Lathes are used to create cylinders and round furniture legs and also to cut designs with a variety of different chisels. Lathe expert Judy Ditmer offers some tips for working with a lathe. For safety's sake, always wear a face shield when using a lathe. There are two methods of turning wood on a lathe: spindle turning and face-plate turning. Spindle turning is used to create furniture spindles as well as craft items such as pens and candlesticks, and the grain of the wood moves parallel to the axis of rotation. Face-plate turning, a more basic method, is used to create bowls and other cylindrical items. Materials:
Band saw
Rectangular piece of stock
Lathe
Chisel, gauge or other tool to smooth stock
- Cut a cross in the end of the stock with a band saw (figure A).
- Mount the stock onto the head and tail pieces of the lathe (figure B). Clamp the tail stock, and tighten with the hand wheel.
- Once the stock is in place, clamp the hand wheel in place to keep the stock stationary.
- Rotate the stock to check the clearance. (The rotation should not interfere with any other parts of the lathe.)
- Secure the face shield.
- Turn the lathe on and smooth the stock with a tool of your choice (figure C). Make sure the bevel of the tool rubs against the wood: that's how the depth of the cut is controlled.
- Once the stock reaches the desired shape and size, use sandpaper to smooth the surface.
Face-plate turning is used to make bowls (figure D). The work piece is screwed onto a face plate before being mounted on the lathe.
RESOURCES :
Jet Tools
Basic Bowl Turning
Model: 0887406270
Author: Judy Ditmer
October 199
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
Atglen, PA 19310
Phone: 610-593-1777
Fax: 610-593-2002
Email: schifferbk@aol.com
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