Hi, Y'all From Central Texas

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schreiber

schreiber

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Hey, y'all. I'm Jon from just outside of Austin.

I'm a brand new pen turner, so new in fact, that I'm still in the thinking about it stage. :wink: I've been studying up on what I'll need to get started.

I've been looking at the Jet 1014vsi lathe. Its price is attractive and amazon will ship it for free, looks like. Part of a small lathe's attractive price, however, would be (I imagine) that it comes supplied with just the most minimal gear required to turn something. I reckon I'll need decent aftermarket headstock and tailstock chucks at least. If anyone can point me in the right direction there, I'd be most grateful. Obviously I'll need cutters as well, so if anyone can mention a good line of good (but relatively inexpensive) high speed steel (this is what I want, right?) ones, then that'd be great too.

One of my dreams is to make a really fine silver overlay fountain pen. I play around with PMC (precious metal clay) some, so maybe the two hobbies can be combined.

I was sent here by a pen turner from Fountain Pen Network yesterday, and since then have been gobbling up info at this finer-than-frog-hair site.

That's about it for now. Thanks for looking, and best regards,
Jon
 
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seamus7227

seamus7227

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schreiber

schreiber

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Greater Austin, Texas
Thanks for the warm welcome, all; I appreciate it.

Seamus, thanks for those; it's always good to have a list of site-approved vendors. I generally go with those at any site I'm a member of.
Thanks, Mannie; I'll check you out when I get up and running!
 
seamus7227

seamus7227

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I forgot to mention Mannie, at WoodenWonders TX! He sells some great CA, best price for the quantity, compare against Hobby Lobby 1 oz @$5.00(or others selling it) , his prices just cant be beat! I also use his CA on my Quarter Blanks
 
its_virgil

its_virgil

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Welcome from Wiciita Falls just down the street and around the corner from Seamus. Check with your local woodcraft store for a penturning class but don't buy all of the stuff they say you'll need. There is an article in the library for helping beginners decide what they will need to get started.

The Central Texas woodturners club would be a fine group to join. They have ome excellent turners and several of them make pens also and they will be glad to show you how to det started: Central Texas Woodturners Association | A local chapter of AAW serving Central Texas woodturners. Meetings are the 3rd Tuesday at 7 pm.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
MesquiteMan

MesquiteMan

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If you would like to drive down to San Marcos some time, I will give you some lessons on penturning for absolutely free. Just let me know if you are interested. Welcome, by the way!
 
schreiber

schreiber

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Greater Austin, Texas
I'm overwhelmed! Thanks, y'all.
Mossy, I'm in large part from Scots heritage myself. Even related to Sir Wm. Wallace, I understand. The gene pool has been watered down in the intervening years, though, I'm afraid. :rolleyes:

Checking out CTWA; thanks, Don. I try to avoid the city, but their location is a pretty easy drive for me.

Curtis, I'm thinking I'll take you up on that, thanks. You look familiar. Ever hang out at the Humidor? I worked around the corner from there for 16 years.
 
schreiber

schreiber

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Thanks, all y'all. Much appreciated.

OldGrumpy said:
beck3906 said:
Welcome.

And according to a billboard just outside Pflugerville, Austin is SEC Country. :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Careful or you will be Hooked by some Mighty Longhorns who the last time I looked we're chasing A & M to the SEC!
Click to expand...

I went to SWTSU (now Texas State). I just stand back a ways and chuckle at that rivalry while cheering both the Horns & the Aggies. Funny thing is, by wife (now a Texan) went to OSU. :headsmack:
 
schreiber

schreiber

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Thanks. :)

Well, in doing my homework I'm torn between the Delta 46-460 and the less expensive (and less feature rich) Jet 1014vsi I mentioned earlier.

I've read great reviews about Jet's customer service and Delta's machine being awesome. The Jet gets great reviews too, but it is a less capable machine for doing larger turning projects.

Looks like the thing to do now is stop by HEB (it's a Texas thing), get a jar of vaseline and head on over to Woodcrafter. Get a hands-on, look-see thing going. Kidding, in a way. Yeah I have to pay tax, but you can bet I'll open it and inspect it before it leaves the store with me. That's worth a lot.

