Lathe speed

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mdwilliams999

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Glenville, NY
I am new to pen turning and having a lot of fun with it, but looking for some tips. I have a basic variable speed lathe - I believe it max's out at 3200 RPM. Is there any rules of thumb regarding the use of different speeds and its use?
For example:
Does a faster speed work for certain woods or is a "medium" speed better in most cases?
I'm using a CA finish, and thinking that a higher speed may harden the CA faster than a slower speed, but not sure?
Does a faster speed result in more wood tear-out, or is a dull chisel most likely the cause? I am having this problem on various woods.
 
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My lathe has a belt that you can switch to three different wheels to get three different speed ranges. I usually turn on the middle wheels. The ranges overlap some, I think the middle is something like 1400-2500, maybe a little higher.
That being said, I start rounding at the lower and then turn up high for the skew and sanding/finishing.
In my experience, dull chisels are more often the case for tear-outs, but I have had trouble with some woods (zebrawood in particular) tearing out even with sharp chisels. High speeds can be very aggressive, so the tear-outs would probably be worse at higher speeds.
Good luck!!
 
Higher speed will fling the CA around much faster! I slow down to 1400 or so to sand and apply finishes. If your wood blanks are tearing out, your tools are dull. With sharp tools, speed will be your friend.
 
I turn, sand and finish at high speed. I confirm your speculation about high speed causing the CA to set faster and harder. I almost never use accelerator when applying CA because pressure and speed harden, burnish and cure the CA quickly. You do have to be concerned drops of CA being flung out from the spinning lathe, but I've never experienced that problem.
 
I should have mentioned this advice is only for small items such as pens. The bigger the piece of wood (or out of balance) you start at slower speeds. If you were doing a bowl you would start at the slowest speed your lathe has and increase speed as you are comfortable.
 
Thanks to all of your insight. Like anything we all have our own unique experiences that may work well for us while others experienced less that adequate results. My take away is to keep my chisels sharp, turn a higher speeds and sanding and finish may be better at say medium speed.
 
When working with some woods, you should use slower speeds when sanding, especially if you have a heavy hand and build up heat when sanding.

CA at your own risk when using higher speeds. I suggest eye protection.
 
Carbide likes speed --

Generally "cutting air" works better at higher speeds.

Out of balance likes lower speeds and care in holding the tools to not take too large a cut.

Do not go any faster than you feel comfortable -- make sure you have tail stock support if at all possible when turning things other than pens, and wear a face shield.

Use fresh clean abrasives for each sanding -- worn out 220 is not 400 grit paper. Wash your abranet and micromesh often. I use the sink and dishsoap but a mesh bag in the dishwasher top shelf is easy and we wash dishes more than we do laundry. I wash the fine grit abrasives to clear the swarf and also to wash away any larger grit that may have stuck. If your abrasives are clean and sharp, you can sand at higher speeds without over heating the surface of the wood.
 
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