# which lathe is right for me help



## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

hello, i want to get into pen turning, if i sell them would they make a good profit? just wondering...i need to find a good priced pen making lathe, and need a site that sells pen making set's with the blank and the pen cartrage ect...
Jeff


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Try here:
www.pennstateind.com
They have a free DVD that is very helpful..


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

I have the Penn State ProTurncrafter lathe. It runs about 179.00 these days. I wouldn't want to spend any less and the quality really drops from there. I have been using the lathe for a year and a half and have had 0 problems. Made from the same castings as the Jet Mini is. Penn State sells blanks and kits also check out:

http://www.woodturningz.com
I buy most kits from:
http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/

Corey


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

what all can i do with a mini pen lathe. can i make mini bowls like 3in. around?


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

Jeff, Lathes are measured by what they call swing over the bed of the lathe. A lathe like the Turncrafter Pro from PSI has a 10 inch swing so you could potentially do a bowl that is upwards of 20 inches but realistically they aren't made to handle stock that large, motorwise etc. But you can easilly do a bowl 6 to 10 inches as long as the 1/2 horse motor can handle the stock etc. you are using and you have the proper tools. I don't turn bowls but I do vases and round boxes, spindles and lots of pens. See my webiste in the signature. I did all the turnings in there on the Turncrafter Pro. 
Hope this helps. You can get a lathe like this for 179.00 which is cheap compared to some lathes but... all the accessories are expensive  regardless what size of lathe. Just don't opt for one of those tiny little pen lathe things... they aren't worth a darn and it will just frustrate you in the end. Turning takes practice, and requires you to be able to sharpen the turning tools accurately etc. 

Corey


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

See my above post Jeff.

Corey


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

oh sorry dont know why i posted that twice.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

can someone list the Must have tools for making bowls/pens and some nice ones to have, please list tools and stains, coatings i need, i need a stain or sealant that you can eat from too thanks much
jeff


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

Jeff....

To get set up to turn pens it can be fairly expensive. For pens you would need a pen mandrel or mandrells depending on the kits, a drill press in order to drill out the pen blanks, kits, glue, a 3/8 to 1/2 spindle gouge, a parting tool... and probably other stuff I am forgetting. 

For turning bowls, boxes, vases you will need a chuck like the PSI or the Nova Midi threaded for the lathe you would have. You would need a 1/2 bowl gouge or something like that, parting tool, scrapers for clean up and use on boxes. Like I said, it's an expensive venture... I have spent probably 4 x what my lathe cost on accessories. 

No need to worry about stains... you could use many different finishes from CA glue, lacquer, wipe on poly, friction polishes like Shellwax, Wood turners polish etc,

Corey


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Jeff,

Corey has given you some good info on needs for turning and the list only gets longer. One of the first things you are going to need after the lathe will be a grinder or some means to sharpen your tools. If you have a chapter of a lathe turners association in your area, it would be a good idea to attend a meeting for first hand assistance. This link may help you locate a local chapter near you http://www.woodturner.org/


There is far more to turning than meets the eye and turning can be a very enjoyable area of woodworking, but can also be very expensive as well.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

is ther any way you guys can hook me up with some links to the tools i would need? thanks for all the info corey you too bob
jeff


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Jeff,

Here is a very good thread on another forum that may answer most of your questions.

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbth...er=2792590&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

thanks bob ill check it out
this mite be a wierd question but is there anyone here that has dvd's they are willing to send me to help out a newb to woodturning?


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

unlimitedwoodworker said:


> thanks bob ill check it out
> this mite be a wierd question but is there anyone here that has dvd's they are willing to send me to help out a newb to woodturning?