A lot of the negatives I've read about either of these machines have to do with shipping damage woes. The above eliminates that.

Again, thanks much. I imagine y'all'll hear about it when I get a machine. :D
 
alamocdc

alamocdc

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San Antonio, Texas, USA.
schreiber said:
Thanks. :)

Well, in doing my homework I'm torn between the Delta 46-460 and the less expensive (and less feature rich) Jet 1014vsi I mentioned earlier.

I've read great reviews about Jet's customer service and Delta's machine being awesome. The Jet gets great reviews too, but it is a less capable machine for doing larger turning projects.

Looks like the thing to do now is stop by HEB (it's a Texas thing), get a jar of vaseline and head on over to Woodcrafter. Get a hands-on, look-see thing going. Kidding, in a way. Yeah I have to pay tax, but you can bet I'll open it and inspect it before it leaves the store with me. That's worth a lot.

A lot of the negatives I've read about either of these machines have to do with shipping damage woes. The above eliminates that.

Again, thanks much. I imagine y'all'll hear about it when I get a machine. :D
Click to expand...

Jon, I will share this with you. I learned the hard way. After my 3rd lathe upgrade (there have been 4), my mentor at the time (a master turner named Judy Ditmer) told me that the lathe to buy first is always the best you can afford. Many a turner has started with pen sized, mini or midi lathes only to become disheartened by the limitations of what they can turn on them. If you have any thoughts toward bowls, platters and the like, you might want to consider a slightly larger lathe.

On the other hand, if you feel confident that you will stay small in your turning scale, then go with the Delta. It will afford you the opportunity to turn items a little larger, and you will really like being able to reverse the Delta when sanding. The reverse alone would make it worth it for me.

Oh, and should you be interested, Amazon is offering free shipping on the Delta for $679. I'm not sure what they run elsewhere.
 
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D

dbledsoe

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Brandon, MS
Jon - I was in your same position six months ago, and I bought the Jet lathe. It is a really nice piece of equipment - but - I am now thinking seriously about getting a metal lathe and if I were doing it over I would start with one of those. As far as I can tell, you can do anything on a metal lathe that you can do on a wood lathe, and much more. Yes, they cost more, but they don't cost as much as a wood lathe and a metal lathe combined, and you may well end up with both. Having both ain't a bad thing, just more money. Read about all the things these experienced turners do, because one day you will be experienced, too. Buy the best you can get, allowing for the things you may want to do in the future.
Welcome from a Texan expat. I lived in Dallas for 30 years before moving to Mississippi. I still wear cowboy boots.
 
its_virgil

its_virgil

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...and a penturning meeting Friday night. Also, there will be a hands on penturning area....blanks and supplies furnished...just but a kit. Sierras and slimlines. I know the guy that will be running it and he will help with the penturning, if needed.

Also, I was told once: you can turn little things on a big lathe but not big things on a little lathe. My Powermatic 3520B gets lots of pen turning time. Have you considered the Jet 1220 or the Jet 1642?

Maybe we will see you at SWAT: Southwest Association Turners: Welcome

Do a good turn daily!
Don

lsweeney said:
you may want to think about coming up to WACO on the 24-26 to SWAT at the WACO convention center. Be about 800 woodturners there with loads to learn.
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schreiber

schreiber

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Greater Austin, Texas
So, Billy, it looks like the Delta is the least you would consider. I'm starting to lean towards that opinion myself. The Jet's price is nice, but I think I might feel its limitations in a short time. Money's a little tight, but I can swing the Delta. I saw the Delta at amazon; I also saw reviews there concerning shipping damage. So it's $20 more bought locally, and there's tax, but if anything blows up I should be able to carry it back to the store instead of the expense of shipping it back. I'll check out Woodcraft's customer service policies.


Mr. Bledsoe, I had my eye on those small metal lathes they used to sell at Tractor Supply. Wonder if they still sell them? I'll check. The idea of being able to fabricate metal parts IS attractive. And metal pen bodies...

Just bought a new pair of Lucchese boots last week. Always wanted a pair of them!


Thanks guys, for the welcomes from Miss-hippy and Minnie-soota. :D
 
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