Buying a lathe is more than lathe + chisels = off we go!

Much depends on the type of turning you want to do. Here are a few items:

Live centers, dead centers, spur centers, faceplate, Nova check, steady rest, collect chuck, turning tool holder.

You mentioned the grinder probably an 8” slow speed (1700 rpm) and the wolverine one-way (Peachtree has a clone works well).

For beginning turning I like the Ron Brown series of DVDs. He is not extremely technical, but explains things well for beginners.

For a face shield I have tried many different ones. I also have sinus / allergies. The best I have found is the Trend Powered AIR/PRO model.

-- "I love it when a plan comes together" John "Hannibal" Smith

Much depends on the type of turning you want to do.

- WoodNSawdust

I have a few ideas in mind but my main reason for adding a lathe to my workshop is to turn lamps. Initially, they will be very basic, short 8” bases with inset sockets and exposed bulbs. Also, I’d like to try some wooden mallets.

Thanks for the great info on face shields as I have recently discovered I am allergic to fine sawdust (great).

Wow. Imagine that. Turning tools don’t come sharpened. That’s funny. ha ha

The reason for that is most turners settle on their own grind, rather than stick to the one that might be on the tools when first purchased. If you’re looking for better quality or custom gouges, then they might have the grind already set.

You will find that without a grinder, you won’t be doing any turnings… In a 5 minute period, I’ve had to sharpen some of my tools at least 3 times. It’s because of the woods I like to turn, but a grinder is as important as the lathe. Without one, you won’t be doing too much on your lathe.
Keep reading and watching vids on youtube, and you’ll be learning a lot in a short period. Hope your finances hold out as wood turning can get very expensive as I’m sure you have already found out. Welcome to the vortex. ...... Jerry (in Tucson)

-- Jerry (in Tucson) www.woodturnerstools.com

Thanks for the great info on face shields as I have recently discovered I am allergic to fine sawdust (great).

For a lamp I would think a spur center in the headstock, a lathe chuck (like the Nova), a live center for the tailstock would work.

Use the spur center and live center to initially turn the blank round (a bandsaw if you have it would be faster and easier) and to turn a tenon on one end. Then replace the live center with a chuck holding the tenon. If you plan to drill the center hole for the electric cord the chuck will be necessary as well as a drill chuck for the tailstock. Here a set of 12” long drill bits.

Good luck and post pictures of the results.

-- "I love it when a plan comes together" John "Hannibal" Smith

A bench grinder by itself may be fine but most folks have a jig for gouges; the Wolverine seems most popular.

I don’t have allergies but use a fine dust mask. 3M makes disposables (rated for up to 160 hours of use) with the same, or better, rating than most $300 plus systems. I typically only use mine when sanding and toss them after about 50 hours or so. They run about $7.50. Filters down to 0.3 microns at 99.97% efficiency.
For a face shield the Bionic with the + rating is very popular and runs about $30 on Amazon.

I would suggest videos rather than books. Keith Rowley’s “Woodturning, A Foundation Course” is very good.

There are tons of very good videos on the wed (and tons of very bad ones). Just ask and we may be able to direct you to a good one on a specific topic.

Here is one by Mike Peace that covers almost every holding/chucking method to let you know what is possible.
It is about 1.5 hours long as there are a lot of different methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXil-5dEeo

-- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

Keep in mind that for centuries, people turned wood on foot powered lathes using home made tools sharpened on foot powered grinding stones.. and they turned out some really fantastic stuff despite their lack of all the modern conveniences we have today!

There are a lot of people who will tell you all sorts of stuff you ‘need’, but you can easily get by without. For sharpening, a belt sander works well if you have one. Hand sharpening is not out of the question but time consuming. But since either can usually be found dirt cheap on CL or garage sales, they are good to have and useful for all sorts of other tasks.

Fancy store bought turning tools are nice, but a basic set of turning tools can be made rather easily for a fraction of the cost and you can make them specifically for tasks you want to do.

A face shield or other protective eye wear can be had for a few bucks at HF.

Live centers are nice, but not absolutely required. The dead center that will come on your lathe will be sufficient for most turnings.

