subject: Tips On Woodturning Equipment, Tools & Supplies [print this page] Woodturning, a part of woodworking is very simple and addictive hobby. For beginner, you can start turning to make legs for furnitures, but once you get the hold of it you will get addicted to turn vases, pens, bowls, and even baseball bats and lamps.
There are usually two types of woodturning techniques faceplate turning and spindle turning. In faceplate turning technique, your need to connect the piece of wood to a circular faceplate, which is affixed to the lathe. While in spindle turning technique, you have to place the piece of wood at the center of the lathe, which may be connected either at one or both ends of the headstock or tailstock. Using faceplate turning technique, you can turn vases and bowls, whereas with spindle turning technique lamps, baseball bats, pens, legs of furniture, etc. can be turned. Sometimes, you might have to use both the turning techniques for a single project. For example, if you undertake a project of turning table, then to turn table legs you will have to use spindle turning and for the surface or top part of the table you will have to use faceplate turning technique.
However, before undertaking such an addictive hobby, you will require to buy certain tools, equipments and woodturning supplies. The first thing you are required to buy is the wood lathe. There are different types of lathe available in the market and choosing an appropriate lathe for this hobby require careful consideration. There are a couple of things you must look for in a lathe for this hobby lathe speed and lathe swing. Lathes varies in speed and some spins too fast which can hardly be slowed down. If possible, seek for a lathe which has speed controller as some turning project requires slower speed while some requires high speed for turning. Lathe swing is the distance between lathe bed and center of the spindle. For small projects or if you are limited with space, it is recommended that you buy lathe with short swing. However, if you want to turn large thing and not limited with space then lathe with long swing is suitable.
The next thing you will need are the tools. These tools include spindle gouge, various types of scrapers, roughing gouge and parting tool. With these tools you can give or carve shape and design to your project. However, it is preferable that you choose these tools that are made from high speed steel (HSS) or carbon steel. The reason for this is that it will not easily worn out when you apply them to the high spinning wood.
Finally, you will need good quality woodturning supplies such as insert clock, weather instruments, salt and pepper grinder, cutlery, etc. which will act as an add-on to your project. Make sure that you buy these woodturning supplies from well known supplier who has some experience in woodworking industry, because they can supply such accessories that are specifically designed for woodturning projects.
