I just got back from a 3-day workshop with Trent Bosch. I had a great time and learned alot – I hope I can remember it all!
I was able to make about 10 pieces, and tried to challenge myself on several of them. It was different than turning at home – the purpose being learning and improving rather than simply making things.
I did some hollowing using Trent’s Visualizer, which is super-cool and fun to use. I don’t think I could have successfully hollowed the pieces that I made without it – at least not as quickly and with the same confidence. I do think that using the Visualizer was probably helpful in learning what’s going on inside the hollowing process – hopefully that experience will translate to doing it the “low-tech” way.
If you are a wood-turner (or think you would like to be), I highly recommend taking a class. Pick someone you respect or who teaches things you are interested in. If you want a low-key, flexible, and fun class (with an emphasis on bowls and hollow forms), I recommend Trent’s course without hesitation.
A simple thing cut out of thin plywood. A point on one end and a couple saw-cuts on the other to mark optimal/minimum size for a tenon and dovetail.
The half-circle lets me get this in place when I have the tailstock engaged.
The picture above shows dovetail sizing, which is marked wide enough that the jaws will go into the recess. Below, you can see that the tenon mark matches the bottom of the jaws (widest part of the tenon).
I use these guides to either mark where to cut a tenon/dovetail, or to check (and adjust) the size after I’ve cut one by eye.
I made these jigs to set the angles on my grinder platform. They have a flat edge that sits on the platform, and two points to register on the grinder wheel.
Making them is pretty straightforward. Below shows the geometry layout. I drew it on paper as illustration, but for the jigs I made, I actually drew the geometry directly on the wood and cut it out.
I start with a 8″ diameter (4″ radius) to represent the grinder wheel. A straight line through its center marks “level”. Measure the desired angle (40 deg in this picture) from this line at the point where it meets the circle – this is the flat bit that rests on the platform. Next, you want 2 points to rest on the wheel (these are circled in the above picture). These two points and the flat for the platform are the only important bits. The rest can be cut however you like. I like a big hole for my thumb to hold the jig on the platform. It is also useful for hanging the up jigs (on some pegs I’ve attached to the leg of my grinder stand).
The picture below shows the cutout jig sitting on the drawing, so you can see how matches.
I made a couple of jigs to reset my Vari-Grind to various angles for my different gouges.
It is just a dowel and a block of scrap wood. I flattened the top of the dowel so the knob will tighten snugly. There is a flat face in the block of wood where the dowel is glued in: this face registerswith the corresponding part of the Vari-Grind. The other important bit is the angle to register against the leg. I setup my Vari-Grind and then cut that angle to match.
Pretty simple, but it’s been helpful. I added a big screw eye to a piece of scrap wood and attached it to the end of my lathe (using holes that were already there for attaching extensions etc). I put it on the headstock end because otherwise the hose was just underfoot too much.
This is my turning tool rack. Some PVC pipe screwed to a board, attached to the wall over a narrow shelf. The important bit (as I discovered with a previous attempt) is the gap between the bottom of the PVC pipes and the shelf, to let out any chips that get in the pipes.
The “business end” of the tool is up and exposed so I can find the tool I’m looking for. The rack is mounted high enough that I’m not going to accidentially stab myself reaching for a tool.
I use 2″ hook-and-loop sanding disks. I added a strip of sticky-backed velcro to the edge of a shelf to hold the disks between sandings. They stay convenient, clean, and organized.
It is just a dowel and a block of scrap wood. I flattened the top of the dowel so the knob will tighten snugly. There is a flat face in the block of wood where the dowel is glued in: this face registerswith the corresponding part of the Vari-Grind. The other important bit is the angle to register against the leg. I setup my Vari-Grind and then cut that angle to match.
