square verses round rod stock

timothy thorpe · Post by **timothy thorpe** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 6:24 pm

hi guys, i am still working with the lathe to get a feel for it. i tried to face off a square piece of olive wood, boy was that a mistake!!!!!!!!!!! it flyed right off of the jaw chuck. to me it makes sence that a round rod would cut better because its round and the lathe spins 360 degrees. i hope i am wrong!! how would i round them up on the lathe. thanks, tim

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:11 pm

If I recall correctly, you got the Taig. Am I right?

If you want to make a dowel of of square stock, you need to go slow and take your time. Only take off a slight amount, and do not try and hog off a bunch in one pass. This goes for metal, as well as wood, lathes. For wood, the faster the lathe RPM, the better the finish, and easier it is to round off the stock.

It is easier to face the end of a rod once it is round, though it isn't impossible to face square stock. You just have to go slow, and be careful of grain tearout if using wood. Keep in mind that end-grain cutting is one of the trickiest cuts when it comes to wood. It's difficult to master on a wood lathe, but exceedingly sharp tools make the job easier. I have never tried that operation on a metal lathe.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:00 pm

Timothy, are you using a 3 jaw or 4 jaw chuck?

If you're using a 4 jaw, make sure you have enough of the workpiece in the chuck to get a good grip. Tighten the chuck on the workpiece very well & use a centre (live or dead) in the tailstock to support the other end. After you have squared the end as much as possible, back off the tailstock & make a final, very thin cut, removing the stub where the centre was supporting it.

If all you have is a 3 jaw chuck, you will need to use a spur centre in the headstock, plus a centre in the tailstock, to support the block. You will then have to remove the stub by hand with a sharp chisel after you have faced as close to the tailstock centre as possible.

It is possible to clamp a square block in a 3 jaw chuck, but you have to remove 1 jaw. Looking at Leus' setup, it could be tricky. If it is off centre, you'll get mucho vibration.

That's just my advice off the top of my head. More experienced woodworkers will probably have better advice.

timothy thorpe · Post by **timothy thorpe** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:04 pm

Frank wrote:Timothy, are you using a 3 jaw or 4 jaw chuck?

If you're using a 4 jaw, make sure you have enough of the workpiece in the chuck to get a good grip. Tighten the chuck on the workpiece very well & use a centre (live or dead) in the tailstock to support the other end. After you have squared the end as much as possible, back off the tailstock & make a final, very thin cut, removing the stub where the centre was supporting it.

If all you have is a 3 jaw chuck, you will need to use a spur centre in the headstock, plus a centre in the tailstock, to support the block. You will then have to remove the stub by hand with a sharp chisel after you have faced as close to the tailstock centre as possible.

It is possible to clamp a square block in a 3 jaw chuck, but you have to remove 1 jaw. Looking at Leus' setup, it could be tricky. If it is off centre, you'll get mucho vibration.

That's just my advice off the top of my head. More experienced woodworkers will probably have better advice.

hi frank, its a 4 jaw self-centering chuck. thanks for your help

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:20 pm

Are you using wood or metal cutting tools for turning wood stock?

timothy thorpe · Post by **timothy thorpe** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:36 pm

hazmat wrote:Are you using wood or metal cutting tools for turning wood stock?

just a cutting tool in the tool post on a metel lathe

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:40 pm

You're using a Taig, correct? Did yours come with a wood-turning tool post?

It's not really suggested that you turn wood with metal-cutting tools. When I tried on my Taig, I ended up with a bunch of tear-out in the wood. Even being very, very careful it couldn't be avoided.

timothy thorpe · Post by **timothy thorpe** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:43 pm

hazmat wrote:You're using a Taig, correct? Did yours come with a wood-turning tool post?

It's not really suggested that you turn wood with metal-cutting tools. When I tried on my Taig, I ended up with a bunch of tear-out in the wood. Even being very, very careful it couldn't be avoided.

thanks, that sounds right to me. what does a wood cutting tool bit look like and were may get one. thanks, tim

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:30 pm

Since I am not a professional pipe maker, I only have a wood lathe (or is it the other way around?

)... but there were posts recently about high speed steel (HSS) vs. carbon steel. You can get HSS sharper than carbon. Sharpness is critical for turning wood without tearout and the like. I believe carbon steel is preferred for metal work, since it will hold an edge longer.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:29 pm

kbadkar wrote:... but there were posts recently about high speed steel (HSS) vs. carbon steel.

I think the post was HSS cutters vs. Carbide cutters. Carbide is more useful for cutting metals, whereas HSS is better for softer materials like wood, vulcanite, acrylic, etc.

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:36 pm

Opps, yeah carbide.

I got carbon steel on the brain after looking over drawings for our high performance butterfly valves.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:52 pm

Yes, HSS is preferred for cutting wood. You can get a finish that requires no sanding just by using a freshly sharpened HSS tool. I made a bowl this afternoon that has a polish-ready smooth finish, and all I did was use a freshly sharpened scraper as the final tool to remove a tissue-thin layer of wood.