Going in Reverse

If you have had the opportunity to turn on a lathe that has reverse capability you may have discovered how the sanding process can be improved in reverse. Some of you can get a beautiful finish with just your skew (Eric!) but most of us still have to sand. There are a few folks who also do part of their turning in reverse. There is a discussion on the Sawmill Creek forum about this.

I had the opportunity to use a lathe with reverse during a woodturning class I took from SPSW member Ed Quesnell at Ted Bartholomew’s shop. I have a Jet 1014VSI mini-lathe which does not have reverse. However, there are some instructions on the web for installing a reverse switch on this lathe. The Front Range Woodturners has a file written by Brandon Mackie based on instructions written by Bruce Perry. The Gulf Coast Woodturners has one written by Mack DeBose. There may be others, but these are the most common.

One thing I noticed on these instructions is that they appear to bypass the breaker switch. I’m not sure if this would potentially cause damage, but I know from experience that that breaker does go off when there is strain on the motor. So I decided to look for an alternative.

As it happens, the American Woodturner issue in December 2011 had an article titled “Add Reverse to a Mini Lathe”. The directions here do not get into the controller box to add the switch, but cuts into the line from the controller box to the motor and adds a switch. This appeared to be more straight forward to me and I could always rebuild, or replace, the motor cable.

So off I went in pursuit of the materials and will say that I have experienced success. My mini lathe now rotates in both directions!

Now for the disclaimers, or more accurately, the AAW disclaimers. In the February 2012 issue of American Woodturner there was a follow on article: “Warning On: ‘Add Reverse to a Mini Lathe’”. These include

  1. A warning NOT to change the reversing switch while the lathe is running. Use the main power switch to turn off the motor before changing the direction.
  2. Use precautions to secure the chuck or faceplate to the spindle before using the lathe in reverse.
  3. Make sure that the handwheel grub screw is tight or the handwheel could come loose and potentially cause damage to the bearings.

If you are wanting to try reversing your mini lathe and are somewhat adventurous, check out these resources and you too can go backwards.

Lathes / reviews / safety

June Membership Meeting

Here we go again, one of the most enjoyable meetings each time we do it. Here is your chance to visit with friends and wander the hall learning something new or a different way of doing what you already do.

Demonstrating this month will be:

Roy LaneRoy Lane – Turning tops

 

 

 

 

 

 

stephanie laneStephanie Lane – Pyrography

 

 

 

 

 

 

brad husbyBrad Husby – Using a Vacuum Chuck

 

 

 

 

 

 

968529898_y2ldz-l-1Paul Crabtree – Hollowing

 

 

 

 

 

 

dave schweitzer CBN sharpeningDave Schweitzer – Sharpening with Diamond Wheels

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy FirpoAndy Firpo – Safety

 

 

 

 

 

 

ted bartholomewTed Bartholomew – Sage Advice on any Turning Problems

 

 

 

 

 

 

warren swiftWarren Swift – Turning Bird Houses

 

 

 

 

 

There will be a Show Table this month so bring your prized turnings to share with the membership. We will not be doing the Tell portion, but everyone still likes to see your turnings.

Again, if you have problem pieces or tools that need to be sharpened bring them with you. This is the time to get the help you need to become a better turner.

Membership Meeting / symposiums

I Know a Young Man …

Note – The following was taken from a recent AAW newsletter, but I thought it was important enough to repost it here.

“I know of a young man who uses a wheelchair who wants to learn woodturning. Can you help?”

It was a heartbreaking phone call. My lathe and shop are not wheelchair accessible, and there are no schools or instructors nearby who offer that service. This young man is not the only person whose interest in woodturning is not yet fulfilled because of lack of access to handicapped-accessible woodturning machines. Many veterans return home from Iraq and Afghanistan with disabilities. Surely many of them would love to take advantage of an opportunity to pursue woodturning.

Read the rest of the message from Clay Foster

AAW / newsletter

Chucking Methods

The Northeast Florida Woodturners Association (Jaxturners) have posted the video of their January meeting demonstration on YouTube. In this video Bob Hunt and Chuck Molnar demonstrates discuss many different chucking methods.

You can watch parts 2 & 3 of this demo and their other videos on the Jaxturners YouTube Channel.

demonstrator / techniques / video

SPSW Members, We Need You

SPSW LogoSPSW is a large chapter of the AAW that provides us, the members, with many opportunities to improve our woodturning skills, learn new skills, see world class demonstrators and share information with great people. This does not happen by itself, it takes members who are willing to step into leadership roles.

We currently have an opening for Vice President / Program Director. The official duties from the By-Laws are:

2. Vice President

In the absence of the President or in the event of his/her death, inability or refusal to act, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of, and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. The Vice President is responsible for coordinating program events and shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him/her by the President or by the Board of Directors.

There are several resources available to assist in this role, both from within the club, and from the AAW. This is a vital role that requires someone that loves woodturning, learning new techniques, sharing information, meeting amazing artists and networking with other woodturners.

If you have the desire to be a leader in our chapter, contact President Dan Stromstad and let him know that you want to be part of the team that makes this the best woodturning chapter in the AAW!

AAW / chapter profile / members

Threading Jig

Bonnie Klein has been a woodturner for many years. In 1986 she designed the Klein Lathe, a forerunner of today’s mini-lathes, which she sold for 20 years. In 1992 she introduced the Klein Threading Jig for cutting threads in wood.

If you were in attendance at the SPSW membership meeting in April 2011 you would have seen Bonnie Klein’s demonstration. Part of her demo was the use of the Klein Threading Jig. This simplified the process of cutting threads, but the jig is a bit pricey.

In this month’s newsletter from the Greater Vancouver Woodturning Guild is an article about GVWG member Robert Carlson who designed a shop built threading jig and created a presentation showing how it is used. If you have been contemplating buying, or attempting to build your own threading jig, you should check out the GVWG May Newsletter. In it is the article about Robert Carlson’s jig, with links to the plans and the presentation.

AAW / chapter profile / Jigs / newsletter / techniques