Turning synthetics, G10, micarta on a wood lathe?

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

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Aug 6, 2007
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Has anyone ever turned the common synthetic handle materials on a wood lathe? I have some of that jade g10 and some micarta I would like to try. The idea of chips not so much dust (like from the grinder) is appealing.
 
You'll have chips AND dust!
I'm sure it can be done, but you'll probably have to make your own chisels, and go real slow.
 
Sam I've turned my share of Micarta and its hell on tools. Would be interesting to hear
exactly what G10 or carbon fiber will do to tools. Angle grinder 24grit disc against
rotation while the lathe is running- wear a very good respirator.
Ken.
 
Sam I turned a dagger handle out of white paper micarta years ago when I was a teenager on my grandpa's shopsmith , came out nice. Biggest things I learned was sharp tools and watch the heat, just like hardwoods. I ended up with bunch of small cracks on the ball end (cutting across the grain+heat) Wish I had a pic to show but it does work. I got to turning ribbins and ribbons off that block so another suggestion is to trim it down a bit on the bandsaw before you put it in the lathe saves alot of time and effort. And man you can really get a good finish and shine when turning.
Chris
 
I've turned green canvas micarta on a wood lathe before, to make 1/4" pins out of scrap. It actually went well. I had to go slow and use a pretty light cut, but I did use Craftsmen lathe chisels (sharpened a couple times during this job), and after a light finish pass with the skew, got a decent finish. I maybe could have gone at it harder, but the little lathe I was using would power out or slip, and the chisels probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. Your wood lathe looks a little stouter than mine.
 
I've tried some reinforced phenolic type stuff before and could not make it work on the same lathe, had to use a machine lathe with a hawk bill shaped tool. Had to keep the feed real slow, but don't remember the speed or the material, its been a long time.


-Xander
 
I know almost zero about turning, but I do know that G10 is vicious on hacksaw blades (dulls 'em fast) and scorches in a very ugly, deep way if you grind it too aggressively. So I would advise caution, low speeds, shallow passes and purpose-built, highly-wear-resistant tooling.
 
I've turned Delrin, aluminium, and brass on a wood lathe with HSS hand tools. Like everyone else has said...sharp tools, light cuts, and careful turning practices with the bevel rubbing where possible. If the G10 proves too abrasive, you may want to adapt or make a tool to hold a carbide insert.
 
Dangit, I knew I should have grabbed that handful of diamond shaped carbides for 50 cents each. I'll try it and let you guys know.
 
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