Tips and Advice

The club is rich with experience, knowledge, tips, tricks, advice and opinions.  This is an attempt to capture all of that goodness in one place as a reference for all.   We hope you find this helpful.

Education

Books

Woodturning: A Foundation Course – Keith Rowley

Turning Wood – Richard Raffan

DVD

Turning Wood – Richard Raffan

Websites

AAW

Wood turning Basics

Stuart Batty

Members

Turning Acrylic – Mike Messina 

Turning Tools

Gouge Measurements

How bowl gouges are measured, depends on where they are made.
Not all 1/2″ bowl gouges are the same. A 1/2″ bowl gouge from England,
will have  a  1/2″ wide flute ground into a 5/8″ diameter shaft. A 1/2″ bowl gouge made in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, will have a 3/8″ wide flute ground into a 1/2″ diameter shaft. A bowl gouge with a  “1/2″ WIDE FLUTE”  is what most people use. So be careful when ordering a gouge.  If you want to buy a 1/2″ wide flute bowl gouge from the US, Canada, or Australia, order a 5/8″ gouge.

All spindle gouges are measured by the diameter of the shaft.  – Dan K

Suppliers

Carter and Sons – Turning tools

Cindy Drozda – Specialty tools and an explanation of tool steels click on products, then signature woodturning tools, then which is best for you 10V, or M42

Craft Supplies USA – Turning tools and supplies

Fastenal – Hardware

Glasser Hightec – Very high end turning tools, one of the first to use A11 steel

Grainger – Nearly anything, including hardware

Hartville Tool – Good prices on Crown Razor Edge gouges

Highland Hardware – Turning tools, No.14 Spax screws, bandsaw blades

Lee Valley – Turning tools, woodworking tools, finishes, hardware, etc.

MSC Direct – 1/4″ diameter by 8″ long HSS tool bits perfect for making small skew chisels. Add a handle and grind to a skew.

McFeely’s – Hardware, square drive screws

McMaster – Hardware, Extensive and fast

Packard Woodworks – Turning tools and supplies

Peachtree Woodworking Supply – Turning tools and accessories

Rockler – Dust collection, tools, hardware and general woodworking

Thompson Lathe Tools – Turning tools

Timberbits – Vicmark turning tools and chucks, Australian prices

Tools for working wood – Ashley Isles turning tools only US supplier same quality as Crown, Sorby, Henry Taylor, Hamlet

The Woodturning Store – House brand turning tools made by Crown

Woodcraft – Turning and general woodworking tools, grinders

Woodturners Wonders – CBN wheels and turning tools

Sharpening

In our January 2020 meeting Jim Finley and Dan Kozar demonstrated how they sharpen their tools going over the jigs, tips and tricks.  Details are on the meeting page

Resources

WoodTurningBasics.com

Stuart Batty – Video 1  Video 2

Suppliers

D-Way Tools   – CBN wheels

Woodturners Wonders   – CBN wheels and turning tools

PSU Industries – Sharpening Jig

Robo Hippy – Grinder tool rest

One way Wolverine – Sharpening Jigs

Geiger’s Solutions – Jig setup tools

Finishing

From Tea Pot making demo – Krylon matte 1311 for artists -3-4 coats then mr clean pad magic eraser or buff for high gloss.

Finishing Acrylic – Mike Messina 

Suppliers

Model Merchants – CA (crazy ) glue

Pyrography

Don Wilson taught us about decorating our work via burning or pyrography in our December 2019 meeting.

Resources

Great Book of Woodburning – Lora Irish

www.suewalters.com

Pyrography – A Fox Chapel magazine and patterns

Dover Publications – patterns

Suppliers

Carvertools – Optima

Razertip

Woodburning – Colwood

Woodcarverssupply – Burnmaster

Nibs

Treeline

Bandsaws

Suppliers

R&D Bandsaw  – Bandsaw blades for green wood

Lumber sources

Suppliers

Industrial Plywood  – All kinds of plywood in Lewistown, Pa. and they deliver

Lewis Lumber Products – Domestic and Exotic Hardwood

Peachy’s – They sell flooring, but they also sell lumber in 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses

Alderfer Lumber Co – Kiln dried lumber, slabs of all sizes and species. Custom planning large slabs.  5532 Flint Valley Rd., Mt. Pleasant Mills, PA. 17853.  570-539-2063.

The Wood Lathe Shop – Burls of all sizes.  Amish, no phone.  70 Rolling Hill Lane, Allensville, PA. Open Mon-Fri.

Supplies

Suppliers

Chef specialty  – Peppermill Mechanisms

Klingspor Woodworking shop   – Abrasives (25 yards of 3” sandpaper)

McFeely’s – No, 14 spax screws for attaching face plates

Niles  – Bottle Stopper kits (use her mandrel)

Richard’s Seashells   – Sea Urchins and Seashells

Rockler – Pizza Cutter Kit

The Sanding Glove – Abrasives and shoe covers

Supergrit Abrasives – Abrasives – RED HILL CORP, 1540 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg, PA 173254 1-800-822-4003

Health and Safety

Wood allergies and toxicity info