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Speed ....

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woodndesign:

....  Lathe speed, is there a fast/loose rule or just where you're safe and comfortable.

Cheers  David

Philip Greenwood:
It all depends of lots of factors.

I have seen as a guide of 6000 rpm divided by the diameter of the piece your turning taking into account the factors below .

The lathe, skill level, the size of the piece, any faults and the type of wood.

A 6" bowl black would work out at 1000 rpm

A 2" spindle of no more then 8" long could be turned at 3000 rpm any longer the speed would need to be reduced due to flexing.

I don't turn at a set speed for the size I am turning, I set the speed to what gives the best result and the type of timber and any knots in the piece.

Philip

woodndesign:

--- Quote from: Philip Greenwood on April 26, 2013, 04:35:41 PM ---It all depends of lots of factors.

I have seen as a guide of 6000 rpm divided by the diameter of the piece your turning taking into account the factors below .

The lathe, skill level, the size of the piece, any faults and the type of wood.

A 6" bowl black would work out at 1000 rpm

A 2" spindle of no more then 8" long could be turned at 3000 rpm any longer the speed would need to be reduced due to flexing.

I don't turn at a set speed for the size I am turning, I set the speed to what gives the best result and the type of timber and any knots in the piece.

Philip

--- End quote ---

Hi Philip,  I'd opened this as I'd posted in EnErY 'Newbie best way to get' ... what speed Bill used as a consideration to the tear out, as being part of the many elements and Acros reply 'Is it better to have as high a speed as possible' Is it ... hence this as a separate topic for easy location.

Cheers  David

bodrighywood:
I have come across 'macho' turners who seem to think that going slow is for wimps but personally I go at a speed that feels safe. I was roughing out a log of cherry today at 450 as it had bits sticking out all over the place and was off balance. I find that in spindle work I may go up to about 2000 depending on how thin and the length but seldom bother to go higher. It doesn't achieve anything in my experience. Face plate work tends to be slower and depends on size, is it balanced, the wood, some woods cut better at higher speeds and also how detailed the work I am doing. Saying that it is best to go at a safe speed makes sense except that some people seem to have no sense of danger and new turners in particular won't always hear the dangers for example of a split occur or there is a fault in the wood.  Bottom line I would advise new turners to keep it slower rather than fast to begin with and build up speed with experience.

Pete

Andy Coates:
There's only one rule for lathe speed as far as I'm concerned, and sadly it's a difficult rule for novices to follow:

the lathe speed should be consistent with the size & condition of the wood and the comfort & safety of the turner.

Beyond this there are no finite rules; how can there be when we have such a range of conditions of material, experience, tool sharpness and tool control?

Guidance notes are often unhelpful and potentially dangerous, so experience is called for. For a novice this presents something of a dilemma of course, so perhaps another rule might be: turn it as slow as possible and increase speed only when certain it is safe to do so.

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