# Wooo, lathe gloat!



## cabomhn (Nov 24, 2012)

So I finally took the plunge and invested in a lathe for home. I got a 10" jet mini lathe with variable speed, new from klingspor with their 30% off black friday sale. It's a modest start but we all have to start somewhere. This will be fantastic so I can actually do some woodworking while I'm home for the summer. Now, I have to save up for a bench grinder, grinding jig, lathe tools, and a chuck set/drill chuck and I should have everything that I'll need to work through the summer. I've been watching this set on ebay like a hawk and I'm hoping I can get this set for $100, same one I use at school and I like the quality of the tools. 

For a grinder, what grinder would you guys recommend, or does it really matter at all? I plan on buying the wolverine grinding jig and the oneway jig for my bowl and spindle gouges.


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## cabomhn (Nov 24, 2012)

Oh yeah, I'm going to be building a bench in the spring and assembling it at home. Would it be an awful idea to make the legs and frame from pine and making the top from hard maple or should I just go straight maple for the entire thing. I'm only asking because if I could save some cash that would definitely be beneficial, thanks for any help guys!


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## Mike1950 (Nov 25, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> Oh yeah, I'm going to be building a bench in the spring and assembling it at home. Would it be an awful idea to make the legs and frame from pine and making the top from hard maple or should I just go straight maple for the entire thing. I'm only asking because if I could save some cash that would definitely be beneficial, thanks for any help guys!



Matt, You need to keep in mind it is a bench!!! There are no wrongs or rights. It is a choice thing. I used red oak on the bottom and Doug fir on top. Why? 2 reasons. 1rst- I wanted top to be softer then projects-when-not if - I drop my work on it I want bench to dent not project. 2nd reason. I had some perfect doug fir for top and some very cheap oak for bottom. Use the pine for bottom and the money you save will get a nice vise..............


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## West River WoodWorks (Nov 25, 2012)

Well Matt, I think you have gotten yourself a fine lathe. You should be able to turn up to 12" on the lathe, and that is no slouch!

As for a grinder I would recommend a 8" slow speed grinder, whatever brand you can get the best deal on anyway. These work very well with the wolverine and oneway jigs. The 8" wheel makes all the difference with those jigs.
Heres hopeing you can score those tools for $100! Good luck to you and happy turning.

Tom


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## woodtickgreg (Nov 25, 2012)

West River WoodWorks said:


> Well Matt, I think you have gotten yourself a fine lathe. You should be able to turn up to 12" on the lathe, and that is no slouch!
> 
> As for a grinder I would recommend a 8" slow speed grinder, whatever brand you can get the best deal on anyway. These work very well with the wolverine and oneway jigs. The 8" wheel makes all the difference with those jigs.
> Heres hopeing you can score those tools for $100! Good luck to you and happy turning.
> ...


+1


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## cabomhn (Nov 25, 2012)

Mike1950 said:


> cabomhn said:
> 
> 
> > Oh yeah, I'm going to be building a bench in the spring and assembling it at home. Would it be an awful idea to make the legs and frame from pine and making the top from hard maple or should I just go straight maple for the entire thing. I'm only asking because if I could save some cash that would definitely be beneficial, thanks for any help guys!
> ...



 I always end up asking questions I probably already know the answer to just to try to reaffirm my idea, but now I'm thinking about just making the entire thing out of Ash, I can get 8/4 ash from the local sawmill for $2.25/bf for all widths which from what I can tell is a pretty decent deal, and it's only marginally softer than a hard maple would be. Thanks for the help!


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## cabomhn (Nov 25, 2012)

West River WoodWorks said:


> Well Matt, I think you have gotten yourself a fine lathe. You should be able to turn up to 12" on the lathe, and that is no slouch!
> 
> As for a grinder I would recommend a 8" slow speed grinder, whatever brand you can get the best deal on anyway. These work very well with the wolverine and oneway jigs. The 8" wheel makes all the difference with those jigs.
> Heres hopeing you can score those tools for $100! Good luck to you and happy turning.
> ...



That's good info to know, the local lowes had a Ryobi 6" grinder on sale for $20 but for some reason it seemed like an 8" would be what I would want so I held off. I'm a little hesitant to buy ryobi after a bad purchase in the past but I'll have to keep an eye on some deals in the coming months. Thanks!


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## woodtickgreg (Nov 25, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> West River WoodWorks said:
> 
> 
> > Well Matt, I think you have gotten yourself a fine lathe. You should be able to turn up to 12" on the lathe, and that is no slouch!
> ...


And for tool sharpening also make sure it is a slow speed 1750 rpm not a 3450 rpm as that will cause excessive heat and ruin the temper in your tools. psi and wood craft both sell slow speed 8" grinders for a reasonable cost new.


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## cabomhn (Nov 25, 2012)

woodtickgreg said:


> cabomhn said:
> 
> 
> > West River WoodWorks said:
> ...



Good to know, I found this set on woodcraft ( link ) which seems like a pretty good deal to save some money having everything in one package.

Thanks for the help guys, little things like this with the speed of grinder and others which is common sense for you guys is really useful knowledge to learn for me, so thanks!


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## woodtickgreg (Nov 25, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> woodtickgreg said:
> 
> 
> > cabomhn said:
> ...


That's a good little package for the money, it will serve you well and allow you to sharpen just about anything for turning. That's a good price and they do go on sale from time to time.


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## scrimman (Nov 25, 2012)

I made my latest bench out of reclaimed pallet wood. Its nice and sturdy, and you can't beat the price! Furniture stores usually have really good 'dead' pallets that they just throw away!
You can use the higher speed grinders, by the way. Just keep a cup of 2 in 1 oil (or some similar thin oil) next to the grinder as you work. Keep the contact with the wheel to a minimum, and dip the tool in the oil to cool it as you go. A WWII vet who used to work one aircraft engines taught the trick to me. I've used a 'conventional' grinder for years using that trick and it hasn't failed me yet.


