far afield as England, Texas and the Thai royal court. He also teaches woodturning at Lee Valley Tools in Port Coquitlam, BC.

MEET THE EXPERTS

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THE ABCs OF WOODTURNINGThe Basics

ABC. What topic doesn’t have its “ABCs”? Following the A, B and C of woodturning basics will give you the ability to control any tool to get the direction and depth of cut that you want to produce the form that you want. Tool control is everything in woodturning.

A is for Anchor

Your objective is to hold the tool so that it is stable without having a death grip that will tire you and actually prevent the fluid movement that you need.

Anchor the tool by placing it on the tool rest and securing it with your body by keeping your elbows against your body, the tool handle (such as a long-handled bowl gouge) on your hip, and your feet about shoulder-width apart. There are times (i.e. the start of a cut when hollowing a bowl) where you aren’t able to keep your arms close to your body. In that case, hold the end of the handle to increase your leverage on the tool.

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B is for Bevel

Keeping the whole bevel rather than just the cutting edge in contact with the wood is the secret to controlling your cut. Place the heel (opposite the cutting edge) of the bevel against the wood first as in the photo on the left on the previous page. While resting the heel on the wood, bring the tip (cutting edge) up to the wood until you see light dust coming off the edge as in the photo on the right. The bevel is now completely supported on the wood and the tool is stable. In this position you are using the bevel as a guide to “point the way.” Test your new skill by slowly tracing the surface of a round piece with the tool “in cut” (dust coming off the cutting edge) but not actually removing wood.

A dull tool will cause you to lift the bevel off the wood to make it cut, which makes the cut unsupported. Use only sharp tools.

C is for Cut

Changing the angle of the bevel to the wood at this point will allow you to start the cut. Do so by rotating your body very slightly or rotating the tool in your hands. Once you move forward in the cut, the bevel will continue along the line described by the bevel. You are now controlling your cut. The hallmark of a controlled cut is a smooth surface rather than a “rutted” surface where the tool moves in and out. This is much like a bulldozer traveling on its tracks controlling the path of the blade on the front.

When cutting a curved shape (almost every shape you cut will be a curve), simply rotate your body in that direction. Do not move your feet (remember: anchor). Instead, shift weight from one to the other by moving only at your ankles, knees and hips. Prior to making the

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cut, place yourself in a comfortable position at the end of the cut, then without moving your feet, move the tool to the start of the cut. It stands to reason that the more off-balance you get, the less stable the tool becomes. Better to be less comfortable at the start, becoming more comfortable as the cut progresses.

THE ACID TEST

The skew is the great equalizer. If you follow the ABCs of tool control you too will be able to tame the dreaded beast.

Remember, keeping the bevel in contact with the wood will not let the edge dig in, thus causing that spectacular “catch” for which the skew has become so maligned. The instant you either lift the heel off the wood or present the edge to the wood before the heel, the edge digs in. This forces the tool to twist and dig in even deeper, supercharging the catch. Always present any tool heel first. If starting from the end of a piece, turn a small portion (1” or so) from the opposite direction to make a clean flat at the end as a starting point wide enough for the bevel of the tool.

Practice any cut by turning the wood by hand and holding the tool against the wood as described. Watch the action of the tool and get used to keeping the bevel on the wood in that controlled manner. With experience, the action of heel-then-toe will morph into one fluid motion.

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The lathe is the only tool in the shop where the machine moves the wood and the cutting tool is held by the operator. The lathe, therefore, has its own unique safety considerations besides all the other risks that are ever-present in any shop. Observing some basic woodturning safety rules will make your time at the lathe far more enjoyable.

For simplicity, most guidelines for woodturning safety fall into three main categories:

• Protection from entanglement• Protection for the eyes, face and body• Respiratory protection

PROTECTION FROM ENTANGLEMENT

While it is possible to become entangled in other woodworking machinery, the danger is heightened at the lathe. Your hands, body and clothing are closer to the hazard and the diameter and irregularity of the wood itself has a greater tendency to “grab” anything long and

SAFETY AT THE LATHEWoodturning Safety Tips

Wood rotating on a lathe can catch loose clothing and hair in its grasp in a heartbeat.

