11 Wood Turning Tips I Didn't Learn Watching YouTube

I've watched a whole heck of a lot of YouTube videos to learn how to wood turn. Here are some awesome tips I had to learn on my own.

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[mattedwards]

I have had a lathe and have turn about as much as one man can in 60 years. I knew when I started to watch your video that I would have several things you missed and know all the things you showed. I was wrong! Some of your suggestion have never crossed my mind? Good video and anyone whether they are starting up or have been into turning many years should watch it.

[raytreherne]

Straight forward common sense, great video for the newbies

[mikew]

Great tips thanks. I'm in UK and same here....local clubs full of seasoned turners, pattern makers and tool makers with decades of experience. Use it, learn from it and they love passing on their wisdom. Some will provide lessons at very sensible prices and you'll learn so fast with 121 high level tuition.
One tip I was given was only to buy tools made in Sheffield England (like your roughing gouge) or some (and I'm not sure which) from USA...avoid anything from the far east. I'm sure Japanese tools will be some of the best but clearly a number of cheap Chinese etc not worth the time.
I also eventually bought a forced air helmet thing and it is great. Ear defenders are vital as well esp with extraction going.
In UK we advocate never wearing gloves or sleeves below the elbow unless really elasticated onto the wrist....YouTube is full of people wearing gloves and sleeved shirts. Think what a chuck and piece of wood spinning at 1200rpm will do to your hand when it grabs your glove or sleeve and drags them good.

[jolox.]

Thanks for the informational video! I'm a little new to this, but this is very helpful! The comments section is also full of good tips!

[bullfrogpondshop]

I'll second that about the dust mask being useless. I bought a Trend Airshield Pro, and I love it. First time using it, I was literally covered in wood chips but not a single whiff of sawdust. Worth every penny!

[kevingeaney]

I've been turning a dozen years and I agree with everything you say. The 3M air shield might be a little expensive but it saved me about €10, 000 in facial reconstruction. 😮

[josephchlewicki]

Sir, Your video was Spot On…it’s the folks Like You - that help Compliment all these Tutorials!
Thankyou - Sincerely for taking the time to film this.
And Yep - I learned a few more tips - because of You !

[philipguarino]

Well done, to the point, informative, and a pleasant presentation. Thank you, Phil

[SouthDakotaBowHunter]

Everything you said is spot on especially with small bowls I make small jewelry boxes and very little room for error

[AndrewMoizer]

This is a great list. Glad the ‘algorithm’ suggested it to me.

[paulhedman]

All of your tips are right on the money and presented in a very concise manor. Thanks. I've been at this for around forty years now and am one of the old guys. In my case and most others, finding a club is very high on the list. Meeting and talking with other turners will open up the joy of turning to anyone. As a group there are very few jerks in the turning community and most people are happy to share tips and insight.
If there isn't a club in your area the American Association of Woodturners is the best organization to join with online content and a journal that comes out several times a year chock full of great info and how too stuff. It's a good idea for those in clubs to join this also.

[TController]

Excellent mixture of valuable information & knowledge. I’m a new subscriber, thank you!

[armusb]

These tips are very true. I would recommend someone start out with spindle turning instead of a bowl. Best thing I ever did was find the local Club. Everything you said about them is true. I'm the youngest guy there but it's been a wealth of information. Another fun fact people need to know is on most chucks if you remove the wood you cannot put it back in the chuck and have it be perfectly true. It works on Vicmarc which are amazing Chuck's but Nova Chucks will not fit exactly right if you take it out even one time.

[robohippy]

Actually, there is one chuck with no numbers on it, the Easy Chuck. Interesting chuck, but none of the jaws are the same as my Vicmark chucks. I did wear out 2 of the David Ellsworth signature swept back gouges, and don't use them at all any more. While they are a tool that will do a lot of things very well, the specialty tools, the 40/40 and a BOB (bottom of bowl) gouge work better. #1 safety rule for me is to stand out of the line of fire.

[christopherh]

All excellent tips. I too had to learn these on my own. I also bought my 3M PAPR system on Ebay for a bargain. I don't use the battery & blower. I use a HVLP blower and tubing connected to the helmet tubing since I stay in the same area while turning and get much better flow. I would suggest using a piece of paraffin wax rubbed on the bed ways and other sliding surfaces. But I use bees wax on the headstock spindle threads. I only use paste wax when doing a major cleaning because the paraffin is so quick, and I have lots of surfaces I can hit in seconds with a piece of paraffin wax. I joined a turning club several years after I started, but cannot overstate how important it is to join a club.

[jimputnam]

Thanks for putting this out there for those of us trying to find our way in this journey!!

[daviddavies]

Thank you for your plane honesty Brother✊🏽‼️

[peltona]

Love the no BS high paced, info with a little humor tossed in. I started like you did and now need to look at my chuck jaws. Always more to learn. Subscribed and good on you for starting this channel. I've got the same Revo 1216 you have and also use the RS roughing gouge as my "go to". Nice website too. Hope things work out well for you.

[kenvasko]

Nicely done. There are many more I never heard. Finishes can be put on top of each other; thinned shellac makes a great base coat. Food safe means different things to people. There is nothing wrong with scraping; it has been used successfully for many, many years. Standing trees have never read the rules on safety; even easy ones can present dangers when felling. Bandsaws are very dusty buggers. Clean the floor around your lathe frequently for safety reasons and to help find the chip or piece of bark you want to glue back into the piece. Woodturning is expensive and worth every penny of it. Thanks, great video. It made me think and laugh.

[WillMoody-crmstorm]

Great tips and inpspired me to start looking for a lathe. Loved it, and liked it. Thank you