I'm working towards getting a wood lathe - the model I have in mind is a Delta Midi. Are those recomended or should I keep looking? I'm going to wait to buy it until I'm ready to buy all the attatchments, bits, chucks, etc. I'll need to use with it.
I want to use it for
drilling chamber and air holes, mortise, etc
turning tenon with pimo tool
shaping
sanding
For now I'm just trying to get a better idea what I should anicipate needing. Are all the bits available at Pimos good enough for turning tenons, drilling mortise, chamber, etc? Once I know what chuck I need, I can probably figure out the sanding wheel part of it.
In another thread I learned what one person suggests as the required chucks and extra equipment to begin working with a lathe (besides the bits and whatnot)
I'm not familiar at all with most of the terms, tho I do remember using a lathe in shop all those decades ago. Are the jaws in the above link and all that comes with all I need to hold the stummel for drilling both holes and shaping?
What else might I need?
As I said, I also want to use the lathe for mounting a sanding wheel and a tenon turner. What attatchments do I need to be able to do that? Or does the Jacobs chuck mount there as well?
Lastly, are there any books or internet resources on basic lathe operation someone could point me to or recomend?
Thanks in advance. I know that's a lot of question. Answers to any of them will be appreciated.[/url]
Some basic lathe questions
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SmokingArea
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KurtHuhn
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Minimum equipment necessary for using a lathe for pipe production:
- 1-1/4" or larger precision ground Forstner bit (for facing operations)
- tobacco chamber bit(s)
- stummel airway bit(s) (just your typical jobber-length drill bits)
- tapered bits for the stem airway (get from bitsnbores.com)
- mortis bit(s) (I use a 5/16" forstenr bit, YMMV)
- Jacobs chuck that can fit the tailstock
- 4-jaw chuck for the spindle (headstock) (Oneway chuck is good)
- jaws for that chuck that can hold a block of wood (Oneway #2 profile jaws are good)
In my never-humble opinion, you should seriously consider a good scroll chuck (the kind where all jaws move in unison) so that you can also chuck rod stock. Otherwise, you'll never get anything perfectly centered. You may, after you've been doing this a while, find that you want a chuck with independent jaws so that you can move the brair around to take best advantage fo grain AND a scroll chuck for stem work - but that may be a ways off.
Note, the above list does not take into account drilling rod stock, just modifying factory stems. If you want to make stems from rod stock, add the below:
- spigot jaws for holding rod stock
- mini turning tools (for adding beads or simply turning the stock to size)
For shaping the tops of the bowls I suggest:
- 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" spindle gouges
- 1/2" skew chisel
- 1/16", 1/8", and 3/16" parting tools (they have their uses)
Sanding is a different beast. If you want to sand with discs on a lathe, you need to find sanding discs that will work for you. I went through about half a dozen different types before I settled on what I use now - which is a mix of three manufacturers and different equipment. I use one disc holder, and three different types of discs. You mileage may vary, but what I use is the Artisan 3" holder from woodturnerscatalog.com, artisan discs, Wave system discs, and Abralon discs. I also do all my rough shaping on a belt grinder made for metalwork before I even consider the discs.
The Jacobs chuck will mount in the tailstock and the headstock on the Delta Mini and Jet Midi lathes. The head and tail stock on these lathes both have a #2 Morse Taper. The headstock also has a 1"-8tpi thread for mounting the chuck - so be sure you get the right chuck insert for those threads.
For books on basic lathe operation, take a look at the book section of woodcraft.com and woodturnerscatalog.com. Better, if you have a woodcraft local to you, go down and take a look. I've never read a book on lathe operations, I just kind of wing it, and I haven't killed myself yet.
- 1-1/4" or larger precision ground Forstner bit (for facing operations)
- tobacco chamber bit(s)
- stummel airway bit(s) (just your typical jobber-length drill bits)
- tapered bits for the stem airway (get from bitsnbores.com)
- mortis bit(s) (I use a 5/16" forstenr bit, YMMV)
- Jacobs chuck that can fit the tailstock
- 4-jaw chuck for the spindle (headstock) (Oneway chuck is good)
- jaws for that chuck that can hold a block of wood (Oneway #2 profile jaws are good)
In my never-humble opinion, you should seriously consider a good scroll chuck (the kind where all jaws move in unison) so that you can also chuck rod stock. Otherwise, you'll never get anything perfectly centered. You may, after you've been doing this a while, find that you want a chuck with independent jaws so that you can move the brair around to take best advantage fo grain AND a scroll chuck for stem work - but that may be a ways off.
