Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 27, 2009 05:18am | #1

   "Converting a square blank to a nicely turned leg or whatever, with chips flying all about is so much fun it should be outlawed."  Too funny, PM!  I just got my lathe up on a shop-made mobile base, am hoping it's not too high to comfortably turn.  Will keep your advice in mind and try to find an excuse to turn something!

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   davidbrum | Jan 27, 2009 05:58am | #2

   Hi JamieI think I remember that you have a Jet lathe and were asking about a mobile base last year? I had the same dilemma recently; if you have a mobile base, you get vibration. If you have the legs on the floor, you can't move the damn lathe. Then I was browsing a catalog and saw some of those retractable contractor's saw wheels, like you see on older Sears tablesaws. They set the legs directly onto the floor when released. They are designed to work on angled legs, which my Jet lathe happens to have. Anyway, they work great. I even have 150 extra pounds of ballast on the lathe shelf which the mechanism handles no problem. They are pretty cheap too, usually under fifty bucks.If you want to see the setup and you're in Silverdale on a weekday, let me know.David B

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 27, 2009 06:28am | #3

   Hi, David.  I have a set of those casters, but the holes didn't fit too well with the Jet's legs.  Did you drill  new holes, or accomodate some other way?

   I would love to stop by sometime.  I go to Silverdale pretty near once/week (retail therapy).  I'll drop you an email, get a contact number.

   Oh, the base:  One of the Knots members sent me a PDF of a shop-made base, I used 2 4x6"s, casters inset at one end, clear the floor when the base is down (on 4 pads attached to the lumber), but contact the floor when the tailstock end is lifted ~20*.  I need to bevel the pads, though, as one isn't clearing very well, and I can only lift that puppy up so high!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   davidbrum | Jan 27, 2009 08:02am | #4

   Hi JamieI did drill the legs. You have an email coming to you with details.Best wishesDavid B

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 27, 2009 10:27am | #5

   Thanks, David, there's one "back atcha" in cyberland.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   AZMO | Jan 29, 2009 05:01pm | #14

   FG,

   At 6'2" I guess it is easier for me to get the end up..... I had not thought about that if you are shorter. I do have to say, the chainhoist in my shop is a nice way to be able fine tune the pads.

   Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 29, 2009 08:38pm | #15

   Hi, Azmo.  I was able to lift the headstock end and push a stack of 2x6's under the base, then use a rasp to bevel the edges of the pads that are next to the casters.  Truth be told, I should have used a slightly thinner plywood for the pads.  I had on hand 3/4" and 1-1/4" scraps.  The 3/4" was too thin to make the casters clear the floor.

   I'm guessing that the lathe might be a little high now for me to comfortably turn, but I can always make a little platform to stand on.

   Thanks for the help!  Getting that lathe mobile was my biggest challenge in reorganizing the shop.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   wolfonce | Jan 31, 2009 04:11am | #16

   'm guessing that the lathe might be a little high now for me to comfortably turn, but I can always make a little platform to stand on. Oh forestgirl you are a hoot. Make a platform cause the lathe is too high. be careful that could start a trend and you could run out of headroom. Raise the lathe, raise the platform, raise the lathe. LOL.

3. 
   forestgirl | Jan 31, 2009 04:54am | #17

   Wouldn't be surprised, LOL!  Did the haircut version of that as a 4-year-old, two weeks before my (much older) sister's wedding.  Took the scissors to my beautiful, thick, long hair, first one side, then the other, 'til I ended up looking like the scarecrow in Wizard of Oz.   She just about fainted when she returned from her shopping trip that day!  Her flower-girl had commited an unforgivable sin!!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

4. 
   wolfonce | Jan 31, 2009 06:04am | #18

   so you were an out of the box, independent thinker at that early age. I am not surprised. I went to a little local gallery yesterday and the owner who is a watercolor artist, her husband turns wooden bowls. Not so much for art as for utility. I don't want to turn bowls as much as legs. Vessel turning would be interesting to try but not yet. So what are you hoping to turn?