A woodturner using all the protective gear and precautions noted in this post.

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loose. Once clothing, hair or hanging jewelry become entangled in the wood, severe injury occurs in a microsecond.

• Clothing should be close-fitting without being restrictive.

• While close fitting cuffs on sleeves are acceptable, short sleeves eliminate any possibility of having your arm wrapped into the spinning wood.

• Long hair is very easily drawn into the spinning wood so must be tied back into a ponytail or bun.

• Hanging jewelry should be removed completely. Tight-fitting watches and rings are less of an issue but removing them removes the problem.

EYE, FACE AND BODY PROTECTION

Eye protection is always a must but depending on the cut, the lathe can shower the operator with shavings directly in the face with considerable force. Because of that, safety glasses alone are not enough. A face shield not only more than doubles the protection provided by the safety glasses, it eliminates the painful shower of chips in the face.

More importantly, the face shield provides some protection from the work piece itself. The centrifugal force when the wood is spinning at high speed is tremendous, causing loose bark to fly off and cracked wood to separate or break up entirely. People have been severely injured and even killed in these situations. For that reason, a simple splash shield is not enough. Suitable face shields for woodturning should be strong and fit well so that they are not easily dislodged.

Eliminate the problem as much as possible by not turning

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questionable wood. Cracks can be quite artistic but not at the expense of serious injury.

You should be fully clothed with decent footwear. Turning in shorts with no shirt is akin to frying bacon in the same getup. Loose-fitting gloves can get caught easily but a close-fitting, fingerless glove on the hand closest to the work when doing heavy roughing will prevent the solid stream of chips from abrading the skin of your hand.

Hearing protection is a must like any other machine tool. Earplugs are often more suitable than muffs because of all the other protective equipment that must be worn.

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION

Respiratory protection in the woodshop at large is of extreme importance. At the lathe, much like eye protection, the hazard is supersized. The moving wood tends to create its own “wind,” making it very difficult or sometimes impossible to control the dust that comes off the work when turning or sanding.

The most effective measure is to control the dust at the source with a high-volume dust-control system. Should you be fortunate enough to have a good dust-control system, you should still wear a good half-face respirator at all times while turning.

IF YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT, DO IT.

It’s fair to say that it’s impossible to note every single hazard in every situation. I worked as a firefighter for 36 years and encountered many situations not covered in the textbook. The one piece of advice that an old hand passed on to me early in the game was, “If you have to think about, you better do it.” In other words, if your sixth sense caused you to wonder if something might be unsafe – it’s unsafe and you need to deal with it. Trust your instincts.

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So many people attempt woodturning and struggle with it or give up altogether. Others have stuck with it faithfully, trying to advance but stayed at a frustratingly low level of achievement. Properly sharpened tools will change that. Even if you are an experienced woodworker, sharpening woodturning tools is counterintuitive to sharpening flat woodworking tools. Understanding the difference makes your woodturning experience enjoyable rather than frustrating.

BENCH CHISELS AND TURNING CHISELS ARE TWO DIFFERENT ANIMALS

Bench tools use either the flat side of the tool (i.e. bench chisels) or the tool surface (i.e. planes) for reference for guiding and depth of cut. To control the cut effectively, the reference surface must rest against the wood. Imagine, for a moment, a plane with the iron out even just a fraction too far and you have the idea of an uncontrolled cut.

When using a turning tool, the bevel of the tool rests against the work and is therefore the reference surface used to guide the direction and depth of cut. Most woodworkers are familiar with honing a secondary bevel on a cutting tool to make it sharper by tilting the hone off the bevel by a couple degrees. This makes an ultra-sharp edge that is also stronger because of the steeper angle. There is no change to the reference surface in this case. Because the bevel is the reference surface on a turning tool, honing only the edge eliminates the bevel as a control surface. Having no control surface produces the “catches” that scares the willies out of turners and at the same time prevents them from getting the shapes that they want.

