Why not cut the edges off first?

[Robert166]

Experimenting on the lathe lately and watched a bunch of videos. Person will place a square piece on the lathe begin turning and it sounds it is beating the lathe to death. After finding center, seems to me, taking a trip to the bandsaw and cutting those edges off would make things a bit more pleasant. Or am I missing something?

 

[chris_goris]

Makes perfect sense... IF you have a bandsaw.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

Turning an octagon is easier. It also helps when turning a table or chair piece when toy want to go from square to round. I often just take off the corner with a rasp where I want the two to intersect as it avoids repairing a tear-out oops. A lot of this depends on the wood and grain

 

[Mike Davis]

I use my table saw to cut the corners off.
I think it is another step that some don't care to take.
By the way there is a better way of turning that is gentler and easier on the tool, your hands, and ears...

 

[Mike Davis]

 

[bob vaughan]

For several years when I was doing a lot of spindles for people, I used to run the spindles over a big round over router bit. I would usually do the center sections and leave enough square for the square to round transitions. This helped when I was using a steady rest in the middle. I could steady the middle of the spindle with my hand and cut a round area for the steady rest.

Looking at the crappy photos below, you can see where the middle is routed.

 

[Robert166]

I use my table saw to cut the corners off.
I think it is another step that some don't care to take.
By the way there is a better way of turning that is gentler and easier on the tool, your hands, and ears...

What way might that be Mike?

 

[Mike Davis]

What way might that be Mike?

I'd have to show you.

 

[Robert166]

Can you suggest a decent priced starter tool set? I have two carbide tipped one now, one is square one is round. Thanks!

 

[Mike Davis]

No, I bought the Sorby set 30 years ago for $175. I thought that was a lot of money back then but the price now is highway robbery.

Sorby Intermediate Turning Tool Set - HSS - 6 Piece | Woodcraft

Buy the Intermediate Turning Tool Set - HSS - 6 Piece for sale online from Woodcraft. Visit us to order online or find your local Woodcraft store today!

www.woodcraft.com

I would buy individual tools as I need or learn to use them.

Or buy a very cheap set like horrible fright.

Edit; I may find a few tools around the shop you could have to even some i would sell cheap.

 

[Robert166]

Let me know, that Sorby set, yeah probably aint gonna happen. Should have bought some at the picnic.

 

[beloitdavisja]

+1 For buying individual tools. I bought the Harbor Freight set starting out. The only things I still use from that set are the two (1" & 1/2") skews. I had been using the parting tool until I bought a Crown diamond parting tool from the picnic. - WOW that thing works wonders compared to the HF parter. I'm going to replace those skews at some point (I had been eyeing a 1/2" Sorby skew at the picnic, but someone grabbed it before I could decide). If I had to do it again, I'd skip the HF set and get the below:

• 1' Skew
• 3/8 or 1/2" bowl gouge
• 3/8" spindle gouge
• 3/4" spindle rouging gouge

Really depends on what you're turning. If you're primarily doing bowls, for example, swap out the roughing gouge for a bowl scraper (since you should NEVER use a SRG on a bowl!)

I've found the WoodRiver tools at Woodcraft are decent, and a definite step up from the HF set. I have a mix of them and Sorby's. I'd love to get some Thompson's, but.... I'm cheap.

All that said, I cut the corners off if it's bigger than 2". Especially helps with bowl blanks (unless I'm doing a cornered bowl ). Smaller than 2" (say for pens or bottle stoppers) it takes me less time to turn them down than to cut them off.

 

[bob vaughan]

All that said, I cut the corners off if it's bigger than 2". Especially helps with bowl blanks (unless I'm doing a cornered bowl ). Smaller than 2" (say for pens or bottle stoppers) it takes me less time to turn them down than to cut them off.

With a good spindle roughing gough, this is quite true. Its faster and less trouble. My spindle roughing gouge is 1-3/8" wide. A Henry Taylor I think. That tool gets more use than most other tools because it makes things round first. After that, depending on the work profiles needed, I'll get out the appropriate tools. I tried a smaller Carter roughing gouge. Meh. I'll stick with the Taylor. Its way faster.

 

[Mike Davis]

• 1' Skew
• 3/8 or 1/2" bowl gouge
• 3/8" spindle gouge
• 3/4" spindle rouging gouge

These are the tools I use the most

• 1 1/4' Skew
• 5/8" bowl gouge with 40/40 grind
• 3/4" gouge deep end grind
• 3/8" spindle gouge fingernail grind
• 1 3/8" spindle roughing gouge or 1" inside the flutes
• Parting tool
• 1" continental gouge

Edit, actually measured these tools last night and making some corrections.

 

[marinosr]

I recently was trying to take the corners off of some green wood unsupported, doing the first corner, and the bandsaw hit a knot, grabbed the wood and turned it 20 degrees or so. It stopped the blade dead in its tracks and stalled the motor. Put a nice kink in my $25 bandsaw blade too.

 

[Henry W]

I recently was trying to take the corners off of some green wood unsupported, doing the first corner, and the bandsaw hit a knot, grabbed the wood and turned it 20 degrees or so. It stopped the blade dead in its tracks and stalled the motor. Put a nice kink in my $25 bandsaw blade too.

Ah hmmmmm - yup - yessirreee - unsupported pieces at the bandsaw have seemed doable to me too - until they aren't. I too have learned a lesson and have the BS blades to prove it!

 

[Gotcha6]

BTDT. Ouch in your pocketbook.

 

[mkepke]

Makes perfect sense... IF you have a bandsaw.

Or a chainsaw, handsaw,…

I agree with removing the corners. It’s just dead weight.

That said the ‘beating the lathe to death’ thing can be reduced by properly* balancing the work between centers.

Took me a while to figure that out.

-Mark
* as long as you don’t need a super-specific grain orientation

 

[Reference Handiwork]

No, I bought the Sorby set 30 years ago for $175. I thought that was a lot of money back then but the price now is highway robbery.

Sorby Intermediate Turning Tool Set - HSS - 6 Piece | Woodcraft

Buy the Intermediate Turning Tool Set - HSS - 6 Piece for sale online from Woodcraft. Visit us to order online or find your local Woodcraft store today!

www.woodcraft.com

I would buy individual tools as I need or learn to use them.

Or buy a very cheap set like horrible fright.

Edit; I may find a few tools around the shop you could have to even some i would sell cheap.

Hahah. Wow. Nearly $500. If I ever turn, I'll definitely start with HF to see if I like it enough to invest in nice tools.

 

[Gotcha6]

I don't have any carbide insert turning tools but something to consider when buying lathe chisels is what you are willing to invest in a sharpening system for them? If you don't do anything but turning it may be more economical to buy the carbide system instead of grinders and grinding jigs. Just a thought.