G'day: Noob turner from New Zealand

Hi, I’m Dougal. I grew up in remote rural Victoria, covered much of the country in my work, and then moved to New Zealand 20+ years ago. I grew up ‘playing’ on an antique ornamental lathe in the shed at home, inherited it when my dad died, assembled it last year during COVID lockdown #1, and have been trying to learn a few basic woodturning skills since then.


I have an awful lot to learn, am currently doing battle with (and losing to) a very old piece of jarrah, but I’m hugely enjoying the journey so far.

This forum looked like a great resource for tapping into a huge collective knowledge and experience. So here I am noob hobbyist turner, keen to learn and improve. Greetings, and thanks in advance.

G'Day & Welcome to the Great Southern Land and to a top forum "Dougal".
There are good few members from The Land of the Long White Cloud and the rest of the world as all are welcomed here.....
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [Work In Progress] photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork..
Cheers from On Top DownUnder, The big island on the western side of the ditch, crowie

Welcome to the forum. Nice to see another Kiwi here. Would be keen to see some pics of the lathe.

Welcome Dougal.

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Originally Posted by Flintlock

Welcome to the forum. Nice to see another Kiwi here. Would be keen to see some pics of the lathe.

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Thanks.

Happy to ... once I come to terms with image handling on the site. Trying to post a 'what wood is this?' enquiry with pictures, but am not getting a lot of love from the forum engine (yet).

That lathe is late 19th - early 20th century and is treadle driven. It's a 5' bed. It has quite a lovely headstock assembly of a sliding spindle design with a chase thread-cutting assembly comprising 7-point stars and a changeable central barrel. There's also a finely indexed brass plate afixed to the spindle drive cone, with a spring steel indexing arm. There's also a beautiful - heavy brass and steel - off-centre chuck assembly.
If you're into old tools you'll find it a thing of beauty. If your a beginner wood turner (me) you will find it a cantankerous education device :-)

I might try and post some images here, to respond to you and to familiarise myself with the forum system.

Also, are you a wood-guru? Like someone I can ask about my rather unusual unidentified wood?

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Originally Posted by Flintlock

Would be keen to see some pics of the lathe.

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I'll try a few replies with an image each. Maybe that will work.
Here's an early shot in the reassembly process - March 2020. It shows the base: legs; treadle assembly; and bed, and the tailstock.
More to follow I hope.

Attachment 505085

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Originally Posted by Flintlock

Would be keen to see some pics of the lathe

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This is a composite image page of the headstock. I have so much associated stuff it's a mini-museum, so I won't spam with heaps more images.
I will try one more, of the off-centre assembly, and be done with it.
:cool:

Attachment 505086

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Originally Posted by Flintlock

Would be keen to see some pics of the lathe.

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Awright, third and final image effort. The eccentric chuck assembly.

Attachment 505087

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Originally Posted by crowie

You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.

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That does already appear to be the case. Thanks, I'm pleased to have found this forum.

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Originally Posted by crowie

Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [Work In Progress] photos with build notes.

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Hmmm, yeah one say, soon (tm). My work so far is not worth showing-off. When it is, or when I'm after 'help me' advice, I'll not shy away from posting it.

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Originally Posted by crowie

Enjoy the forum.

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So far, so good. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by crowie

Enjoy your woodwork.

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Absolutely. My main expertise so far is turning perfectly proper pieces of wood into piles and piles of dust and shavings for my cat to nest in.

I am working on some box making at the moment, including trying to learn hand thread chasing for some of the box lids. As I mentioned I inherited quite an antique lathe and a bundle of associated tools ... including several full sets of wood turning hand thread chasing tools. I've turned a pair of plum handles for a couple and am trying different wood types as I work on the skillz.

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Originally Posted by crowie

Cheers from On Top DownUnder, The big island on the western side of the ditch, crowie

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'On top'? Are you Darwin? I'd'a' thought 'crowie' would place you nearer Adelaide.

All the same, it's great to also have all you West Islanders to help with my remedial wood turning development :-)

Fantastic pictures, thanks. And no, I'm not a wood guru!

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Originally Posted by DXW

That does already appear to be the case. Thanks, I'm pleased to have found this forum.



Hmmm, yeah one say, soon (tm). My work so far is not worth showing-off. When it is, or when I'm after 'help me' advice, I'll not shy away from posting it.



So far, so good. Thanks.



Absolutely. My main expertise so far is turning perfectly proper pieces of wood into piles and piles of dust and shavings for my cat to nest in.

I am working on some box making at the moment, including trying to learn hand thread chasing for some of the box lids. As I mentioned I inherited quite an antique lathe and a bundle of associated tools ... including several full sets of wood turning hand thread chasing tools. I've turned a pair of plum handles for a couple and am trying different wood types as I work on the skillz.



'On top'? Are you Darwin? I'd'a' thought 'crowie' would place you nearer Adelaide.

All the same, it's great to also have all you West Islanders to help with my remedial wood turning development :-)

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I’m a born and breed Banana Bender not a Crow Eater!

Downunder is always ON TOP!

NOTE: All and any woodwork is worthy of display!!!

Welcome to the forum Dougal. Beautiful country you are living in now especially the South Island.
To post multiple photos click on the Go Advanced button when in the reply screen and then there is another button down below to Manage Attachments which allows you to post more than one at a time.

Thanks. The problems I was having were linked to the file sizes of my images. Once I hit them with a 50% transform they started to behave themselves.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum