Hi guys -
Pretty new to the shop and I’ve mostly focused on welding so far. I don’t have any real woodworking experience.
I have some 3x3 rectangular wood blanks that I’d like to turn into ~2.25" dowels.
Any chance someone might be willing to help me through the process at some point at the shop? Happy to meet/stop by anytime if someone would be around, and I’m happy to buy/bring any tools I might need, but I’d feel too intimidated to try the lathe without a helping eye/hand.
Or, if there’s a class I didn’t see that makes more sense to take that could help me through it, happy to do that too!
@David teaches the intro to the wood lathe classes. @CLeininger also has taught lathe classes, and also does mentorship lessons in a one-on-one setting, which might be appropriate given your specific needs.
I’d be happy to help. How long will the dowels be? How precise does the diameter need to be along its length?
David and I will be adding more Intro to Wood Lathe classes shortly. The class covers how to safely use the wood lathe and basic turning techniques. It doesn’t necessarily focus on your exact project but would teach you enough fundamentals to make the dowels.
Alternatively, my Woodshop Mentor Series would be a good fit if this is more of a one off project and you don’t plan on doing more woodturning, and/or if you need the dowels done sooner than Intro class availability. Sessions are scheduled directly with me.
Welcome @bwaldman! Just to make sure it’s clear, the wood lathes do require a class before you are clear to use them. You’ll find classes in the “Woodworking” section on the classes page – asmbly.org/classes. But like @CLeininger mentioned, if this is a one-off and you don’t plan to use the lathes more, his mentor series is a great option.
Just to clarify: I love the idea of the 1:1 mentor lesson which we can do sooner. But sounds like that means I couldn’t come back afterwards and use the lathe / re-do what I learned? I’d like to learn how but then be able to do more on my own.
The only lathe class I see on the schedule is Sunday but it’s full - so if there’s any way of doing 1:1 or something sooner, I would certainly love to do that and happy to pay for it!
If I just need to be patient and wait for an open class to appear on the schedule, I understand and will just start checking!
(Charles to answer your questions: length I’d like to be roughly 5.75" - but the stock is longer than that; precision: not that precise; I’ve also wondered about maybe using a forstner(?) bit and the lathe to make wooden tubes of different thicknesses out of some of the dowels- but again this is less of a one-off and more of me wanting to gain ability/experience so I can do more things in this vein for some projects I’m thinking about).
