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So my new lathe just arrived today! Very excited. Unfortunately I have to do 12hr shifts at work the next 4 days but I'll have the following 4 days off to get my beastie set up.

So considering I have zero woodworking experience, I thought I'd better get some practice first before I ruin expensive briar! I thought I'd put out some feelers and ask you guys for suggestions on which small projects to take on first to learn how to work with wood and specifically how to get the hang of using a lathe. I know people tend to make bowls and spoons and those kind of suggestions will be helpful, but I'd also like to see if there are any that are more fun and have the potential to be good presents for friends. For instance, when I told a friend of mine my lathe arrived, he (not having any experience or even interest in woodworking) said, "Oh sweet, you can make the spinning top from Inception! ". So if that kind of thing were to be good practice for a lathe I might give it a shot next week and send it to him. But overall the main idea is to do some easy projects first so I can learn a thing or too.

So, any suggestions?

I made a fair number of tops and ceiling fan "pulls".

From there I moved on to pen and a duck call or three. Those require kits though.

Have fun!

I have young kids that are into Harry Potter. When I first got my lathe I made them "magic wands" then gave them colored markers and let them have fun with them. So if you have kids (or perhaps your an Uncle ) that's about as fun and easy as you get imho - spindles! Drumsticks too.

Bottle stoppers are great to practice on as well as they are great as gifts, to keep, and you can pretty much practice any form you wish to when making them.

billiard wrote:I have young kids that are into Harry Potter. When I first got my lathe I made them "magic wands" then gave them colored markers and let them have fun with them. So if you have kids (or perhaps your an Uncle ) that's about as fun and easy as you get imho - spindles! Drumsticks too.

I have no kids yet, nor nieces and nephews. I'm 21 so I could make them purely for myself!

These are genius ideas! Loving it! I was thinking about this today and chess pieces also occurred to me.
What I like about these things is that I'll probably get to practice some staining and colouring as well. Things like the wands, tops and bottle stops are great for that.

I'm gonna keep writing these ideas down as they come so I don't forget.

Careful, wood turning is very addictive.
If there's a turning club near you it might make sense to join it even if all you plan on doing with your lathe is making pipes. I know joining my local club has helped me tremendously. I learned more about sharpening in my first meeting than I learned in 2 years on my own. Sharp tools are key to good results. My club also gets discounts at various hardware stores in the area and buys turning supplies in bulk. The savings are passed on to club members.
The lathe is just the tip of the iceberg. You'll also need lathe tools, a sharpening setup for your tools, chucks and other things. The list never ends.
Rodney

Brent,

Christmas presents like pairs of lights (tree lights) made from different colors of wood

Spin tops are fun.

Make some small bowls or vases with lids (This will help teach how to make two pieces that fit well together.) Like a tenon and mortise.

Get some cheap digital calipers. This will help with getting the lids snug.

Try some projects with multiple axises, as that is what you'll be doing with pipes. If it is cheap or free wood, it doesn't matter what it is, just as long as you get experience in turning them.

Try some captured rings.

Lamp bases are good too. Help teach drilling out a center (for the wires)...

I know that little bowls and vases are much easier to sell if they are an exotic wood... That way you can save some dough for tooling, and more set up items.

Hopes this helps!

Jon

Pens are easy and I sell about a half dozen or so a week just by word of mouth. Low investment on tools, good practice, and it pays dividends.