Walked in from the shop with an ear to ear grin and wood shavings all over.

[dbhost]

Yep. The lathe tools finally came in... I know this sounds like a dumb place to start, but I simply took a scrap of untreaded 4x4. center marked it, and turned it into a simple round taper...

I can tell you right now that I now totally understand you addicts, I mean wood turners. This is worse than crack cocaine...

On a related issue. The PSI chisel set. Nice chisels, but what the heck are they thinking with that lousy wooden box? Box joint with no glue of all things...

[Uncle Cracker]

I can tell you right now that I now totally understand you addicts, I mean wood turners. This is worse than crack cocaine...

Yes, it is. But in more ways than one... Don't dawdle when it comes to maximizing your dust collection, particularly when working with exotic woods, or those that have been chemically stabilized. I had ZERO allergies when I started turning, and now have many, each one worse than the one before it. Contact allergies on sweaty skin are a BEAR, and inhaled cocobolo, rosewoods, and many others are downright dangerous.

Not tryin' to kill your buzz... I still love turning, but now realize that extra precautions are necessary.

[dbhost]

The shavings / dust are certainly a concern. I honestly have no clue how to even start to try to capture that...So I am using the fine dust masks... Not really comfy. But it works.

[gerti]

The shavings / dust are certainly a concern. I honestly have no clue how to even start to try to capture that...So I am using the fine dust masks... Not really comfy. But it works.

Do a search for "Trend Airshield" or "Triton Respirator". Both are good solutions, and useful for many jobs in the shop.

[Uncle Cracker]

The shavings / dust are certainly a concern. I honestly have no clue how to even start to try to capture that...So I am using the fine dust masks... Not really comfy. But it works.

I use a good dust collector with a 1-micron bag, hooked up to one of these on the lathe. I have tried a motorized mask, but found it too uncomfortable, so I use a good quality multi-layer paper mask, and move up to a canister-type respirator when I'm working on something really nasty. I also use a barrier cream on my wrists, forearms, and backs of my hands when it's hot enough for me to sweat.

With these precautions, I have now (knock on wood) done considerable work without any further outbreaks.

[MikeMcCoy]

I use a good dust collector with a 1-micron bag, hooked up to one of these on the lathe.

Like most of you, I rarely (cough cough) have many catches but I did find out after rigging up that gizmo that Uncle Cracker linked to, that a blank can go flying ... rebound off of that hood .... and smack you in the nose before you can finish saying a one word expletive. Of course, it was one of those light passes on a spot that I saw just AFTER taking off the face shield but the dust hood does do a fair job of catching fine dust.

[Uncle Cracker]

Like most of you, I rarely (cough cough) have many catches but I did find out after rigging up that gizmo that Uncle Cracker linked to, that a blank can go flying ... rebound off of that hood .... and smack you in the nose before you can finish saying a one word expletive. Of course, it was one of those light passes on a spot that I saw just AFTER taking off the face shield but the dust hood does do a fair job of catching fine dust.

But the problem began with a blank flying off the lathe. The hood was not to blame. I still wear face protection, even with the hood, which is only there to catch dust, not to protect me.

[dkerfoot]

Yep. The lathe tools finally came in... I know this sounds like a dumb place to start, but I simply took a scrap of untreaded 4x4. center marked it, and turned it into a simple round taper...

That is a great way to start. Even better is to get some freshly cut firewood. But if you can get to where you can leave a nice smooth finish on construction lumber, hardwood will be easy.

It is magic, isn't it? The way the wood peels off in those beautiful streams... Sigh... I am not an "artsy" guy, but I was immediately hooked too.

No dust collector in the world will suck in those piles of shavings, especially if you start working with green wood.

[dbhost]

That is a great way to start. Even better is to get some freshly cut firewood. But if you can get to where you can leave a nice smooth finish on construction lumber, hardwood will be easy.

It is magic, isn't it? The way the wood peels off in those beautiful streams... Sigh... I am not an "artsy" guy, but I was immediately hooked too.

No dust collector in the world will suck in those piles of shavings, especially if you start working with green wood.

I've got a BUNCH of 4-8" diameter stuff in stacks in the back yard from Ike...

I turned a pretty simple tapered spindle out of the 4x4, ended up with a finished diameter of about 2.25" on the fat end, and 1.75" on the narrow end. Nice and smooth... Now to chuck up some of that oak and see what it does...

[BrazosJake]

Too funny, I just had the same experience last night. After finally completing a shop cabinet project, I decided to reward myself with some fun, and setup the Wilton mini-lathe that had been sitting still-packed in a corner for 2 years, along with the HF chisels.

I turned a 2x2 piece of basswood into a fairly good cylinder. I face-joined some scraps of 4/4 ash before turning in, tonight will finally start turning handles for some of my old socket chisels.

My 6-yo son "helped" as I setup the lathe yesterday and asked "can I make round stuff on it too?"