Speed ....

[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]

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

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.

[woodndesign]

Thank you all so far, for some we have pe-sets with 3, 4, 5 and more in range change speeds, more turners today have VS and wider ranges, even then some do and some don't have a speed display or only read correctly in one range so it can come down to guesswork on speed.

It's down to just safe and comfortable.

 Cheers

[arcos]

Thanks David

I think that this is a great thread.

I stick with what I feel comfortable with, particularly when roughing!

1500rpm - 2000rpm is about the max I feel comfortable with ONCE I have a rounded, balanced piece.

For applying a finish I occasionally go higher but thats it

[Eric Harvey]

I personaly turn the lathe speed down as far as it will go,on my old lathe that was 500rpm and to fast for alot of big old lumps of out of shape wood,on the new one I`ll turn it down to 50rpm until I think its safe to turn the revs up,ie; when its round enough not to be to out of balance,and when turning bowl,I nevr turn up much over 600rpm,or lower if its a big one,spindle work if its balanced I`ll start at 1500rpm going up to 3000rpm depending on the thickness and length,the thicker or longer they are,means slowing right down.for miniature spindle work its 3000-3200rpm then you can finnish straight off the skew chisel with no sanding,just my personal way of doing it,its what you feel safest doing that counts,regards,

Eric.

[thebowlerhattedturner]

I suppose as the H&S rep I should comment. Lathe speed, in my opinion,should be the speed that you are comfortable with and is safe. That comfort and safety is brought about by knowledge and experience.(and common sense) The knowledge is earned by hours on the lathe and the experience is gained minute by minute and mistake by mistake. Once you have gained the knowledge through experience you will become more comfortable with the speeds you choose.
       Always work cautious and think what may happen before you turn on the machine.
Regards
John BHT