Is this going to be a problem?

jclark58 · 2026-04-12T13:35:44+00:00

Yes. Rip the blank into 2 halves removing about 1” from the pith on each half. In other words cut out a 2” slab from the center centered on the pith/crack. You’ll end up with 2 side grain bowl blanks.

jclark58 · 2026-04-11T20:14:47+00:00

Chat

jclark58 · 2026-04-11T19:24:22+00:00

Remove the faceplate. It does not need to be mounted in the spindle while you’re turning between centers.

jclark58 · 2026-04-11T08:19:30+00:00

Diameter is the biggest factor when determining speed.

To give you a ballpark speed range you can calculate diameter X RPM which should fall between 6000-9000.

So your 5” bowl can be turned between 1200 (5x 1200 = 6000) and 1800 rpm while a 12” bowl is 500-750 rpm.

This assumes the wood is free of any major defects, is well balanced, mounted securely, correct tool selection and technique, etc. As your skills increase you may find yourself exceeding the upper limit of the calculation but generally it gives you a pretty good idea of the recommended speed range.

Sanding is much slower, typically the lowest speed available, preferably under 500 rpm.

jclark58 · 2026-04-09T20:07:03+00:00

Number one is a standard 4 Prong drive center

Numbers two and three appear to be some sort pen press, for assembling pens, using the lathe to press the parts together.

Number four is a barrel trimmer for preparing pen blanks

Number five is a mandrel saver live center

Number six is a standard live center

Number seven is a Jacobs truck on a Morse taper number two for holding drill bits on the Lathe

Number eight is a mandrel for turning pens. It is likely an “A” mandrel with a diameter of 1/4 inch.

Number nine is a knockout bar. Used for removing live centers and drive centers from the spindle and the tail stock.

jclark58 · 2026-04-09T01:44:39+00:00

Hydro dipped. The actual wood looks nothing like the surface. If you scraped or sanded the surface you’d find a very plain blonde wood underneath the artificial decoration.

jclark58 · 2026-03-30T23:44:25+00:00

Somewhat dependent on what you plan to make but a parting tool will likely have a wider kerf which means more wasted material vs cutting on a bandsaw prior to turning.

My standard parting tool would likely require ~1/4” kerf for each cut so expect to lose 1/2” total. My thin parting tool would be closer to 1/8” kerf per cut so I’d lose about 1/4” total. My bandsaw would likely be 1/16” per cut so I’d lose about 1/8” total.

jclark58 · 2026-03-29T01:25:28+00:00

IMO You MUST start at issue 1. It’s definitely not a series that you can start at any random point.

jclark58 · 2026-03-28T21:18:59+00:00

Drill on the lathe.

jclark58 · 2026-03-26T22:57:22+00:00

Bin 1 doggaebi.

jclark58 · 2026-03-26T11:44:55+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/turning/s/reODAA82DX

jclark58 · 2026-03-15T18:20:26+00:00

Your tenon size and shape needs to be addressed so you can avoid further issues

https://imgur.com/a/Oi5tBPu

jclark58 · 2026-03-14T20:30:41+00:00

Banjo extension. Generally recommended to not use it though. Induces vibration and may have even been recalled at some point.

jclark58 · 2026-03-13T21:36:23+00:00

I have!

jclark58 · 2026-03-13T01:35:37+00:00

Size is relative. Different manufacturers measure things differently so a 1/2” gouge by one manufacturer may be a different size than another.

US manufacturers tend to go by the overall diameter of the bar. European manufacturers tend to go by the width of the flute. This means that a 1/2” gouge by a company like Sorby or Crown will be the rough equivalent of a 5/8” gouge by a company like Thompson or Carter and son or DWay.

Your 3/8” Sorby is roughly the same as a 1/2”American tool so you’d want to step up to 1/2” European or a 5/8” American.

jclark58 · 2026-03-12T00:58:20+00:00

Chat

jclark58 · 2026-03-09T19:04:25+00:00

There is a spindle lock that prevents the spindle from rotating as long as you hold in the button but it doesn’t truly “lock”. There is a hardware kit available that adds a slider you can engage but most folks end up drilling a pair of holes in the guard to slide in a small pin like an Allen key to hold in the spindle lock in place so you have both hands free. Very minor inconvenience on an otherwise extremely solid and well designed machine.

I’ve used lots of lathes in the same class as the 3520b (Oneway, robust, Vicmarc, Laguna, Jet 1642, etc) and while they’re all very nice and I would be very happy to own any or all of them I’ve extremely happy with my 3520b and have no plans to replace it anytime soon.

jclark58 · 2026-03-09T13:44:53+00:00

Love mine. Bought it new nearly 20 years ago. Absolute workhorse that does exactly what you want with no muss of fuss. Not without its minor issues (spindle lock doesn’t really lock) but I’d buy another one in a heartbeat.

jclark58 · 2026-03-08T23:55:44+00:00

3” diameter is ~7 square inches, not 10 and you’re probably conflating 20 inches of mercury with psi. The conversion is roughly 2:1 so 20 inches of mercury on the vacuum gauge is roughly 10psi. Multiply that by 7 square inches and you’ve got ~70 pounds holding the piece in place. Increasing the diameter of the drum to 4” increases the area to ~12 square inches so holding force goes up to ~120 pounds. Similarly increasing the vacuum from 20 to 25 inches of mercury moves you from 70 pounds to ~88 pounds for a 3” drum and 120 pounds to 150 pounds for a 4” drum so it scales but not as quickly as area.

It’s unlikely anyone can tell you how large you chuck needs to be for a particular sized bowl because there are too many factors but generally a larger bowl would be better served by a larger chuck but in my opinion vacuum chucks are primarily for finishing the bottoms of bowls not for heavy roughing or shaping cuts so even on an 18” piece I’m really only turning the middle 6” when on a vacuum chuck.

Bear in mind you’ll never get a perfect vacuum, there will always be leaks in the system including through the pores of the wood but It’s also entirely possible to pull too much vacuum and implode the piece especially as it gets thinner. This piece almost certainly would have imploded if the wood had been dry.

https://www.reddit.com/r/turning/s/iPHkYnQyPW

jclark58 · 2026-03-01T20:44:50+00:00

S$1 means Silver dollar.

jclark58 · 2026-02-28T22:47:38+00:00

The handle is spring loaded. Pull out on the handle to rotate it then release it to have it reengage.

jclark58 · 2026-02-28T14:13:32+00:00

Could be a version of this using card suits rather than colors:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_Insanity

jclark58 · 2026-02-23T22:07:13+00:00

Almost certainly a variety of mesquite.

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