Woodturning Projects With Forest + Found

Woodturning projects with Forest + Found

I have been using the AT350WL for over a year now and I am still really impressed with its power, versatility, and capabilities. I wanted to turn three projects on the lathe that are useful everyday items; whilst also demonstrating the different kinds of work that can be produced on such a portable system.

I really liked the idea of woodturning a plate, a bowl, and a cup. Things I know I would enjoy using every day and give me pleasure to make. They are all made from the same, British grown, olive ash tree. All of which were offcuts from a furniture maker friend.

The tools I am going to be using for these projects are: the Crown Cryo M42 Turning Tool Set, the Axminster SK114 Chuck, Axminster Screw Chuck, a Crown Cryo M42 Razor Edge 1/2" Bowl Gouge, and, of course, the AT350WL Trade Woodturning Lathe with supplied faceplate and tail-stock drive centre.

Project one - Turning a beaded plate

After getting the plate blank mounted to the faceplate and on the lathe, I changed the belt speed to the middle pulley. This gave a range between 170-1700 rpm. Even though the blank was warped and out of round, I was able to get the lathe up to a decent speed with very minimal vibration. Allowing me to get the blank trued up and into a round. The power and torque on the middle pulley position was more than adequate for making heavy cuts to remove waste quickly. It did everything I asked of it without getting bogged down or stalling. At the top end of this belt position, turning at 1700rpm, I was able to make very delicate cuts. Adding a bead to the rim of the plate, with no vibrations or tool chatter. Using the SK114 chuck gave me peace of mind that even though the jaws were only gripping onto a 1/4" tenon, it was solid and secure with absolutely no movement. Finally adjusting the belt to its highest position, and sanding the plate, starting at 80 grit and working up to a final finish of 320.

I then wiped the surface down ready to apply three coats of hard wax top oil.

Project two - Turning an olive ash bowl

For this project, I set the lathe to its lowest belt position. This gave me maximum torque for roughing out and removing waste material quickly. Again the sturdiness of the lathe impressed me; the workpiece was a little over 8 inches in diameter and quite out of round. I was able to get the speed up to 700rpm with no visible wobble or vibrations. Using the M42 Crown roughing gouge I trued up the bowl blank and started refining the outside profile of the bowl. Once I had turned the outside, I reversed the workpiece and gripped it in the SK114 chuck which works really nicely on the AT350WL. The fact that it's one of Axminster's Trade lathes means it comes with a larger M33 thread on the headstock. This is the same as my larger Jet lathe meaning I can use the relevant accessories across both machines.

Hollowing the bowl was exceptionally smooth with lots of power. Especially when making heavy cuts and rock solid stability for refining and finishing cuts. Finally, I adjusted the belt to its highest position and sanded the bowl; starting at 80 grit and working up to a final finish of 320 grit. I finished the bowl off by wiping the surface down ready to apply three coats of hard wax top oil.

Project three - Turning an olive ash cup

Here I started out with the lathe set to its middle belt position. This allowed me to get the workpiece spinning at around 1200 rpm to remove the waste material.

The M42 roughing gouge holds its razor sharp edge amazingly well. I actually did all of the shaping work with the roughing gouge and it gave a beautifully crisp finish. Hollowing the work, I first set the depth and the wall thickness the M42 parting tool, then starting to hollow the cup with the bowl gouge. Again the power of the lathe was great, allowing me to hollow out the cup quickly with powerful confident cuts; whilst then being able to go in with the spindle gouge to refine the rim and remove the tenon from the bottom of the cup. Finally adjusting the belt to its highest position, and sanding the cup, starting at 80 grit and working up to a final finish of 320. To finish my cup I wiped the surface down ready to apply three coats of hard wax top oil.

A roundup!

Working on smaller woodturning projects is something I always enjoy, but not something I have time for all that often. My normal work is usually much larger scale vessels and bowls. So to take the time and work on a much smaller project has been really enjoyable.

Discover more

We hope you have enjoyed reading about what woodturning projects Max has been busy making. If you want to learn more about Max and the work both him and Abigail do, why not read this recent Meet The Maker. Or if you would like to know more the AT350WL Woodturning Lathe and find out what Max thought to the machine then read his in-depth review.