27-03-2011, 11:33 AM
Hi,
Many thanks for this very informative thread David and for the descriptions of how to do the work. I'm also pleased to see pictures of your other exemplary work; all are a credit to your skill and determination.
As you know David I do both woodturning and metal turning but my woodturning is mainly functional in respect of furniture parts; I enjoy a session of woodturning but your kind of projects are very time consuming to achieve such perfection and are done just for the sheer joy of it.
I had to smile at your comment regarding what happens on a lathe if you remove material at the tool because any reduction in thickness here results in double the thickness being removed and this is a very important consideration especially whilst turning metal to fine degrees of accuracy; it is always very baffling to a novice who is metal turning for the first time and using the vernier adjustment on the cross slide; if say ten thou reduction is needed then it is so easy to put on a ten thou cut but once the cut is completed and the material measured it will read twenty thou less.
A point worth mentioning is that many timbers pose serious health hazards whilst being cut or machined and can result in cancer. Spalted Beech is a very common favourite timber used in woodturning but sensible safety precautions are needed to prevent breathing in dust particles; other timbers are very corrosive and will cause rusting of lathes whilst others contain silica that quickly dull cutting tools. A lathe either woodturning or metal turning is a wonderful machine to use and the basic skills are quickly picked up; I would highly recommend a lathe to anyone and much information is available on the Internet; Safety in use is important but common sense will usually win through; I wear glasses and find these have always been adequate for eye protection but if I'm creating dust I'll either wear my respirator or a simple dust mask and over a lifetime of using lathes have only ever suffered minor injuries and every one of these due to my own carelessness.
I don't wish to hi-jack this excellent thread but David kindly allowed me to add pictures of the wonderful wooden bowl made of London Plane he kindly gave to me and Bron as a gift a while ago and it is beautiful to look at and own; I can only aspire to this kind of excellence.
Out of interest I've added a picture of two of my own turned items both being functional and have been in every day use for about twenty years; I made two table lamps and two bedside tables entirely from softwood offcuts costing nothing; one of each at each side of the bed. A lathe can pay for itself by doing such projects.
Kind regards, Col.
Many thanks for this very informative thread David and for the descriptions of how to do the work. I'm also pleased to see pictures of your other exemplary work; all are a credit to your skill and determination.
As you know David I do both woodturning and metal turning but my woodturning is mainly functional in respect of furniture parts; I enjoy a session of woodturning but your kind of projects are very time consuming to achieve such perfection and are done just for the sheer joy of it.
I had to smile at your comment regarding what happens on a lathe if you remove material at the tool because any reduction in thickness here results in double the thickness being removed and this is a very important consideration especially whilst turning metal to fine degrees of accuracy; it is always very baffling to a novice who is metal turning for the first time and using the vernier adjustment on the cross slide; if say ten thou reduction is needed then it is so easy to put on a ten thou cut but once the cut is completed and the material measured it will read twenty thou less.
A point worth mentioning is that many timbers pose serious health hazards whilst being cut or machined and can result in cancer. Spalted Beech is a very common favourite timber used in woodturning but sensible safety precautions are needed to prevent breathing in dust particles; other timbers are very corrosive and will cause rusting of lathes whilst others contain silica that quickly dull cutting tools. A lathe either woodturning or metal turning is a wonderful machine to use and the basic skills are quickly picked up; I would highly recommend a lathe to anyone and much information is available on the Internet; Safety in use is important but common sense will usually win through; I wear glasses and find these have always been adequate for eye protection but if I'm creating dust I'll either wear my respirator or a simple dust mask and over a lifetime of using lathes have only ever suffered minor injuries and every one of these due to my own carelessness.
I don't wish to hi-jack this excellent thread but David kindly allowed me to add pictures of the wonderful wooden bowl made of London Plane he kindly gave to me and Bron as a gift a while ago and it is beautiful to look at and own; I can only aspire to this kind of excellence.
Out of interest I've added a picture of two of my own turned items both being functional and have been in every day use for about twenty years; I made two table lamps and two bedside tables entirely from softwood offcuts costing nothing; one of each at each side of the bed. A lathe can pay for itself by doing such projects.
Kind regards, Col.