Jeff,

There are a lot of free video clips at this site 

http://woodcraft.com/videos.aspx

At Penn State Industries, they offer a free pen making Video from time to time and a $10 off coupon with your first order with them. Might want to check in there also.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

yeah i checked that but they charge shipping and im broke, ill check the vid bob but im on dial-up so it slows my pc down and takes alooong time to load ill let you guys know if i get to watch the vid.
Jeff


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

You can check the following for tools and supplies. www.craftusa.com, www.packardwoodworks.com, and www.pennstateindustries.com. Penn State has two set of turning tools for $59 and $69. I have the $69 set and use it all the time even though I have a bunch of $100 plus tools. For pens you will need a 3/8" and 1/2" spindle gouge. A 3/4" roughing gouge. For bowls you will need at least a 3/8" and 1/2" bowl gouge. A skew which is the hardest to learn and dreaded by most turners but you can get a surface that almost doesn't need sanded. As you gain experience you will add to your tools collection. I have about 45 tools now but have 3 lathes. As others have told you Penn State has a good lathe, Jet has a nice mini plus the 1220 that will turn a 12" bowl and I have a Rikon midi. It will turn up to a 12" bowl. You will need a grinder and a oneway jig for sharpening your tools. Here is a site for sharpening. http://oneway.on.ca/multi-media/index.htm. It has video's for you to watch on how to sharpen. You will need a face shield. First thing I would do is a lot of practice on spindle turning to get used to the tools before attempting to turn pens, bowls, etc. Cut some 2 X 4's in half and make 2 X 2's. Put them on the lathe and practice. If you have a woodcraft near by or a woodturning club I definately would take some classes as that will shorten the learning curve a bunch. I am self taught and it was tough. I have 11 DVDs or videos that I watched and studied closely. Penn State Industries as you have been told has a free pen turning dvd. That will give you a idea of what is needed. Dick Sing has 2 books and Barry Gross has a book on pen turning. Both are very good. You will need pen making supplies to turn pens and these will give you ideas of what you will need. I could list them but this is already to long. 

Just a word so you know what you are getting into and most times are not told this. The lathe is cheap. It is when you start adding all the extras above that the cost starts going up. One of the most important things in turning is sharp tools (this is a must) and your grinder with the sharpening jig. Hope this helps and gives you some idea of turning.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

wow thanks much!! Bernie! lots of good info there, well im getting a job soon hopefully, i am lining stuff up on sites like the the must have's for turning, i have loads of 1x1's will those work for practicing? i will wait on the pen making stuff so i can practice! i'm putting them in my fav's so if anyone comes along something and think "oh jeff might want this" please feel free to post them here!
i will get a line of stuff i have here in a few.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

ok my list of must have's at the time looks like this
chisels:
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcsixw.html
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lx320.html
lathe:
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/tclprovs.html
Grand Total: $335.89
now Now what else?
i do have safety glasses if anyone was wondering, maybe someone can hook me up with a set of sand paper i seen a box once w/ many various grit's thanks guys
jeff


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

Forget the blue one, it's underpowered unless you want to do just pens. 1/3 motor. I have the non VS version of the TLC Pro. Forget about the starter set. You will do much better to buy the lathe alone and get stuff that you need individually. 

Corey


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Corey is right. Don't buy the blue one as it does not have enough power to do small bowls. Get this one, http://www.pennstateind.com/store/tclprovs.html. This is a good set of tools here, http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcsixw.html. These tools should get you started and keep you going for a while till you gain some experience then you can add tools. This grinding system is something you are going to need. http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcgrind4.html. As I said sharp tools are a must and you need to learn how to keep them sharpened. You can get a 8" grinder for this jig at Woodcraft for $89. If you watch you can catch it on sale as I did for $74.95 or so. When you get to the point of doing bowls this chuck works very well, http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2007/Main/121. Look at G8784 and it is $42.50. I have two of them and they are just fine. Get you a full face shield from a hardware store. Goggles won't cut it in my book. I figured the above at around $575 and as I said should give you a great start.

This should get you a good start for pen turning, small lidded boxes, ring boxes, mini birdhouses, bottle stoppers, Christmas ornaments, and small bowls 10" and smaller. 

