Woodturning by Geiger 2008

Don's first lathe was a Grizzly 14" X 40". He found out very quickly that since his interests were primarily in turning what starts off as large irregular objects he needed a larger and heavier lathe and one that starts slowly. The Grizzly's minimum starting speed is 550 rpm and when an irregular piece of wood spins at that speed on a light lathe, the lathe will walk across the shop floor. It's hard to turn while doing the Two-Step with your lathe!

While attending a symposium at Arrowmont, John Jordan introduced Don to the Omega Stubby 750. This "heart throb" of a lathe arrived at his shop in February 2001. The Stubby weighs about 800 lbs., has infinite speed control (no more dancing!), and can accommodate wood up to 30" in diameter. Although these features can be found in many lathes, Don says that the overall quality of the Stubby plus the many features that enhance flexibility is what impressed him to buy one. Don has the complete package including a P-tool rest and a steady rest. He and some friends "mobilized" the 800+ pound Stubby so he can take it on the road in his enclosed trailer for demonstrations and other turning events.

Don's favorite tool is the "Ellsworth Signature" bowl gouge. Don has been quoted as saying: "If I were allowed only one tool, the Ellsworth Signature gouge would be it."

He's obviously been allowed more because he has seven of them! Keeping tools sharp is paramount. Don uses a slightly modified Wolverine jig support under his bench grinder and the Ellsworth side-grinding jig to sharpen his bowl gouges. This is a set-up and skill that everyone needs to be really successful in sharpening their bowl gouges.

Don recently bought a Jet mini lathe too. It's a nice machine, but it seems almost like a pocket tool compared to the Stubby.

When collecting wood, Don uses a Stihl ML 44 with a 28" bar. It's got the power and the bar length to cut most of the wood found around north central Florida. Once the wood is brought to the shop he uses a Laguna 18SE band saw to dimension the turning blanks. The SE has a 16" cutting height and a 5 hp motor and never slows down when dimensioning logs. Don loves to turn fresh green wood, but when he knows he can't get to it immediately, he seals the ends with paraffin. This slows down the drying of the wood and minimizes cracking.

Don also turns hollow forms. He primarily uses the hand-held Ellsworth hollowing tools. If the vessel is too deep for the hand-held tools he has some home-made versions of the Jamieson style of P-tool. Most woodturners run into needs that can be fulfilled quickly by making their own tools and jigs.

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