Lathe

• When preparing wood for turning, it's important to cut the material to length and ensure it is square.
• Diagonals should be marked on each end of the wood.
• The centres of the wood should be marked off with a bradawl.
• A circle of maximum diameter should be marked on each end of the wood.
• On one end of the wood, cut down one of the diagonals to a depth of 2mm with a tenon saw.
• The corners of the wood should be planed off to the marked circle.
• Before setting up the lathe, secure the wooden blank between centres, ensuring a tight fit.
• Move the tool rest up to around half way up on your wood.
• The wood should be able to turn freely without hitting the tool rest.
• It's important to check that the space between the wooden blank and the tool rest is not big enough for a tool to go through.
• The speed of the lathe should be checked and the emergency stop buttons should be operational.
• After turning, the tool rest should be removed and the edges of the turned piece smoothed with sand paper.