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## woodtickgreg (Nov 25, 2012)

scrimman said:


> I made my latest bench out of reclaimed pallet wood. Its nice and sturdy, and you can't beat the price! Furniture stores usually have really good 'dead' pallets that they just throw away!
> You can use the higher speed grinders, by the way. Just keep a cup of 2 in 1 oil (or some similar thin oil) next to the grinder as you work. Keep the contact with the wheel to a minimum, and dip the tool in the oil to cool it as you go. A WWII vet who used to work one aircraft engines taught the trick to me. I've used a 'conventional' grinder for years using that trick and it hasn't failed me yet.


Good advice, even with a slow speed grinder you can overheat the tool. A light touch is the key and quenching the tool as needed. once the tools are sharp a quick light grind is usually all that is needed, not usually enough to overheat the tool. A teardrop slipstone is also handy to remove the bur from the edge of the tool that will be raised from the grinding process, a few strokes is all it takes to remove the bur.


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## cabomhn (Nov 25, 2012)

scrimman said:


> I made my latest bench out of reclaimed pallet wood. Its nice and sturdy, and you can't beat the price! Furniture stores usually have really good 'dead' pallets that they just throw away!
> You can use the higher speed grinders, by the way. Just keep a cup of 2 in 1 oil (or some similar thin oil) next to the grinder as you work. Keep the contact with the wheel to a minimum, and dip the tool in the oil to cool it as you go. A WWII vet who used to work one aircraft engines taught the trick to me. I've used a 'conventional' grinder for years using that trick and it hasn't failed me yet.



Do you have a picture of the bench? It would be interested in seeing you how utilized the size pieces from a pallet. A guy from the local shop had mentioned something about using oil before but I had never had really understood the context before now but that makes sense.


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## Dusty (Nov 26, 2012)

Don't overlook one of the good tool sets (for the money) from Harbor Freight. The 8 tool set for $42 is a great value. I bought set to practice my sharpening skills. After using them for a few months I'm still using them and not looking for a more expensive set. My turning is limited to playing and relaxing. I sell my other woodworking projects, so I've bought the best tools I could afford for other uses. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-high-speed-steel-wood-lathe-chisel-set-69723.html 
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2927

You're going to enjoy your lathe... If you are passing through East Tennessee, stop and I'll give you all the turning blanks you can use. I've got more than I will ever use up. 

When I do get some new turning chisels, I'm going to make them from some bar stock and carbide inserts. The commercial tools are way too expensive for me to consider.

Hal


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## cabomhn (Nov 26, 2012)

Dusty said:


> Don't overlook one of the good tool sets (for the money) from Harbor Freight. The 8 tool set for $42 is a great value. I bought set to practice my sharpening skills. After using them for a few months I'm still using them and not looking for a more expensive set. My turning is limited to playing and relaxing. I sell my other woodworking projects, so I've bought the best tools I could afford for other uses.
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-high-speed-steel-wood-lathe-chisel-set-69723.html
> http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2927
> ...



Your post just saved me a lot of money for the time being. I think after looking at some of the reviews that the harbor freight set might not be such a bad deal, at least for now at this level. It seems like a lot of the people who buy it say they pretty much got it to screw up when practicing sharpening but after use they seems to take a liking to how the tool is built and the quality. I may give it a try and with one of the infamous 20% off coupons it will cost me a roaring $35. :rofl2: From that link you sent from lumber jocks I also found this gem...

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/16972

This for the time being would save me about $100, money I can invest into making a higher quality bench that'll last. People say that it might give some chatter but for the time being this could at least get me in the right direction. 

Thanks for the links!


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## duncsuss (Nov 26, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> http://lumberjocks.com/projects/16972
> 
> This for the time being would save me about $100 ...



I did something similar till I felt I could afford the Wolverine jig -- simply used a length of T-track and a couple of scraps of wood. The pix should be self-explanatory.

[attachment=13938]
[attachment=13939]
[attachment=13940]


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## cabomhn (Nov 26, 2012)

duncsuss said:


> cabomhn said:
> 
> 
> > http://lumberjocks.com/projects/16972
> ...



I like this design quite a bit, I actually have an extra incra t-slider that would work good for this, I might work on a mock up at the shop since they have the full set up in the shop here at school. Thanks a lot for your help guys.


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## duncsuss (Nov 26, 2012)

cabomhn said:


> I like this design quite a bit, I actually have an extra incra t-slider that would work good for this, I might work on a mock up at the shop since they have the full set up in the shop here at school. Thanks a lot for your help guys.



I don't think it qualifies for the term "design"  , I just cobbled it together as I went along!

(I'm pretty sure I did it this way because I had a spare length of T-track too)


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## drycreek (Nov 26, 2012)

You will love your jet, I love my jet mini and my lathe bench is an old cheap china cabinet base that I picked up at an auction for $10.00 dollars, it has a door and shelf with a ton of storage. I took the top off and used it for shelving in my finish room. Hey I know it's not hand built but serves the purpose for now, a hand built bench will come in the future. I also like the harbor freight set but just traded with RusDemka for one of his mini sets and I have to say they are awsome. I agree with scrimman keep the tools cool and the sharping process will be rewarding.


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## woodtickgreg (Nov 26, 2012)

If you guys are interested in making your own carbide insert chisels you might want to look in the wood turning section. I did a build thread in there about doing this very same thing, it's called carbide insert chisel build, you might get some ideas from it. If you are looking to buy chisels instead I will resume making them and selling them when my lathe restore is done, I am very close to finished.


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