[Jonathan Moore]

Hey guys. I have always been interested in hand turning awesome things from wood. Unfortunately i never had the opportunity to pursue it. I have been thinking recently about it again and was wondering if anyone could recommend some learning resources for the new guy on the block. Also, any recommendations for a nice starter lathe?

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[Tom Baker]

#2026911

Beginning woodturner

Jonathan,
I’ve found the best source for learning woodtyrning to be YouTube. Search for which aspect of turning you are interested in: turning bowls, spindle turning, using the skew, sharpening wood lathe tools, etc., etc., etc. The amount of material and number of regular craftsman with regular videos is enormous.
I’ve learned 98% of my knowledge there, the other 2% being practice.
As for a lathe recommendation, unless you are positive you will continue to master the craft & want to do bigger & better in thd future, I suggest ond of the Harbor Freight lathes.http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=woodworking+lathe
I purchased the cheepest one, the 40″ lathe, and have been experimenting with all aspects of turning: spindle, endgrain platter, and even offset turning for a cabriole leg. All are coming out to my satisfaction.
If you have no Harbor Freight near you, or are located outside the U. S., I’ve been watching turners in europe on YouTube with the same lathe but different name. Look for tool dealers selling lathes made in China.
Hope this helps ….

[Light]

#2027535

There are some great ways to get involved with turning. As mentioned, Youtube has a lot of videos. I really like Captian Eddie’s videos. One important thing to consider with the lathe is safety. I recommend a face shield and not having anything lose that could get caught in the wood or lathe while it is turning. It is an easy hobby to get into and can be rather addicting.

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