Making a block of wood round for a lathe?

Hi,
What tool would I use to round a block of wood so I can use it on a woodturning lathe? I know I can use a knive and then sand it but that would take forever. Isn't there any quick accurate tool to round a block of wood?

You really don't need to have it completely round. That is what the lathe is for.

Simply use a saw to cut off the corners to make an octagon and work from there. A simple 45 degree jig can be made from scrap wood to work on either a bandsaw or tablesaw depending on the original size of the block and what tools you have available. Even just getting it 'close enough' with a handsaw will work.

[squbrigg]

Try a hatchett. Small hand axe, take the edges off the four square corners and just keep taking off edges as they appear, until you get the basic shape you want. Doesn't have to be perfectly round, the lathe will do that for you when you start turning.

Good luck and have fun. Please be careful with the lathe, it's a power toll, and they all can be dangerous when first used. Better yet, find a turner or a turning club and spend some time with them. Even check out your local high school or community college and see if a night course is offered.

Bob

[Kenny_S]

A Draw Knife works wonders on rounding a square block of wood.

[bcarvings]

Hi,
I don't have a lathe yet, but any suggestions on what kind to get? I will use it for making legs to chairs, and tables. Also I have logs of wood, could they be easily turned perfectly round? Isn't there something else to use besides a simple hand gauge for getting a block of wod perfectly round? Do most lathe carvers. Thank you

What kind of lathe to buy? I have a Grizzly and it's o.k., but not a fine tuned machine. Fit and finish leave a bit to be desired, but the price was right and it works for the limited amount of turning I do. Best advice I can give you is plan on getting the biggest machine you have room and budget for then, do some serious shopping. You can make real tiny stuff on a huge lathe, but you can't make big stuff on a little one.

Yes logs can be turned perfectly round, but you are better off splitting them and turning the split sections. That will get rid of the pith (soft part in the center of the log) and the innermost rings of sap wood. Those parts tend to deteriorate over time. You also need to beware of checks and splits. In short, your better off buying good wood to start with.

As for making a block perfectly round - I never worried about it when doing a turning and if I'm doing a carving I just get it kinda round and don't worry about it then either. The only time I can remember worring about the arc of a curve was when adjusting the bulge and roll on the face of wooden golf clubs; and then I used, as you say, a simple hand gauge.

Do most carvers use lathes? Can't say.