Note, the above list does not take into account drilling rod stock, just modifying factory stems. If you want to make stems from rod stock, add the below:
- spigot jaws for holding rod stock
- mini turning tools (for adding beads or simply turning the stock to size)
For shaping the tops of the bowls I suggest:
- 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" spindle gouges
- 1/2" skew chisel
- 1/16", 1/8", and 3/16" parting tools (they have their uses)
Sanding is a different beast. If you want to sand with discs on a lathe, you need to find sanding discs that will work for you. I went through about half a dozen different types before I settled on what I use now - which is a mix of three manufacturers and different equipment. I use one disc holder, and three different types of discs. You mileage may vary, but what I use is the Artisan 3" holder from woodturnerscatalog.com, artisan discs, Wave system discs, and Abralon discs. I also do all my rough shaping on a belt grinder made for metalwork before I even consider the discs.
The Jacobs chuck will mount in the tailstock and the headstock on the Delta Mini and Jet Midi lathes. The head and tail stock on these lathes both have a #2 Morse Taper. The headstock also has a 1"-8tpi thread for mounting the chuck - so be sure you get the right chuck insert for those threads.
For books on basic lathe operation, take a look at the book section of woodcraft.com and woodturnerscatalog.com. Better, if you have a woodcraft local to you, go down and take a look. I've never read a book on lathe operations, I just kind of wing it, and I haven't killed myself yet.
I use a Delta Midi for drilling/turning, but not for stem work. If I had it to do again, I'd probably buy a lathe with a knob on the front to vary the speed. I drill at a slower speed and turn at a higher speed, and fiddling with the belt -- though I've gotten pretty fast at it -- is a pain in the ass. The Midi is also a pretty light machine, as lathes go. Be prepared to bolt it to a heavy bench, and to bolt that bench to the wall or load it with sandbags or something.
Kurt has gotten along for quite a while without a metal lathe, but I think there's no beating a carriage and cross slide for facing things and turning tenons. Whether a cheap Chinese lathe is better than nothing is open to debate, but I used a clapped-out Atlas for a long time. Faced with the choice between turning wood on a metal lathe and turning tenons on a wood lathe, I'd choose the former and consider it well worth the extra money.
Kurt has gotten along for quite a while without a metal lathe, but I think there's no beating a carriage and cross slide for facing things and turning tenons. Whether a cheap Chinese lathe is better than nothing is open to debate, but I used a clapped-out Atlas for a long time. Faced with the choice between turning wood on a metal lathe and turning tenons on a wood lathe, I'd choose the former and consider it well worth the extra money.
Kurt, I am looking at the OneWay Talon, which I think meets the suggestion related to the "Scroll Chuck". The question I have is, 'if the jaws move in unison, how would I accomodate an irregular size of block to drill the bowl and the draught hole? Can you remove two of the jaws on the Talon, thus holding an irregular block with only two jaws?KurtHuhn wrote:Minimum equipment necessary for using a lathe for pipe production:
In my never-humble opinion, you should seriously consider a good scroll chuck (the kind where all jaws move in unison) so that you can also chuck rod stock. Otherwise, you'll never get anything perfectly centered.
Blessing and Peace
Jamie
Jamie
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KurtHuhn
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Yes. The Talon and Oneway both can operate with only two jaws. Most can, in fact. I don't think I've seen a woodworking chuck that needed all four jaws attached in order to function.custom300 wrote:Kurt, I am looking at the OneWay Talon, which I think meets the suggestion related to the "Scroll Chuck". The question I have is, 'if the jaws move in unison, how would I accomodate an irregular size of block to drill the bowl and the draught hole? Can you remove two of the jaws on the Talon, thus holding an irregular block with only two jaws?