HIGHLIGHTS OF A PROPERLY SHARPENED TURNING TOOL

The photo on the left shows the features of a properly sharpened skew. This skew has a clean grind from cutting edge (tip) to the end of the grind (heel) and a hollow or concave grind, providing a control surface from tip to heel. Note the hone marks on both the tip and heel. If honing is required, equal pressure is applied to the tip and heel at the same time, maintaining the line through the two points, leaving the reference surface intact.

Note: Honing is required on a skew. (See page 9)

SHARPENING WOODTURNING TOOLS PROPERLY CHANGES EVERYTHING

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The photo above shows not only a proper hollow ground bevel, but a second bevel further down to reduce the width of the main bevel as well as a rounded heel. On this bowl gouge, the reduced width of the cutting bevel provides more maneuverability on inside curves and the rounded heel prevents bruising of the wood, however the cutting bevel is still wide enough for control. Note the hone lines are still on the tip and heel of the cutting bevel.

This photo shows an edge straight off the grinder. This is acceptable in all turning tools except a skew. Because both bevels on a skew are reference surfaces, the burr from the grinder must be honed away on both sides.

SHARPEN ACCURATELY, QUICKLY AND OFTEN

The style of grind on the bowl gouge above is referred to as an “Irish” or “swept back” grind, making it a very versatile tool. It is also a very complex grind, which is extremely difficult to produce freehand.

SO HOW DO YOU GET THE SWEET, CLEAN, CONSISTENT BEVELS?

First, buy a good grinder (1725 rpm maximum) with a “blue stone” (gray burns tools) available through retailers dedicated to turning supplies, online or otherwise. There are various wheels available.The CBN

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wheels that I use are about $200 each but worth every penny and pay for themselves due to their long life.

Next, buy one of several grinding jigs dedicated to turning tools available at the same retailers. The price of the grinder and jig will be more than offset by the tools that you don’t grind away because you remove practically no material each time at the grinder. Bonus points for having the same exact grind every time. I guarantee your turning experience will be enhanced a thousand-fold because of the consistent and sharp edges that you will produce.

Turning tools are more akin to planer knives than bench chisels considering the lineal feet they cut in a short space of time. For that reason you should be sharpening at least three times in one bowl:

1. Rough cut outside.2. Finish cut outside/rough cut inside.3. Finish cut inside.

It’s not unusual to have to sharpen more than that depending on the size of your project and material used. It’s not hard to see that sharpening is an oft-used skill and the more repeatable it is, the better your turning will become.

You MUST be good at sharpening woodturning tools, like it or not. A grinding jig will do that for you. I have been turning for over 50 years and I use a jig as do many world-renowned turners.

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We already talked about the importance of having sharp tools to be able to turn properly and that a sharpening jig for woodturning tools was one of the most important accessories you could buy. Choosing a jig is the first step, learning to use it effectively is the second.

HOW TO SHARPEN WOODTURNING TOOLS Using a Jig

8” grinder with basic jig setup and CBN wheels

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The Wolverine jig from Oneway Manufacturing is the standard in the industry. There are a few others available that are “the same only different,” so the descriptions here are quite universal. The Wolverine has an accessory tool holder called a Vari-Grind jig that is required if you are sharpening bowl gouges with an “Irish” or “swept back” grind. It also makes sharpening a “fingernail grind” on spindle gouges a piece of cake.

FIRST, A BIT ABOUT YOUR GRINDER

In the previous section, I commented that your grinder should be limited to 1725 rpm. 3400 rpm grinders are less expensive, but the speed causes balancing issues, which causes excessive vibration. Also, the heat generated by a 3400 rpm grinder can destroy the hardness of carbon steel tools and damage even high-speed steel tools. The tool rests on all grinders are inadequate for sharpening woodturning tools, making an after-market sharpening jig a valid consideration.

An 8" grinder is ideal and recommended. 6” grinders are acceptable, however, as soon as the wheel starts to wear, the arc of the concave or hollow grind is too severe, weakening the edge. Jigs are designed for 8” grinders while 6” grinders need to be shimmed up to make the geometry work.

