Getting Started in Woodturning - 7

OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES

Finally, let's mention a few non-essential but very useful options and accessories.

1) Chuck - Some may be surprised that I did not list a chuck in the "essentials" section. Chucks are a very useful item for both spindle and bowl turning but they are not necessarily "needed". Nearly every lathe sold today comes with a face plate which performs much the same purpose (i.e. holding your work piece). Still, most turners who use a chuck will tell you they don't know how they got along without it. Count me in that camp.

There are a variety of "chucks" available on the market but the main type you will need for woodturning is a four-jaw scroll chuck.

This is one area where you want to invest in good quality. Why? Your chuck is the only thing keeping your work piece from becoming a ballistic missile. Don't settle for the cheapest chuck available.

Teknatool (Nova), Oneway, and Vicmarc are three of the top manufacturers of quality woodturning chucks. Use them as your yardstick by which to measure others.

2) Sharpening jig - Sharpening jigs, such as the Oneway Wolverine, are very useful to new turners, particularly those new to sharpening on a grinder. Jigs provide quick set up and repeatability. They can also save you from ruining a good tool as you learn to sharpen.

3) Buffing - Buffing systems, such as the Beall Woodbuffing System, can make an impressive difference in your finished product. They use cloth wheels loaded with various compounds to produce a high polish finish to your work.

Systems generally come in two flavors: 1) a "3-on-1" with three wheels on a single mandrel; and, 2) a single wheel system with three separate wheels, one for each compound. My advice would be to opt for the single wheel system unless you plan to do nothing but pens. The wheel spacing on the typical 3-on-1 is too narrow to manage bowls and/or larger objects.

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