2. 
   Pippins | Jan 28, 2009 04:27pm | #7

   FG, turning green wood is much more fun. When you get the lathe running, try turning both wood that has been dried and fresh cut and let me know what you think.

   Steve Pippins   

1. 
   PHM | Jan 28, 2009 06:27pm | #8

   The only problem that I have encountered when turning green wood is I get so engrossed in watching that long shaving peeling off the stick that I am working on turns into a toothpick, and I have to start all over again ;-) 

   Pat

2. 
   forestgirl | Jan 28, 2009 07:23pm | #9

   Will do!  What are the best woods for turning green?

   I got a shelf put onto the stand last night, no thanks to the switch box sticking out into that space.  Looks like the former owner put a new switch on, but didn't manage the wires rights, so the back part of the box doesn't "contain" the wires.  Have to figure out how to loosen a grommet and rearrange things. 

   Got any good ideas for candlesticks?  If I can make 'em, I can sell 'em.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   Pippins | Jan 28, 2009 07:30pm | #10

   FG, we turn just about any available hardwood green - pecan, hickory, oak, mesquite, hackberry, osage orange, etc. We tend to avoid the evergreens because of the pitch.  

   For candlesticks you will want to stick with the dry hardwoods.  

   Steve Pippins

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 29, 2009 07:38am | #12

   Thanks, Pippins.  We have big leaf maple here, some ornamental cherry trees.  There's one cherry tree in our yard that has a nice burl growing at the base of the tree.  I'm letting it go/grow until I might be ready to do something with it.

   I wonder about Alder.  It's technically a hardwood, but a soft one in reality.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   Wingdoctor | Jan 29, 2009 02:23am | #11

   Forestgirl,

   Maple, hard or soft, turns well green. Maybe you can find some of that great figured maple that the NW is famous for. A lot of the time urban woods are available for free after storms, or when a homeowner is pruning or removing trees. For turnings, branches can be used as well as trunks as there is less of a problem turning reaction wood. Sometimes the warps and twists really add to the project.

   Some people turn green wood in stages. They rough turn to 1" or so in wall thickness and then put the wood away with the turned off shavings to dry. Any warping, and there will be some, can then be turned back to round when the wood is re-turned after drying.

   One thing to remember when turning bowls from green wood, both the inside and outside must be turned in one session if you are turning to final dimensions. Just turning the outside and then letting it sit, and dry, before turning the inside can cause major cracks and splits in some pieces. One DVD I have by Del Stubbs shows him turning bowls to 1/16" wall thickness. They can become oval as they dry out and create really fantastic shapes. That is what makes it fun.

   I have watched JoHannes Michelsen turn a wooden hat from a huge piece of wet maple. The wall thickness of the top is about 1/16" also and the brim is only a little thicker. The wood was so wet we were getting a bath in maple sap as he turned. He is an amazing artist! Check out his gallery also.

   If you go to the part of his web site called process and click on the first picture entitled "sawing" a page will open that allows you to see the entire process to create a hat in a long series of pictures. It will go from cutting the rough blank to a finished hat. It is fasinating!

   As another poster has stated, candlesticks should be turned from dry wood.

   Have fun turning when you get the lathe set-up.

   Bruce

   "A man's got to know his limitations." Dirty Harry Calahan

   Edited 1/28/2009 6:32 pm ET by Wingdoctor

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 29, 2009 07:42am | #13

   Thanks for the links, Bruce, I'll take a look.  I've seen the hats, but  never the process.  Yes, Big Leaf Maple is abundant here.  I could probably get some fress fallen stuff from the land around the stable where I ride.  I have several big trunk pieces from a big maple that fell across the street maybe 3 years ago?  Was hoping it would spalt, but I don't think it ever did.

   Nick's got a nice bigg Husqvarna(sp?) chain saw now, so he can chunk one of those logs for me, see what's inside. ;-)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   andyfew322 | Jan 28, 2009 02:36am | #6

   gahh, i wanna get my lathe so bad... but where can I put it?

    

    

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