The type of wheel on your grinder is important. Gray stones are too hard, so do not dissipate heat readily, burning your tools. White stones are very soft, keeping your tools from burning, however, they wear down very quickly. Blue stones are the Goldie Locks of grind stones for sharpening. They last a very long time, while still being soft enough to not burn your tools. CBN (cubic boronitrate) wheels are steel wheels with an impregnated abrasive. I love mine because there is no vibration, they are always true, they virtually never wear out, and heat seems to be a complete non-issue. I run an 80 grit wheel for reshaping and grinding scrapers and a 180 grit for all general sharpening. Many folks like 80 and 100 or 120, which are fine.

SETTING UP

I will explain how to sharpen woodturning tools using a jig, however it’s important to understand that a jig provides control over the angle of the grind but not the shape of the grind. Any jig will come with detailed instructions about setting up the base plates on your grinder base and how to adjust the components to get the desired shape. Once you’ve turned with those basic shapes, you will develop a preference for finely-tuned shapes through experience.

The Wolverine comes with a long extension arm and a flat tool rest. The long arm is used for supporting the Vari-Grind jig and though it can be used to support some tools directly, I don’t recommend it. Any tools that I sharpen other than spindle and some bowl gouges are supported by the flat tool rest while sharpening.

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VARI-GRIND JIG

The “stick out” of the tool past the jig must be constant, typically 2". Drill a hole in the base or mount a stop block to make that measurement accurately and quickly. Adjust the arm and mark the position with a line so that it can be repeated consistently. I use two different settings, some people use only one. Set the extension arm at a constant distance from the wheel surface. Because the wheel wears down, you cannot measure from the clamp base. Make and use a jig to repeat that measurement.

When sharpening a gouge, work the sides of the grind first because that’s where the most material is to be removed, then carefully work on the curved front of the “fingernail.” It is very easy to remove too much metal at that point. This method offers more control than trying to sweep from one side all the way around to the other side in one pass.

Vari-Grind jig showing tool and arm adjusted to constant settings

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EXTENSION ARM

The only thing I use the extension arm for is to support the Vari-Grind. You can get an accessory that attaches to the extension arm to sharpen skews. This isn’t worth purchasing and will limit the number of shapes that you can apply to those tools to one. The extension arm is not for sharpening spindle and bowl gouges directly from the pocket. It will only produce a sharp point on the tool.

FLAT TOOL REST

The flat rest is very versatile. I recommend that you either buy or make jigs that allow you to set the rest at the various angles you require accurately. Again, it’s all about consistency.

Never, never, never, adjust the flat rest while the grinder is running! If it binds the wheel, something will break – including the wheel – and you could be severely injured.

Spindle roughing gouges and traditional grind bowl gouges are sharpened in the same way. Holding the tool perpendicular to the wheel face, rotate the tool from one wing through to the other wing until the full bevel has been ground completely. It’s OK and sometimes useful to have a very slight angle on the sides of the tool by holding it

Gouge set properly in jig and jig set in extension arm

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at a very slight angle to the wheel, but it’s important to keep the tool square to the wheel while grinding the rounded portion.

Skews can be sharpened with a straight grind by holding the tool flat on the rest with the skewed edge of the tool in line with the axis of the grinder. Of course, use a jig to set the grind angle you prefer for your skews. Grind both sides evenly then hone both edges as described in the previous section. To produce a curved cutting edge, simply place the tool as before but place your thumb on the tool and use it as a center point to rotate the tool in the desired arc. I prefer that the top of the curve is just less than 90 degrees from the top edge of the tool – emphasis on “I prefer.”

Scrapers are the easiest to grind. Simply set the flat rest at the angle you prefer for your scrapers with a jig and follow the shape of the scraper or reshape it as required.

It’s fair to say, “the lathe is the cheap part.” Like anything else, it’s all the goodies that can break the bank. Being able to sharpen your tools is not an option. Using a jig is an option, however, one that will pay you back in dividends of enjoyment of turning as well as reduce the cost of your tools over time.

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