I have started off using carbide tools and I have been doing pretty good for a self-taught turner. I am now wanting to learn how to use conventional tools and I am finding it a lot harder to learn. I have been thinking about taking lessons if I can find someone to teach me. So the question is did you guys take lessons or are you self taught?

I bought a used lathe several years ago and it went kapooey. Got a new Rikon. Have a set of Harbor Freight tools but some are never used. My first turning was a piece of 2x4 and a dull wood chisel! Two things I did- join AAW and a local club; www.woodturner.org is the site. You can search for a local club. Both are well worth the investment to learn. Welcome to the forum!!!!

Multimodal, and still learning. I learn from books and magazines. I belong to a club. I ask a lot of questions. Fortunately, my friends have been understanding. Sometimes I learn from the internet. I prefer text with photos, but will watch an occasional YouTube video. Most important, I keep practicing on scrapwood and real hardwoods. I use both HSS and carbide tools.

The woodturning skill I needed the most was learning to sharpen the HSS tools well. I use a Grizzly wet grinder with Tormek jigs. The woodturning skill I needed second most was learning to relax.

I like to learn from books, but not everyone does. Here is the best basic woodturning book I have found so far. It is somewhat dry, but thorough. The included DVD is also dry:

https://www.amazon.com/Woodturning-F.../dp/1784940631

Back in the mid 1960's my father had me help him make a walnut gavel for my 6th teacher. He helped me with several projects and then he helped me make a bowl. By the time I was in college, I was making bowls and selling them for some extra cash. Moved away when I started working and never got back into it until 4 years ago. Mrs. and I were at a Christmas craft fair and saw a guy making Christmas trees on a lathe. He wasn't very good, but he was fast. Got me in the mood to try it again. I did hang on to the Craftsman lathe knives (I bought when I was in high school) through all those years away.

I was self taught (sort of). Learned in wood shop in high school. Teacher handed me the wood and a drawing of turnings to make and then went to his office.

Everybody was scared of the lathe we had when I was at school. Had it shoved away in a corner for years and years before I decided I wanted to to try it. Brought it out cleaned it up and went for it. I'm entirely self taught for better and for worse. Second bowl I tuned took a large piece of my left hand off, had to learn via "Trial By Fire" per say. Apparently I had an impact though as now they have a whole section of the shop set up to turning and got all kinds of fancy lathes and tools. Which is awesome. I got the old one too so now It runs in my shop. Going to have to fix it up a bit though...
-T

Search out a local turning club in your area. You'll learn a lot faster without picking up bad habits along the way. Plus you'll meet a lot of nice people who are happy to help. You'll also learn how to sharpen traditional turning tools, different types of cuts, how to mount odd shaped pieces, etc.
Mike Hawkins

This would be the ideal way to learn, but unfortunately, many of us live hours away from a club. I learned a lot from Youtube, and a lot from trial and error. Sharpening accounts for at least half if you're using conventional tools, which is all I have.

John

Woodcraft stores offer classes from basic to advanced.

A lathe was the first woodworking machine I owned, and it was about 40 years before the internet so it was trial and error, never got hurt or killed so guess it worked out right


There is a lot of info on the net, I think what you are having a problem with is you are used to scraping and with conventional tools, at least gouges shearing creates a much cleaner cut, honestly I learned shearing on the net just watching people do it, I scraped for years, there is a lot lest sanding with shearing

It is so dangerous machine.. my friend did a big accident with lathe.. He had to stay in the hospital. You have to use a motorcycle helmet. Don't self learning. You have to learn a woodworking teacher or a master.

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It is a dangerous machine. So is a wash machine or a microwave if you mis use it. Imagine how dangerous it would be to stick your fingers into bike spokes as the wheel spins at a high rpm. One simple rule. Don't stick your fingers in the bike spokes. Most people know not to stick their hand into a clogged law mower chute while the machine is running. Same rules apply with a lathe. Don't stick your body parts into the moving works. Don't wear clothes that might catch in the moving parts. Stuff goes flying, shavings, pieces of tools, a piece of wood spinning at a high rate can disintegrate from centrifugal force. Wear protection.

I have been turning for about two years though the only things I have turned have been handles to my tools, shovels, axes etc so far. I am just now getting into trying to turn other stuff.

As for my tools I just have some old pieces of metal that I welded into the ends of pipes and sharpened into various shapes etc. One of my favorite tools is actually an old L shaped tire iron that I touched up on the grinder to have nice sharp sides and edges.

Just today I was out picking up a trailer load of willow and poplar logs from my wife's uncle to mill up and he went into the shop and pulled out a wooden case of lathe tools and gave it to me. They aren't anything special and have never actually been used yet but they should be handy. Short handles but I could extend the handles out a bit bigger.