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You're also going to need a bench to mount your
lathe on. A lathe needs to be permanently mounted to a bench to
work, period. You don't have to spend a lot of money here, just
get a good quality table that is large enough, and sturdy enough,
for your lathe. I still have the $100.00 Craftsman table I bought
with my second lathe and it works fine. You should also add some
weight to the table to keep it from moving around. I use sandbags
and so do most other turners I've talked to, but you can use anything
that is heavy and can fit on the bottom shelf of your table. The
manual that comes with your lathe will usually give you other information
about how to set your lathe up. Those who need to have their lathe
mobile, perhaps because of space limitations, can do so by using
a mobile base of some kind, or put locking casters on the table.
But if you do this, I would suggest that you find some way to affix
it to a wall or something else that doesn't move. I have 200 pounds
of sand on mine and I also added two more layers of medium density
fiberboard to the top and bottom shelf. I wouldn't add too much
to the top of your table though, or the lathe might be raised to
a level that might not be appropriate for effective turning.
Now I can give you the stuff you might have waded
through this article for, places to find information and products.
To see what segmented turning is all about you can go to Kevin's
Woodturning page at http://www.turnedwood.com/.
Kevin's work is second to none, and although the free information
on his page might be a little advanced for a new turner, there is
a wealth of knowledge that he shares. I have never met him, but
I have purchased the software that he offers for sale, and I've
used a few of his ideas in one way or another and it has advanced
my turning immeasurably. For places to buy tools you have lots of
choices and a few that I recommend are Woodcraft, Craft Supplies,
and the Cutting Edge. Prices vary greatly sometimes so look around.
I have had good experiences with all of the three I listed above
when purchasing tools. Not so much for buying wood though. For wood
I suggest that you first look to see if there is a place locally
to purchase exotic woods, if not take a look on ebay. I have had
some good experiences there with buying wood for turning that would
have cost me 3 to 4 times as much from a lumberyard. And unlike
mail order, in most cases you get to see what your buying first.
The only online place I've ever ordered from that I've had nothing
but good experiences with is Tropical Exotic Hardwoods of Latin
America (http://www.anexotichardwood.com).
Give them a look. I should tell you that I am in no way affiliated
with any of these people or companies, and if I were, I'd tell you.
Well that's about all I have time and space for
in this article. You will need other items as well including: turning
tools, a saw of some kind, sandpaper, lots of sandpaper, eye protection,
something to sharpen your tools with, and depending on what your
first project is, various other tools. If you want to see some examples
of my work you can go to http://www.joelswoodturning.com/.
And as always, remember SAFETY FIRST, it would be difficult to turn
wood without your hands or eyes!
Joel Gulker
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