Chucks are also nice, but again, not absolutely required. If you get a tap the correct size for your lathe spindle, you can make your own faceplates, jam chucks, screw drives, etc… and in many cases, they can be much more useful (and safer) than a chuck.

Having said all that, yes, most are really nice to have – but not a requirement by any means.

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

Woodworking chisels in general, turning or bench, don’t come sharpened. They come with a ground edge but usually require some honing or touch up. My Hurricanes came with a fairly sharp edge, sharp enough to cut, but they still needed a touch up.

Turning is a whole subset of woodworking and requires a specialized set of tools and accessories. You should be able to turn lamps with just a faceplate and centers. Every lamp I’ve seen has felt or similar on the bottom which would hide screw holes and faceplates are more secure and safer than chucks.

Here is a rough overview about woodturning. It isn’t a how-to, it’s more for someone who is thinking about it but it does lightly cover things. In truth I don’t think this video is very good but it just posted and I don’t have a better one handy. Others I found were broken down into segments and hours long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0iACey0mcQ

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

If you go this route, you don’t have to sharpen:

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Wood-Tools-Detailer-Wood-Turning/dp/B00FKY7P1S/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1430326099&sr=1-2&keywords=easy+wood+tools

Just replace the carbides.

There’s no free lunch. Time saved in sharpening will be spent on sanding.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

Sharpening, in my opinion, is as important as your turning skills. I must say, it is an acquired talent. I would recommend buying some HF or Steelex lathe tools and learn to sharpen on those. While they are not the greatest, they are not bad, and you won’t take a chance on damaging a 100.00 skew or gouge.

As Buck-cpa mentioned easy wood are a good way to go and don’t require sharpening. I got disgusted at first with my lack of sharpening skill and went that way…I even learned to make some carbide insert tools. They are great, but in many cases the traditional tools are a little easier to use and some specialty tools are not available in carbide replacement tools. It is however a great way to turn while you are learning to sharpen.

I love my lathes and have had a great many hours of enjoyment. Have a good time with it and just know going in, that you are going to break and ruin some stuff. Don’t stress over as I did at first. I made a few bowls where the inside got bigger than the outside, and they got some flying lessons. Vent your frustrations and then let it go…....and oh….if you think you are done buying after the lathe and tools, think again…..bust out another thousand!!!
LOL…just my .02
Mike

-- Mike

Nathan, after I bought my first lathe almost two years ago I was in your spot. The topic of woodworking is divided ito two categories: lathe turning, and everything else.

If you’re a woodworker and want to get into turning, it’s like you have to buy a whole new shop for the activity. But I warn you, it’s addictive.

-- "I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bear skins."

HF may have good safety glasses and faceshieldS for a few buck, I haven’t looked.
Almost all show the Z87 rating. The big difference is the +.
Here is a link, scroll down about 1/2 -2/3 for faceshield rating requirements.

http://www.elvex.com/facts-what-changes-in-ansi-z87.1-2010.htm

The standard Z87 rating must pass the “Dropped ball” test. A one inch steel ball (2.4 ounces) dropped from 50 inches. This is the Non-impact rated test.

The Z87+ must pass a High Mass Impact and a High Velocity Impact test.
High mass similar to the “dropped ball” but with a pointed object at 17.6 ounces. (about 7X better).
High velocity test is a 1/4” steel ball at close to 100 mph.

-- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

The HF face shield is better than nothing, but not much better. And not just protection-wise but it’s uncomfortable, droopy, unbalanced, and scratches easily.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

The best advice would be to find a woodturning club in your area. Most offer short courses or mentoring. This will allow you to try different lathes, tools and sharpening equipment. That and the techniques learned will not only save you blood, sweat and tears but will pay for itself by avoiding purchasing tools and equipment that you don’t need or doesn’t work. Books and videos are great to reinforce what you have learned and to refine various techniques. Woodturning is great fun but can be hazardous to the uninitiated. Cheers, Bob

-- Member Valley Woodturners Ottawa. Member AAW

Bmezz – +100 !

-- When I was a kid I wanted to be older . . . . . this CRAP is not what I expected ! RIP 09/08/2018