It has been said before find a wood turning club near you and they will help you get a good start on turning or a Woodcraft and take some turning lessons. If this is not a option get a some good videos or DVDs. Watch them and practice what they are teaching. Hope this helps.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Jeff I have 2 lathes the first one I got was a grizzly forgot the model but it has the daul tubes for the tail stock. Great for pens. But here is the cautch I bought the rikon from wood crafter best move I did. I can turn sizeable turnings now the model that Bernie show from penn state industries is the right size that you want to turn plus you will get more bang for the buck with that. I though I was fine with the smaller model from grizzly then I wanted to turn candle sticks was using 2x2 stock and I striped the plastic gear for my belt had to send it back to be worked on. Like I said great for pens I stll use it for that. But the midi series of all makes are the better way to go. Now I'm doing 4x4 turnings on my rikon and I bought the extention bed for that now I can go and 40" length turnings such as bats for the kids and legs for some furniture. Here is a pic of my lathes. The one on the top shelf is the one that I started with great for pens only basically. The other is the rikon that I bought last summer had some issues with it I have it hear one one of my old posts when I first got it. Cleared that up and wouldn't trade it for anything very saticfied.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

nice, thats a big lathe! bet you can make some nice stuff

well guys turns out i cant get a work permit its a long story but yep, guess ill have to go all summer with nothing really to do! my lil brother owes me 50 bucks, thats just pocket change though.
Jeff


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

That's the Rikon Mini lathe Jeff. It's a very nice lathe. You can see them in person at Woodcraft's I believe. 

When did you have to start getting a work permit at 17 years old? I only needed a work permit to get out of school early.  

Corey


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

dont know when but i cant get one which really sucks.
jeff


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Jeff I take it you are not 18 yet? Thats a bummer. I got a work permit like Corey to get out of school early. I earned about $50 a week mowing 10 lawns. Now they make about $200 a week mowing 10 lawns. Hope it works out for you.


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Man Jeff times have changed I was running a farm and helping at a local sawmill at 14. Seems these days you need a permit for everything. To bad.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

yeah its not that easy these days, the school needs proof of where you work, there is no escuse "im mowing lawns" that dosent work these days, infact its businesses that take up most of those jobs now, now the school will think your joking if you say you mow lawns. Well i'm not eligable since my GPA is 1.50 which is embarrasingly Low to make it i have to have like a c average, although i could have 1 F but the rest would have to be b's and a's to make up for that F get it? looks like i will be waiting awhile. im getting $50 so i think i will buy the jointer bob used on the Angle Tray episode of RW.

On a good note my mom thinks its cool that i make stuff so maybe just maybe she will buy me some wood.

Jeff


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## Drugstore Cowboy (May 17, 2007)

Glenmore said:


> Man Jeff times have changed I was running a farm and helping at a local sawmill at 14. Seems these days you need a permit for everything. To bad.


It was different for 'town kids' too --
I got my first job cleaning up and restocking in a drugstore where my mom worked when I was 12.
Got my first actual 'paycheck' job at 13 in the local burger joint.
Don't recall a time during high school I wasn't working at one fast food joint or another -- except for the winter I pumped gas for Sears to get a discount on my first motorcycle.
Nobody ever asked me for anything other than a SS #.

Mind you - this was all after school and weekends --
If I had tried to talk the school into letting me out early -
That would have probably taken an act of Congress.


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## unlimitedwoodworker (Mar 3, 2006)

before i go for a break i want to know how much money to save up, here is my list this is just to start out turning on 1x1's and some extras lol
chissel http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcsixw.html
lathe http://www.pennstateind.com/store/tclprovs.html

extras
http://us.oak-park.com/catalogue.html?list=boxj--&product=F014
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/bhinge.html


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Jeff as you read in my post #20 I really think these are the bare necessities to turn and I would try to save between $550 to $600. You can get by with a lathe and chisels but you need something to sharpen your tools with. The chuck you could wait on if you want to just start turning pens but if you want to do small bowls, lidded boxes, small ornamental birdhouses, and christmas ornaments you will need it also. Just my humble opinion.


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