pipemakersforum.com

I've watched videos, I've read as much on here as I could find but I still don't think I can confidently do this on a metal lathe.

can someone give a straight forward description of the best cutter and the angle at which you attack the block to shape the bowl?

I tried this for the first time today using a scrap block and every time the edge/corner came around and hit the cutter, the "WHACK" was intense and several times either blew the block out of the chuck (6 piece chuck) or blew the cutter out of the jig.

signed
-your local village idiot

Knock off any corners with a sanding disc if you can and take light passes. Its very different from hogging off wood on a wood lathe. Slower is better.

Take small cuts. It should not "whack" unless you are taking too much of a cut or are starting the lathe when the tool is in a cutting position. If this is the case, I would say learn how to use a lathe first before making a pipe.

Very small cuts. Like fractions of a millimeter until you get the feel of things. Even if you whack it that hard your tooling should not come loose. Also, a six jaw Chuck (sounds like what you have) would be really difficult to use. Can you take 4 jaws off? I never use more than three jaws.

PremalChheda wrote:Take small cuts. It should not "whack" unless you are taking too much of a cut or are starting the lathe when the tool is in a cutting position. If this is the case, I would say learn how to use a lathe first before making a pipe.

If your speed is way too low, this can happen as well. What speed are you cutting at?

Honestly - I'm a lathe noob myself - if these are the kinds of questions & problems you are running into, I would strongly advise in taking a beginners machinist course somewhere to learn the basics of using a metal lathe..

thanks guys.
First, I was cutting a piece of pressure treated 4X4 just to practice (yes, I'm trying to learn how to use the lathe before using it to make a pipe). I was cutting around 600-700 rpm. The chuck has independent jaws so I can remove 4 and work with 2 (thanks for the suggestion)


Once I reduced the cutting depth, the WHACK went way down and I eventually managed to cut a cylinder out of the 4X4. So at this point I have started to understand some of the mechanics of it.

Now I'd like to get a sense for what tools and angles people use. I have access to a grinder in the shop so I can try making my own bits....but there are also a crap load of them in the shop drawers.

4x4 lumber is typically soft wood. Soft wood and lathes don't usually get along very well. Maybe try it out on a hardwood dowel if you want practice.

I would strongly urge you to NOT use pressure treated wood for practice. I'm working under the assumption that you would surely not smoke something you made from this stuff. However, the shavings and dust created are an issue too. Depending on how old the wood is, the chemicals used to treat the wood can be bad or really, really bad. Changes in the chemical formulations were dictated a few years ago to protect the people working with the wood but I still would not go near it. Steve Norse at Vermont Freehand can supply you with some sub-grade briar for learning purposes. You solve two problems at once: learning the lathe and learning how briar behaves.
Be safe.

LOL
definitely not going to smoke it, its not arsenic treated wood, and I didn't work it for very long.
But I MOST CERTAINLY appreciate your concern.



your suggestion about practice blocks is a great one though.
cheers

If you have a quick change tool post, I would start with a standard set of indexable carbide tools until you get more familiar with the machine. After that you'll discover the limitations of those bits and get a better idea of what profiles you want to accomplish the tasks and grind your own. The angle that you cut depends on the tool you're using and what task you're trying to accomplish. If you provide pictures of your setup it will be easier to guide you.

Ok Here's what I'm working with

If possible, you should get different jaws for your chuck. The jaws you have are great for turning round stock, briar not so much.
Logans are good lathes.
You have a six jaw scroll chuck. The pointy jaws will make gripping a block harder.

can I get tower jaws for this lathe?
are they machine specific or do they all fit each other?

They are chuck specific, not machine specific. That thing on the front gripping your wood comes off the lathe.

You should be able to get tower jaws, or you can have them made.

Just had an idea
Is there any reason I couldn't use the 6 jaw chuck with a piece of PVC pipe locked into it as a jig?
The chuck would grab a 3 or four inch piece of PVC and then on the outside end of the pipe, I could cut a set of jaws to hold the block. Maybe a couple of long screw to hold the wood in place just inside the end of the pipe?

When one decides to step up into the world of using a metal lathe, one is going to have to be prepared to part with some moolah.
Getting the lathe itself can be reasonable (or not) depending on either how deep your pockets are or how lucky you can be on finding a used bargain. This old Logan will do the job nicely if everything is still pretty tight.
More money must be flushed in tooling up the lathe for pipe making and the biggest wad needs to be in a proper chuck. Depending on what kind of deal you got, the chuck can cost more than the lathe itself.
DO NOT try to mickey-mouse something to hold the briar as you can get seriously hurt if something comes flying apart. It would appear you've been part way down that road already.
You can use that 6 jaw for working round rod stock. Since it does not have 2 jaws that face each other on the same plane it cannot be modified by removing 4 jaws and attaching towers to the remaining two. Look for a used 4 jaw, either self-centering or independent and have Trent Rudat or someone else turn it into a briar chuck.
If one really wants to make a pipe it can be done with a hand drill and a pocket knife. All the power equipment does nothing but add accuracy and speed.
Without proper training you need to be scared shitless of a metal lathe. Look into taking a class somewhere. It is well worth it. And, a wood lathe can be just as dangerous if not more so.