Wood Turning - Beginning by Choosing a Lathe - Seven Points to Consider

Obviously, to begin to turn wood you will need a lathe. These are not complicated machines when it comes to wood lathes and have been around for at least three thousand years. The first lathes were simply two points that held a piece of wood in place while the assistant to the turner used a rope to make the wood rotate and the turner cut the shapes. Today's wood lathes are made of steel or cast iron or some combination of the two and are powered by electric motors. They still use two points to hold the wood although some other attachment devices may be used. Here are seven points to look for when choosing a lathe.

1. Decide what you would most like to turn and get a lathe big enough to do so. Some people will want to turn little other than writing pens while others will want to make lamps, table legs, salad bowls or even wearable wooden hats. Lathe size will be indicated by a number such as the common 12 x 36, meaning the lathe will hold a piece of wood up to twelve inches in diameter and thirty-six inches long.
2. Make sure the lathe is sturdy enough to hold the wood you intend to turn. Obviously a lathe made to turn pens can be a lot lighter than one intended for large, unbalanced locks of green hardwood for salad bowls. Many lathes advertised as "professional" or "heavy duty" are anything but substantial. Be careful to buy from a reputable dealer and look for lots of cast iron and steel. Remember that you can turn small items on a big lathe but not the reverse.
3. Get a lathe that has appropriate speeds available for your preferred turning. Spindles such as chair legs, candle sticks and writing pens will want a higher speed than bowls. Speed is adjusted by moving belts along different pulleys or with mechanical or electronic variable speed drives. The latter are the more expensive but both work well. Rather than the adjustment procedure, which should be simple to do, it is the adjustment range with which we are concerned. Generally a low end of at most 600 rpm (revolutions per minute) and a high end of at least 2000 rpm is sufficient on most beginner lathes.
4. Be sure that the lathe will easily handle readily available accessories. It is frustrating to want a particular accessory and find that is extremely rare in sizes that fit your lathe. The two sizes that are most important for accessories are the head stock spindle thread and the head stock and tail stock tapers. Common thread sizes for most beginner lathes will be 1" x 8 tpi and 3/4" x 16 tpi with the former more common all the time. Accessories are readily available for either. Most spindles will be sizes with a Morse taper which will accommodate a number of accessories. Look for either a #1 or #2 Morse taper with #2 slightly preferred.
5. If the lathe comes with a stand or legs, be sure it is at your correct height. The accepted standard is to place the center of the spindle at the height of your elbow above the floor with your arm loosely at your side. This is not crucial as the lathe can be set up on blocks for tall people and short people can stand on a raised floor or box, but it is more convenient. Most beginner lathes will avoid this problem all together by needing a stand built for them. Make sure it is sturdy and of course the right height.
6. The lathe should be an appropriate size for the shop. Do not get more than your shop can accommodate.
7. If at all possible, get advice from a local turner. Remember that someone who has been turning a long time will have likely upgraded their first lathe to a higher standard and will want to boast of the accomplishments of the newest acquisition, however it is likely to be more than a beginner needs. On the other hand, this tends to be a highly addictive hobby and it makes sense to buy all your budget can afford. Above all, prepare to have fun and take care to be safe. Remember that the lathe is only the start and tools will be needed so be careful to leave room in the budget for those and other accessories.

   Darrell Feltmate is a juried wood turner whose web site, http://aroundthewoods.com , contains detailed information about wood turning for the novice or experienced turner as well as a collection of turnings for your viewing pleasure. You too can learn to turn wood, here is the place to start. Wondering what it looks like? Follow the page links for a free video. http://aroundthewoods.com You can easily ask your questions about wood turning at his blog at http://roundopinions.blogspot.com as well as comment on any thing related to the web site, this article or other aspects of wood turning, art and craft.