Our March and April wood guild meetings this year were a two-part turning demonstration hosted by our guild member, George. Part one covered safety and wood turning tools with plenty of discussion. For part two, George brought in one of his lathes and turned a live edge bowl.
General Lathe Safety Tips:
The following are some general tips for what to do when turning a bowl on a lathe. Read your lathe’s instruction manual for concrete instructions on how to operate your lathe safely.
• Wear short sleeves and avoid loose clothing in general
• Remove all jewelry (watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces). It is very dangerous to operate a lathe with anything dangling from your person, like watches, headphone strings, and hood strings on a sweatshirt.
•Tie back long hair, always!!
•Wear safety glasses AND a face shield
• Do not reach over the lathe when it is running
Quick Bowl Turning Tips:
• Have a sharpening jig handy for sharpening tools as you go
• Optimal lathe height is the spindle sitting at elbow height or just above, if you have the option to change it. This allows your trailing arm to naturally sit lower, so the tool can be at a 45 degree angle.
• It’s best to cut from the widest parts of the piece to the narrowest.
Woodworkers Guild of Southwest Michigan 
Leave a comment