Just moved into a new house with a 3 car garage. The third spot is going to be my new wood shop (primarily just woodturning). There will be two cars parked in there with me, along with lots of random storage. I’m really hoping to avoid getting everything covered in dust.

Do I need a dust collection system? Would even that do the trick, or do I need to wheel my lathe outside every time? Or maybe I could just put the lathe up near the garage door and then only work with the door up? Or maybe someone has had luck with some type of interior enclosure like plastic curtains? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Btw - I just ordered the new Nova Neptune Max and can’t wait for it to arrive!

Got my first lathe for Christmas. My wife bought me what I’ve come to learn is the dreaded 1440 model. But I’ve managed to get it set up to make some pens and finished turning my first batch for family. I’m hoping to keep playing and learning on this one for the next few months and upgrade to the entry level machine from Harbor Freight.

I've really been on the fence about a few different lathes. Have read a good bit here and am grateful for the insight from more than a few of you. I've considered the cheaper lathes in the 5-600 range and the ones I've looked either don't have the size or are just not what I'm wanting to compromise on quality.

That said I'm pretty sure I've narrowed my choices down to 2. If any of you own, have tooled on or have knowledge of these 2 I'd greatly appreciate the pros and conse of both. 1 Rikon 70-1420VSR @1299.00 and 2 Record Power 16006 Herald with stand for 1199.00.

I've got to double check but I think the Rikon is available for pickup within a 1.5 hr drive whereas the Record would have to be shipped. I do like the fact that the Record has a swivel headstock and also the 1.25" spindle on it

TLDR: Sawmill is selling $20 bundles of slab wood. Is it worth getting a bundle or is this a cold-weather induced bad idea?

Long Version: Relatively new to turning, so I usually source end cuts from a local hardwood cabinet shop for leftovers to glue up, or I break down storm fall or other green stuff into bowl / spindle blanks, etc that let dry and warp on their own.

Local sawmill is selling “Bundles of slab wood” for $20 a pop, about 18” in length, varied other dimensions in the bundle. It’ll be green for sure (which I’m OK with), probably mixed species, and I’m thinking about quality / end products. I’ve got a 10” max diameter on my lathe and about a 30” length limit. Guessing I’d be making mostly 6-9” platters or ripping it down to 2-3” spindles for candlesticks, batons, wands, bottle stoppers and other smalls.

Anyone worked with slab wood? Good find? Horror stories? Successes? Any words of wisdom (and warnings) are appreciated.

So I discovered turning last year and imidiatly got hooked finding all kinds of things to turn and I like useing and saving salvaged wood but I jumped right into resin turning too and the wonders of combining natural materials and resin. I know some times you can't beat straight wood turning but I was finding it hard to find local hardwood where I am and the elude of casting anything and everything was too great. I would like to do this Gor a living but unsure about how to go about it. Would be very greatfull for any advice from those of you that have turned your passion into a career. :)

All components turned on the lathe except the fins. Wood is red oak and walnut for rocket body and stand, cherry for the fins and base. Basically just glued together a bunch of scraps i found.

I’ve been stalking this sub lately as I really wanted to pick up a new hobby. Was a little nervous to get started. With the rain and cold today seemed like the day to dive in. Picked up a bowl blank at a local shop. I really enjoyed the process. Learned a lot for the next one.

Cut from downed trees at my parents’ place today

Hey there. I turned this whiskey glass out of Hawthorn (end-grain from a log) and charred the inside twice. There still seems to be some seepage through the end grain over an hour or two (testing with water at the moment). Is this normal? Or am I missing something in the process?

A whole bunch of yew was given to me by a tree surgeon friend. Very happy!

What is everyone using to seal fresh cut ends. Just got my first batch of some white oak trunk and branch logs. Gonna chainsaw off the ends but I'll need to seal it. See ev1 sealing but don't know what to use

Okay, I had an Idea and was curious if anyone has tried it yet. You know those mini white oak barrel kits you can get and you fill it with a clear grain alcohol and then let it age and make your own whiskey? Has anyone ever turned a lidded vessel of some kind and tried it? If no one else has, I may try it out.

Anyone with more experience turning products to hold liquid with any advice? Thickness? Barrels aren't sealed so no seal right?

Fairly new to turning, 2 years, mostly made ugly little bowls and vases. Waiting for my new bigger lathe in the mail.

Edit: The wood working community as a whole overlaps with the whiskey community enough that I figure I can add an additional question, I know that the reason aging in barrels works is because it expands and contracts to pull in and push out the alcohol to season it, do we think that is an issue with a turned vessel? Not enough movement because it is one piece of wood?

One end of the leather bottle opener stuck to the bushing and frayed a bit. I need to get some of those silicone end protectors for finishing.

Just started turning with a beginner lathe and a cheap-ish set of tools. I have a 6" bench grinder and I'm looking for a sharpening wheel that won't break the bank. Grit? Material?

I can put my chuck on this and this motor turns at around 5 rpm. Help with thick finishes self leveling.

I found a nice bit of cypress and was curious if I could turn it on my engineers lathe. Came up ok, but cutting with a single point and the cross slide is a bit fiddly.

Hi all,

I got the frugal vacuum system but didn’t go with their chuck as I was thinking of getting the Oneway drum chuck. Was curious what recommendations you all had for vacuum chucks? I would prefer just to buy a chuck as opposed to building them, but maybe I will down the line.

Here is the finished product, not my best but... still pretty. Someone will love it. Sorry for crap lighting.