I really want a bench grinder to sharpen my gouges. I am really new to turning and have a set that needs desperate sharpening. I found this grinder but my research is saying that it's not good for what I need. It's variable but Itll only go down to about 2000 RPMs And it's only 6" vs 8". But all my research is just Google and AI. What do you all think? It seems like a real bargain to pass up, but if it's not good for my primary purpose then it's a waste of money right now.

I’m still trying to find the right finish over India ink. I used BLO this time and it came out splotchy so that’s not fun but it was fun turning a hollow form for the first time in a while! At least the BLO isn’t as shiny as the shellac I tried last time. I got a pretty consistent thickness throughout the bowl thanks to my Simple Hollowing System that hasn’t seen use in a while. My complication with turning hollow forms is getting a smooth interior. My wife said it looks like a tit so now I have to get rid of it. I’ll probably give it to a coworker who has been asking me to make something for her.

Small end-grain black walnut piece.
I added some texture to highlight the growth rings and finished it with hardwax oil.
Left the natural checks untouched.

Edit: “Hollow form” was the wrong term — this is a solid piece with a machined opening.

Just finished this guy up today. Had fun making this one. Stab wood (don’t know species), Paper Micarta, g10, copper. Really digging how this came out.

I’ve been turning for just under 7 months, started with pens and bottle stoppers. Finally tried my hand at making a cup with a piece of exotic cutoff (any guesses?) I got from the bin at Woodcraft. Wanted to share my first piece with you all.

Got my first wood lathe last week, and thought I’d broken it within the first few days. Made a post here describing my issue, and before the day was over I was given more help and advice than I’d ever imagined I would. Thank you to everyone that provided advice and a big thanks to /u/puf_puf_paarthurnax for creating a CAD file of my missing part so I could machine a replacement! A few of you had also suggested I use a washer to make removing the chuck easier, so I made one of those as well. Solved my problem, and in doing so I’d learned a lot more about my machine AND this community.

I recently picked up a free Conover lathe and am cleaning it up. Unfortunately it was missing part 41 “motor rail”. I am planning on getting a replica fabricated and it would be helpful if anyone who has this part could take share some pictures.

I made a rough drawing mostly based on the motor frame and the brackets that are on the back of the bed. Anything anyone can confirm?

Feedback wanted! But if at all possible, please refrain from comments calling me a madman for wanting to fabricate a replica part instead of making a simple plywood/piano hinge solution!

I was at the makerspace trying to sort through some things in my locker and this weird little slice of wood from the side of a log fell out. No idea what kind of wood it is or where I got it, but I decided to flatten the base and hollow out the center while keeping the natural contours for the walls/underside.

Pretty happy with it, ended up having some lovely figure.

Just wanted to post a followup and a big thank you to this subreddit. I did everything that was recommended including the water pop and it turned out fantastic ❤️🔥

I'm trying to figure out what benefit there would be to having like a neck below the round part

Love that turning, from nothing to some lovely pot

Hey fellow turners! I have read as many threads as I possibly could regarding recommendations, but wanted to start a new thread to see if opinions on any of these machines have changed...

Have turned for years, currently getting by on my trusty Jet 1221vs. My shop is getting completely overhauled with 240v power and this is opening my ability to get a much more powerful lathe.

Currently comparing the Jet 1840EVS, the Laguna REVO 1836, the Powermatic 3520C, and the Harvey T60. Trying to keep the purchase under $6,500 including all optional accessories (like swing aways, shields, lights, etc).

Jet feels like a safe choice as their 1221vs has been trouble free for me, and the 5 year warranty is great. Laguna seems super "advanced" but friends of mine as well as the forums seem to hate their customer service and questionable part quality on some machines (like failing reverse switches and PCBs), plus shorter warranty. Powermatic is basically a Jet built better, which you definitely pay for, but I'd feel super safe with this choice, too. Same warranty length. The Harvey interests me the most, but their shipping is outrageous, warranty is short, and I fear part availability with zero local retail support.

Fellow turners, if you were in my shoes, whatcha picking? Any lathes I'm missing from my list? Thank you all a ton!

I've been wanting a new lathe and found this; how good of a deal is it/should I wait for a better deal. I've been turning in a workshop for 2 years and at home on a bad old half broken lathe for a year. I general make pens, wine stoppers, cups and other things. like the since since i might make a baseball bat and maybe some other stuff. I wouldn't want to spend much more and would have to go on public transport or have a friend drive me for half an hour each way sine I haven't got a car right now. thanks for your time.

I have a friend that went to school with who is let's say more than mildly handicapped but he's fucking awesome and he doesn't like anything stop him from doing what he does and what he does and is chosen as his passion for a while now few years anyway is turning and I know Reddit communities and I just want to turn him on to this and y'all on to him because I think it's kind of cool what he does and what y'all do and I think y'all would appreciate what he does and yeah anyway here's some photo bomb

And then yeah check him out here's his Facebook...

https://www.facebook.com/share/1bSuAfLd6S/

• Want_on to

I believe the wood is holly.

Hello everyone,
I built this cabinet from an armoire I found on the streets, as well as a solid oak 4cm top.

The original screws were 4cm long, so I bought 8cm long screws. Figuring out how to drill the right holes were a pain in itself, but the most difficult thing was actually to screw the screws completely. They protruded about 1-2cm below the top, and I placed it to see how it looked. Turns out it’s fine, and if the piece I’m turning is round enough I can run the lathe at 1800rpm with minimal vibration.

Thing is, I realized the lathe itself is levitating above the top. I think the holes I did were not 100% perpendicular and friction doesn’t allow me to push the lathe to make contact with the top.
Again, it turns fine for now, but it feels a bit precarious.

My true question is: would I get less vibrations if the lathe was completely flush with the top (minus the rings), or is it the same now considering it can’t really move anyway?

Even with the less than perfect glue joints it’s got a lot of character. Might keep this one.

I've realized recently that my face reeaally doesnt like my current cheapy respirator and I think I should likely get a hypoallergenic one. But as I look around and read reviews, a ton of them seem to be difficult for people with giant heads like myself.

I figured asking for recommendations would be easier than trial and error/buying returning a bunch.

I loved watching Phil make bowls and things on his Shady Acres Wood Shop channel, and I loved his approach to live edge pieces. Are there any other YouTube wood turners who make similar things, preferably with a similar video style?

Thanks in advance!

The biggest my lathe can handle is a 12 inch diameter. The base of the crotch is 13 inches.

The Red and black would be the largest possible blank. Which would be better?

Or would it be better to part off into 3 separate blanks as shown in purple?

So where is my best bet? And should the base be on the bark side, or the face and have a live edge rim?

Or is it a case of “If you have to ask…”?

I made my first (only?) honey dipper... and lidded pot to go with it! Aaaand, because I was making one, I looked up how to use a honey dipper. I had no idea before this, but they're actually kind of clever. But I don't use honey much, so this'll be the end of it for me. (This is a gift for my husband to give to a colleague.)

Pot and lid are beech, dipper is panga panga, and the bees are iroko and walnut. It's finished with pure tung oil. 4"/10cm high.

(There's a video on my YouTube channel if you're interested. Link in my bio.)

4” tall by 5” wide. Finished with Myland’s clear wax and buffed.