Chapter 25 Woodturning

Woodturning lathe

Drive mechanism Pulleys inside the lathe Drive speed For safety, only your teacher should adjust the speed of the lathe – if in doubt, ask

Centres Centres support the work while turning The drive centre grips the end of the piece and it turns the wood with the speed of the motor. The hollow centre is used when boring a hole through the middle of the piece. Drive centre Live centre Hollow centre

Tool rest Banjo & tool rest The tool rest is adjusted when bowl turning

Chuck and faceplates Chuck Faceplates

Woodturning tools

Gouges There are different gouges Roughing down Shallow fluted Deep fluted

Gouges Gouges are used to make coves They are also used when turning bowls and dishes

Skew chisel Beads and ‘V’grooves Skew chisel with edge swept back

Taking measurements Callipers are used to measure the round sections of turned wood transfer measurements from a drawing

Safety Wear full face protection Tie up long hair and secure loose clothing Remove jewellery Always get permission Secure work on the lathe and get it checked Rotate the piece by hand before turning on the lathe Switch off the lathe before making adjustments

Preparing to turn – spindle turning Join the diagonals to find the centres at each end of the piece Draw a circle in the square Plane down the corners Small saw kerfs can be cut into the ends for added grip Insert the drive centre Insert the piece into the lathe at both centres, lining the centres up carefully Adjust and tighten the locking handles Adjust tool rest and check the piece rotates freely

Profiles Profiles show the outline of a turned piece Profile templates assist in making copies of the same profile

Drilling a hole Long hole boring kit The piece is secured with a hollow centre in the tailstock Hole bored through the hollow centre half way Remove auger often to clear shavings Reverse piece and repeat the process

Drilling a hole – alternative Groove two pieces in the centre using a router Glue the two pieces together to form the blank

Preparing to turn – Bowl/faceplate turning Join the diagonals to find the centre of the piece Draw a circle in the square Remove the corners using a saw Locate the faceplate onto the centre of the blank and secure Faceplate is screwed onto the spindle of the lathe Adjust tool rest and check the piece rotates freely

Joints Spigot and socket joints are used to join two turned pieces A hole is drilled into one piece The spigot is turned on the other piece to match the hole