Houndog
2009-06-10, 07:26 PM
Being new to turning I started with a basic set of tools. When making a pen I used the roughing gouge, then a spindle gouge and if I felt brave I tried the skew. My results were okay, and I had good luck with just a few tear outs, mostly with the skew. I had seen a post on the Woodchuck (http://www.woodchuck-tools.com/) and did a search here, it seemed like a decent tool and I ordered one.
The first thing I did when it arrived was make a handle, that was an interesting project, glad I made one instead of purchasing.
I tried the Woodchuck Model II on acrylic, cherry burl, maple burl and box elder burl (all woods none stabilized). It worked well, letting me use just the one tool for pens, and then I started sanding.
The more I used it the more comfortable I felt, I was looking for something that would be more of a challenge. I had a red palm blank that I wanted to try, I cut the blank to size, then drilled it out. Although I thought I was careful I cracked the blank, it seemed what I read about the palm being difficult was true... I decided to turn it anyway, I did not glue in the tube, just put it between a dead and live center. I was surprised when I turned the blank round (and then some) with no tube or glue. I was then ready to try a blank with a tube, when I drilled this time I tried to be more careful, no cracks. When I turned this blank I did not add any CA glue until I was finished sanding, the Woodchuck worked very well ;)
The inserts I ordered were 4 inch radius, I think a square ones for tenons might be useful. I don't expect it to replace all of my tools, but it has become my most useful :cool:
Red Palm
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8941/palmn.jpg
Box Elder Burl/Woodchuck
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6318/bebw.jpg
The first thing I did when it arrived was make a handle, that was an interesting project, glad I made one instead of purchasing.
I tried the Woodchuck Model II on acrylic, cherry burl, maple burl and box elder burl (all woods none stabilized). It worked well, letting me use just the one tool for pens, and then I started sanding.
The more I used it the more comfortable I felt, I was looking for something that would be more of a challenge. I had a red palm blank that I wanted to try, I cut the blank to size, then drilled it out. Although I thought I was careful I cracked the blank, it seemed what I read about the palm being difficult was true... I decided to turn it anyway, I did not glue in the tube, just put it between a dead and live center. I was surprised when I turned the blank round (and then some) with no tube or glue. I was then ready to try a blank with a tube, when I drilled this time I tried to be more careful, no cracks. When I turned this blank I did not add any CA glue until I was finished sanding, the Woodchuck worked very well ;)
The inserts I ordered were 4 inch radius, I think a square ones for tenons might be useful. I don't expect it to replace all of my tools, but it has become my most useful :cool:
Red Palm
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8941/palmn.jpg
Box Elder Burl/Woodchuck
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6318/bebw.jpg