woodwork lathe

• Preparing wood for turning

  • Cut material to length and ensure it is square.
  • Mark diagonals on each end.
  • Mark off each centre with a bradawl.
  • Mark a circle of maximum diameter on each end.
  • On one end cut down one of the diagonals to a depth of 2mm with a tenon saw.
  • Plane off the corners down to the marked circle.
• 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
  • Ensure that the wood can turn freely without hitting the tool rest
  • Check that the space between the wooden blank and the tool rest is not big enough for a tool to go through
  • Check the speed is correct and that the emergency stop buttons are operational
• gouge - general turning and removal of heavy waste of wood, produces a reasonably good finish

  
• scraper - general machining, easy to use but does not give a good finish

  
• parting tool - to cut of work from waste wood when turning is completed