davidjonah17

Hi,

I am teaching myself the art of lathing and trying to pick up some of the basics. There are 2 extra chucks for my lathe, the screw chuck and cup turning chuck. Can anybody tell me what they are for? I have a few ideas but would love it if somebody who actully knew could explain or point me in the right direction on what these chucks are generally used for. Thanks for any info!

Dave.

firehawkmph

Dave,
I will tell you what the two chucks are for, but it would take a lot of typing to explain how to use them. The screw chuck is used for turning bowl blanks. the cup chuck can be used to grip a piece of wood with a turned tenon higher up on the tenon to get a better grip. It can also be used in an expansion mode to grip the inside of a 'cup' shaped piece. You really should try to get together with an experienced turner in your area instead of trying to teach yourself. It is very easy to learn bad habits and some can be downright dangerous. The lathe can be a tremendous source of fun and fullfillment, but it has to be used properly and safely.
Mike Hawkins

davidjonah17

Thanks Mike for the good advice. I think I will look around for any experienced lathers willing to teach. I totally agree about avoiding picking up bad habits. Thanks again.

Dave.

The woodsman

I totaly agree with Mike,but another thing you may consider picking up a DVD for beginers.There are several out there.Bill Grumbine has an excelent one.Good luck and welcome to the world of nuts and be prepaired to become addicted,IT WILL HAPPEN

john lucas

I highly recommend the Bill Grumbine video. Covers everything from chainsaw work to finishing the bowl.
Go here http://www.woodturner.org/ and look around. You can find out if there are any AAW clubs in your area and I would highly recommend the AAW sharpening video. You can find it in the merchandise section. It has 3 different professional turners show you their ways so you get several different techniques demonstrated which makes it easier to pick a method that works for you.

davidjonah17

Thanks for the advice. I shall get myself a Bill Grumbine DVD. I have found youtube quite helpful but I would prefer to know for sure that I was watching a pro!