Bowl Turning , Turning a green Pecan wood bowl

BOWL TURNING BASICS

This morning I rough turned a bowl from a green pecan bowl blank. This is how I turn a bowl blank. This blank is made of Pecan, it is green and waxed sealed. I mount the bowl using 1" screws.

This bowl blank is 8"X 3"

The bowl blank is then mounted to the lathe. I used a 3/8" bowl gouge to turn the bowl to a true round.

Once the bowl is round, I then square up the face. I have more pictures on my web site that also shows how I hold a bowl gouge.

Once everything is square. I use my Teknatool dovetail scraper to cut a dovetail recess in the bottom of the blank. This will be used to hold the blank using my Nova dovetail chuck. The recess is cut to about 2 1/2" circle. At this point I switch and mount my bowl on the Nova expanding dovetail chuck.

This picture show how I have used my bowl gouge to cut away the inside of the bowl. The lathe speed I used during this entire process was 684 RPM's. Now that the bowl has been roughed out to about a 3/4-1" thickness, I will date it and write pecan on the bottom. The bowl will be set aside for 4-6 months or until dry. Once it is dry, I will finish turn the bowl.

You can find more pictures and more information on my web site.

http://nokeswoodworks.com/

Nova 1624 Lathe from Woodcraft

I got a new Nova 1624 Lathe from Woodcraft about a month ago. I have nothing but good things to say about this lathe. The 1 1/2 hp motor has more than enough power for this weekend woodworker. It came with steel legs which I am currently using. They seem to keep the lathe very stable. The motor is smooth and powerful. Belt changing is easy, which is a plus. I have already turned several projects on the lathe. I will be sharing some of these projects, here on my blog as well as my web site. The woodcraft people were very helpful went I went to the store to pick it up. I also have the Nova G3 chuck, which I used on my Jet mini lathe. I may want to pick up a bigger chuck in the future but for right now, this chuck has worked well.
This lathe is great for wooden bowls, Pens, spindles, small table parts and anything you can turn in the 16" round by 24" inches in length. You can see a picture to the right, click on the picture for more infromation.
Please visit my website http://nokeswoodworks.com

Tips for buying a Mini Lathe for wood turning

The use of a mini lathe to turn wood projects has become an extremely popular hobby for both money making and enjoyment. If you are looking to purchase a mini lathe, here are a few points to consider.
Decide what projects, you will want to make, this will help determine if a mini lathe is right for you. Mini lathes are great for pen making, wine stopper making, small bowls or plates, tool handles. Christmas decorations, small table legs, small turned boxes.
There are a lot of brands of mini lathes out here which will do a good job. My lathe is a JET which I am very happy with. I have had it for a number of years and it has been put to good use and worked well.
The things I would look for in a wood lathe are as follows:
a. Good speed range from 500 to at least 3000 RPM's.
b. MT-2 headstock and tail stock taper, there are more add-ons that fit this size.
c. Spindle nose of 1X8 TPI.
d. Cast iron bed.
e. 1/2 HP or better.
One thing that is a must when buying a lathe is make sure the head stock and tail stock line up perfectly. Check it the store if you can, or as soon as you get it home. If it does not line up take it back. You can check alignment buy putting a center in the head stock and tail stock. Pull the tail stock up close to the head stock and make sure they align.
Variable speed is nice but not necessary. Changing speed on the belt drive is not hard and there is one less electronic thing to go wrong.
Indexing head is a nice feature which can be used to enhance lathe projects but again is not necessary feature for a lathe.
Make sure to have sturdy place to mount the lathe. You will want as little vibration as possible. Make sure you buy a face shield when you buy the lathe. Buy the best tools you can afford to buy. Visit my web site for more information.
http://nokeswoodworks.com/

Lathe Speed, Pen Making and Bowl Turning

What speed should you set your lathe to when turning different projects.
I have guidelines that I use when selecting what lathe speed to use. The speed you use should allow the blanks to turn with little or no vibration. So if you turn the lathe on and there is vibration, shut it down and lower the speed.
I always wear a face shield, which is a good safety practice.
My guidelines for turning wood are as follows:
Pen Turning 3000 RPM or higher
Stock smaller than 2" can turn at 3000 RPM
Stock which is 3" can turn at 2000 to 2800 RPM
Stock which is 5" can turn at 1200 to 1800 RPM
Anything over 6" should be turned at less than 1000 RPM
When sanding I always slow my lathe down to 500-600 RPM
When applying finish, I set it to it's lowest speed. Which for me is 500 RPM
These guidelines are for wood, if you turn other material, these may not be right for you.
These are only guides, try different things and see what works best for you.
Always wear a face shield or at least safety glasses when turning. And if it doesn't feel right shut it down. Do not turn wood with defects, cracks or knots.
http://nokeswoodworks.com/

PEN MAKING TIP

Sometimes when I turn an acrylic blank, the brass tube shows through on the finish turned pieces. If the blank is say black and white and the brass shows through the white, it does'nt look very good.
There is a way around this problem. You have to paint the brass tube before gluing it in place. Yes you can paint the brass tubes. You need to sand the outside of the tube with sandpaper. Make sure you sand the entire tube. I then use a wire inserted through the tube and bent at the end to hold the tube. I then use spray paint to paint the tube, then hang the other end of the wire up till it dries. Use a spray paint for metal like Rustoleum. Use a color of paint that matches the lighter color in the blank.
Once the paint has dried, you can glue it in normally. I use an expoy glue, seems to work better for me than CA.
Please see my website for information on pen making. http://www.nokeswoodworks.com

Jet Tool 50th Anniversary

Jet Tool Is having there 50th Anniversary this year. As a result if you go to there web site, you can enter to win a prize every month. This month is a jointer, next month a lathe. It may be worth the few minutes it takes. http://www.jettool.com/

Please visit my web site http://nokeswoodworks.com

Pen Making as a craft business

One of my hobbies which I have turned into a sell-able craft is my pen making. Pens are made using a mini lathe to turn a block of wood or plastic to shape to hold the pen workings, which I buy as a kit. I will use this as an example of my costing process. Pen Kits can vary from $2.95 a kit to 59.95 a kit depending on what kind of pen you want to make. The pictures below are of cigar pens. The cost for this kit is $ 5.95. The wood blank will cost from $1.00 to 6.95 depending on type of wood or plastic. I will use $ 3.00 in this example. The pen kit is $5.95 plus $3.00 for the pen blank will total materials of $8.95. It will take me 1/2 hour to make this pen at $15.00 per hour labor. Now my labor and material total $16.45. I them add overhead and profit. I figure my overhead and profit to be the same as material and labor which is $16.45. This give me a total selling price of $32.90. I i always throw in a case and sell them for $34.95. I have pens which sell for more and I have pens which sell for less.
Please visit my website for more woodworking and craft information
http://nokeswoodworks.com

Mini Lathes projects

I have a Jet Mini lathe. When I first bought it, I was sure I would not use it that much.
It has become a very useful tool in my shop. I use it for pen making. I have made hundreds of pens using my lathe. I have made them from wood and plastic and horns.
I mostly give them away but I have sold a few.
I have made bottle stoppers,game calls,knobs, and letter openers. I have made mini birds house to hang on the Christmas tree, as well as wood christmas decorations. I have made several shaker candlestick tables. See picture above. I have even made a custom walking cane. I have made a number of small bowls.
Turning is fun and can be additive. Once you buy the lathe, the next big purchases are the tools with which to turn. Chucks or mandrels will also be needed. Please email me if you would like more information on lathe tools. I have made a lot of projects using my mini lathe.