Well, I'll jump in about now and bring up the subject of safety and health. Be darned sure that you are careful with the use of the lathe ... it can grab you and really get you good. There have been many pictures posted here on the Forum to show what happens when one is careless/tired/unsure/etc.
Your health is important. Many of our favorite woods are reasonably benign when admired, BUT, start turning them and their dust can - and is - quite often something you just don't want to breath. Again, use caution and always use more than adequate ventilation and dust control.
Sharp tools are a must. Just like it has already been stated above. Be sure to take the time to sharpen your tools properly. A few minutes at your sharpener is worth hours in the long run. A 'scary sharp' skew used properly will definitely cut your finishing time way down. A dull tool will catch your wood and ruin all your efforts.
Be comfortable at the lathe. Don't wear loose fitting clothing as it can get caught and cause you much suffering. Just use an over abundance of good sense when working with all power tools. Like Norm always says, "There isn't anything more important than wearing these safety glasses." ALWAYS wear eye/face protection as your eyes are more important to you than most other body parts. Cuts and scrapes will heal, eventually, but the eyes just don't seem to always recover. Besides all this preaching ... It just is easier to take an extra second to protect yourself than it is to take days or weeks or months to get healed. It also is quite a bit less expensive to be careful.
Respect your equipment and know and understand how it works prior to getting in front of it and throwing the switch. All of us here on the Forum have done crazy stuff and many wear the scars of battle from our mistakes, some more so than others. Safety, knowledge, education, understanding are all key words to remember when using any piece of equipment.
I like to ask anyone that comes into my meager shop and wants to make something to be sure that they have a plan in mind and have all the steps worked out prior to starting a project. Sure, plans change but at least they don't have to be made up as the work progresses. Shop time is good relaxing work, but it also is fun ... otherwise we wouldn't be where we are today as many of these good folks here show with their finished projects.
OK, someone else get on the soapbox and 'preach' a bit. I gotta go turn something expensive and big into worthless and even more expensive sawdust. But first I gotta take a little bit of time and sharpen my tools a bit.
