Woodturning Tips & Tricks Darryl Stephison
Bottle Stoppers • Drill bottle stopper blanks on the lathe rather than the drill press • True up the face...
Bottle Stoppers • Drill bottle stopper blanks on the lathe rather than the drill press • True up the face of the blank so it is perfectly flat and perpendicular to the hole
Bottle Stoppers • Drill the pilot hole (5/16 in.) then put thin CA glue in the hole, shake out the excess, and allow to harden before tapping (3/8x16)
Bottle Stoppers • Apply wax to a bottle stopper screw chuck (mandrel) to make the piece easier to remove when done
Bowl Blanks
• Make round templates for rough cutting bowl blanks
Bowl Turning • Make a pilot hole in the center of a bowl to gage the depth inside • Use a small piece of vinyl tubing on the drill to mark the depth desired
Chuck Jaw Gages • Make inside and outside gages for chuck jaws • Counter top laminate material works well
Clean Air • A box fan with a 20 inch pleated filter taped on will help to reduce airborne dust in your shop
Color Coding • Color code hex recess screws and Allen wrenches to quickly match sizes
Color Coding • Color code tool handles for quick spotting
Cutting Technique • Whenever possible use a shearing cut in preference to a scraping cut
Cutting Technique (continued)
Scraping cuts leave a rougher surface and thus require more sanding
Lathe Speeds • Higher speeds make turning easier and better quality • Be careful however – if the speed is too high, it can be dangerous • Never exceed 7000 / Diameter (inches) • Use 3000 / Diameter for out-of-round or out-of-balance pieces
Magnets • Use a magnet to find a screw or small tool in a pile of shavings
Magnets
• Use a magnet to keep small tools (like a steel ruler) handy
Magnets • Use two or three magnets in the corner of the Wolverine vee arm to make a secondary bevel on gouges
Magnets • Small magnetized bowls from Harbor Freight are great for keeping screws when changing chuck jaws, face plates, etc.
Mineral Spirits • Use mineral spirits (painter’s thinner) to reveal sanding scratches before finishing
Sandpaper • Use clean new sandpaper for each new sanding job • Woodturner’s joke “Use sandpaper like a three year old uses toilet paper”
Sandpaper Grits • • • • • • •
Don’t skip sandpaper grit Start with 60 Multiply by 1.5 for each next grit Follow with 100, then 150, then 220 Apply sanding sealer Repeat 220 then 320, 500, 800, 1200, 2000 When you can’t see or feel the difference between grits, then quit
ScotchBrite Pads • Use WD-40 and a ScotchBrite pad to clean tools, bed ways, tool rests, etc. and prevent rust
Sharpening • Sharpen your tools before you put them away – then it is easier to tell which ones need sharpening
Sharpening • Mark the bevel on your tool with a black marker before touching the wheel to see where metal is being taken off while sharpening
Sharpening • Hone the inside of the flute as well as the outside to make a really sharp gouge • There is no such thing as “too sharp”!
Small Turnings • A Jacobs chuck can be mounted on the drive spindle to hold very small pieces for turning
Superglue
• Avoid stuck fingers by applying paste wax to fingers before using CA glue (Superglue)
Superglue • Use thin coffee stir straws to apply small amounts of CA glue
Tape • Use duct tape to cover shirt pockets to prevent collecting wood chips • Woodturner’s joke – You know if you’re a woodturner if there’s more wood chips than lint in the dryer filter
Tape • Use nylon reinforced strapping tape to prevent bowl from flying out of jumbo jaws
Vinyl Tubing • Use vinyl tubing to protect tools (and fingers)
Waste Blocks • Use a hole saw to make waste blocks quickly and easily
Waste Blocks • Drill a 1/4” hole in the center of waste block • Apply glue to waste block and bottom of bowl • Insert a dowel with a pointed end • Put the point into the center punch hole in your bowl • Slide the waste block down the dowel for perfectly centered waste block
Wood Chips • A plastic bag filled with wood chips makes a great pad for holding your piece while doing hand work
Wood Flaws • Use cork to fill a knot hole in a bowl • Mix sawdust or ground coffee beans with epoxy to fill voids • Try using Epoxy with a colored dye to show the voids rather than hide them
Wood Flaws • Use Inlace nuggets to turn flaws into features
Work Light • A $10 work light from IKEA attached to a magnet can be moved around to illuminate various parts of your bowl while turning
Wood Glue • If you want your wood glue to dry harder, add 5% household corn starch • Caution – Don’t do this for segmented turning – the segments need some flexibility in the glue to avoid cracking as the wood moves • Avoid glue slippage by adding a pinch of fine sand or salt
Miscellaneous • Lubricate screws with wax to make them easier to get in and out • Rubbing wax or an oily rag on the rails will make the banjo slide easier (this also prevents rust when turning wet wood)