Website design By BotEap.comI first started woodturning in high school shop class and at the neighbors shop. I stepped away from woodturning for a while due to military service, college, family, and career. My career is Forestry, management, use and construction. I was able to acquire many different types of wood and store them for later use.

Website design By BotEap.comMy first lathe was a bench mounted Montgomery Ward wood lathe and the tool kit that came with the lathe. After using this lathe for several years, I realized, as most turners do, that there are bigger and better turns to be made. All that is required are bigger and better tools.

Website design By BotEap.comIn the following years I began to upgrade my equipment. My new lathe was a Jet 14 X 42. There are higher grade tools and specialty tools. There are spindle tools, pocket tools, texturing tools, and equipment to support your larger spindles or turnings. I think I currently have over 40 different woodturning tools and I’m still looking for more. The new tools I’m looking for are for a very special use. I will design them properly and make them myself.

Website design By BotEap.comThen there are the face plates, the chucks with all their various jaws and accessories. There are various straight drives and live centers. All of these tools have different applications and if you’re like me, where you do a variety of different spins, you’ll use them all; especially if you are selling your work and clients are placing special orders. I recently built a vacuum chuck so I can turn the bottom of my bowls, it improves the appearance by about 100%. You can buy the vacuum chuck all set with vacuum pump and accessories. I bought all the parts separately and then built the vacuum chuck, saved about $250.

Website design By BotEap.comI am currently researching one of the large 20″ lathes with electronic speed control. A friend of mine and I are in the process of designing and manufacturing a boring bar for hollowing out large containers. When I bought the chucks to hold the chips, I bought them. with the larger headstock requirements and then used an insert to connect them to a smaller lathe. Smaller lathes require a 1″ X 8TPI and larger ones 1 ¼” X 8 TPI. This is generally correct but there are exceptions. If If you have dreams of a bigger lathe, spend some time looking up different brands of lathes and their specifications, you may save money in the long run.

Website design By BotEap.comThe other expense you will incur is finishing and sanding. There are a wide variety of finishes and sanding methods and I have spent hundreds of dollars trying different things; my trash can be very full. Without going too deep into this topic, I’ll tell you what works for me.

Website design By BotEap.comsanded; I use power sand and sand down to 250 grit and sand the finish down to 320 grit. Over sanding can create a surface that the finish will also not adhere to, all finishing compounds have a sanding requirement in their instructions.

Website design By BotEap.comHaving a finish that not only looks good but feels good is critical. I use a clear water based grit filler to smooth the surface and then use a clear gloss, rub over the oil finish. When the finish is dry, turn off the bottom and finish the bottom the same as the bowl. Final step polishing and waxing.

Website design By BotEap.comIn summary; Woodturning, fishing, photography, camping, boating, and most other interests, whether hobbies or professions, seem like a good place to spend all your extra money. The art of wood turning is fascinating. There is a limit to what you can do; you are only limited by your fascination.