Popular Woodworking 2009-11 № 179, страница 33

Lose the plastic handle. Turn your generic tools into heirlooms with wood handles for an attractive custom fit and a comfortable grip.

You need round things. Chair spindles, knobs, pegs and pulls are typical turned objects that are better if you make them yourself.

the same regardless of lathe size, but some of them can be made, or purchased as part of a package deal.

It depends on your needs, but a mini-lathe can generally do what most woodworkers need to have done. Some of the things you can turn to support your woodworking activities include:

Mallets and hammers Tool handles Pulls

Legs and spindles Dowels, plugs and pegs

Plus you can turn gifts such as small bowls, lidded boxes and jewelry. With a little practice, you can turn a nice gift in less time than it would take to go shopping, and it will be unique as well as personal. You can even sign it.

A lathe is also a handy tool for restoration work, especially if you get called on to repair a chair with a broken spindle. And I

frequently use my lathe as an auxiliary tool holder for finishing and polishing tools such as wire brushes, Scotch-Brite pads and sponge sanders.

Some projects will clearly fall outside of the capacity of a mini-lathe. An extension will increase the length but not the diameter (throw) of the work you can do, but turning for woodworking projects rarely falls outside the throw of even the smallest wood lathes. We're not talking architectural turning here.

Practice Makes Perfect

Like anything that's worth doing, you also have to invest some time to learn and practice turning. Woodturners are generally willing to share their time and knowledge with anyone who shows an interest in furthering their skills. Today's books, videos and guilds offer some very cost-effective instruction, but if you have access to one, a good teacher can significantly shorten your learning process.

A lathe is unique in that it is the only tool that rotates the wood instead of the blade. Woodworkers are used to just the opposite. A revolving blade can do serious damage if it is not given the respect it deserves.

The lathe, on the other hand, is one of the safest tools in the shop. Once the wood has been "rounded up," it is generally safe to touch. And you can even touch rotating "out-of-rounds" as long as you touch them as they rotate away from you and not toward you. In fact, turners often use one hand as a "steady rest" to reduce chatter on long and/or thin work. This is not to say that there cannot be nasty accidents, but most accidents occur while turning unsafe projects. Where safety is concerned, we have to know where to draw the line.

Off to a Good Start

Here is what you will need to get started.

Lathe. Used lathes abound, but if space

Dead center holes. The addition of a Jacob's chuck allows you to drill holes Live center. A live center with a ball bearing is one of the first accessories to

in the end of a spindle.

get. It will reduce friction at the tail stock end.

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