A bad set of tools will make you hate turning, but you don’t need the $600 set of tools, either. A High Speed Steel set will do well for learning, and if you also get a standard Stanley wood chisel, you won’t regret it. I think this is the one I started with: PSI Woodworking LCHSS8 Wood Lathe 8pc HSS Chisel Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KI8CTS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_6KJTYJT1H2XJ8J50BJ40?psc=1
You can sharpen with a belt sander but I use a grittier grit; but a dremel tool and decent stone works better until you get a proper setup
Hey there welcome to wand smithing. Let me take a crack at answering some of your questions.
If you just can’t get that then you can try slow smooth strokes with a sharp knife held at 90 degrees to the wood. This should give you a fairly smooth surface to work with.
Some suggestions for the handle are burn the handle end slightly to bring out the grain. Or add vinegar and some steel wool to a jar then stain the handle end with the dye you just made.
In my experience there is no best wood to turn into a wand. For me I just avoid woods with a large pith and dry woods usually work better then fresh. Fresh cut wood has a tendency to crack as it dries out.
The thing to remember on stick length is it is damn hard to add wood after you have carved it off. So if you want a wand to end up at say ten inches start with at least 1-2 inches on either side of the end product. If you are looking to make wands to fit in the world of a certain wizard with a scared forehead those should usually be between 9” and 14”.
While a knife and a steady hand are all you truly need, if you can convince them that you could use a rotary tool (Dremel) to do some work around the house then you are in business.
Imagination usually does the trick for me.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
It can be because of the sharpness, but this would definitely be your main issue. Wands are one of the hardest objects to turn on a lathe, so you're definitely jumping into the deep end by starting with them. I learned that lesson the hard way too. I would highly recommend a test piece, turn something much shorter, and much thicker and get a good feel for which angles and speeds work for which part of the process. I don't know what speed you're turning at, but skipping can also come from the lathe not turning fast enough, or too much tension on the chucks. As the wood gets thinner it needs less compression, otherwise it will start to warp.
I would highly recommend the Easy Wood Tools Chisels. They're well worth the investment, especially because you're paying to not have to sharpen anymore. The high carbide edges are replicable, and they last from 6-12 months before you need to buy new ones that cost around $10. They're invaluable for me, who hates sharpening chisels.
Lots of people have given great advice! My two cents to throw in would be that when they talk about the toxicity of Yew they're mostly talking about the needles, the seeds of the berries, and the other live, green parts of the plant. The dry wood doesn't contain all that much, and it's only dangerous when turned to dust. Touching the wood is perfectly safe. Just don't make anything food safe with it, not because touching food for even a second will poison it, but prolonged contact will leech the toxins into the food.
We've been making tools with Yew for thousands of years! If constant contact was a problem we'd know about it by now. It's the favourite timber for longbows, and was used to great effect in the middle ages. It can also be used as tool handles, check out the yew and copper axe used by Ötzi the iceman. He was the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3400 and 3100 BCE. And among the things found on his body were an axe, made of yew.
For further reading I highly recommendYew (Botanical) By Fred Hageneder It's an awesome book. You should also check out r/YEW!
FACE SHIELD! They're about $15 at harbor freight right now. Its an improved design over their old yellow ones.
The lathe tools from harbor freight have 2 price tiers
~$20 = ok starter set but kinda crummy steel that dulls quickly
~$70 = much better steel dulls slower. I have these, and they're fine.
If you own an angle grinder ($20 or less from harbor freight) you can make your own carbide tools (the bit holders at least) for very little money. A set of carbide cutting tips in various shapes can be bought on Amazon
here
Theres a handful of YouTube tutorials if you search for "diy lathe tools"
You'll also need a thread tap (low quality available again, at harbor freight)
As far as turning on that harbor freight lathe is concerned, the only real drawback i can see is that it doesn't offer many lower, or variable speeds. Turning a wand is what is called "spindle Turning" and its usually done at high-er speeds compared to bowls. So, itll serve you fine.
I believe it will be easy to outgrow that lathe, but you can use it for other stuff if you choose to upgrade later.
Feel free to message me any other questions you may have. I got really into woodturning about 6 months ago and I'd be happy to help/mentor you in any way I can.
These make beautiful wand boxes once you line the inside with some fabric. They also come in a few colors. But at $18/box they aren’t cheap.
They are excellent for a special gift, but maybe not for bulk gift giving.
Someone went through this exact thing when they made a replica “Advanced Potion Making” book and started selling copies. They were told to stop by WB because it used names and potions specifically from the HP world. They had a chat and once he had removed all of the HP specific reference (like “half blood prince” and “Felix Falicis”) he can now sell it. Actually just found it on amazon.
It’ll work, but will give it a very plastic feel. Which is great if that’s what you’re going for, but on a more natural wand I’d recommend getting some Howard’s Feed n Wax from Amazon or your local big box hardware store. It brings out some of the natural color in the wood and doesn’t make it look/feel plastic.
Sorry I wasn’t exactly sure what you meant but I’m assuming your looking for this https://www.amazon.com/Wizardology-Book-Secrets-Merlin-Ologies/dp/0763628956 I bought the book a good 12-13 years ago at Barnes and nobles
I'm having a lot of fun using the lathe but definitely need more practice with the circular and diamond tipped carbide tools. I'm thinking I need to put my tool rest at an angle whilst using them as leaving it straight isn't giving good effects unless it's a straight line with the diamond shaped tip lol. I did also buy a plastic center finder tool from Amazon. Super useful for finding the center on dowels, but also works with squares, and octagon shaped wood. Worth the $7 if anyone is reading this and having issues finding the center on their pieces. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0758TGV2G/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_F8N8J152SZPBBW3GB32K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Below is what I have, but don’t worry about manufacturer. What I would recommend is a 4 jaw chuck that you can get pin Jaws for.
Just my 2¢: I wouldn’t get the mini chisels (and I don’t prefer the carbide); that chuck will do but you’ll want some jaws specifically for spindles; and I don’t like the diamond burrs on a dremel for wood work as much as I like the cutter heads like these: YXGOOD 10 Pieces Tungsten Carbide Double Cut Rotary Burr Set with 3 mm (1/8 Inch) Shank and 6 mm (1/4 Inch) Head Size (Style 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXURLTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0BRJ0Z9KQDBDZWMK41WB
I have this set, and love them for making wands.
It's a knife :) really nice for carving https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079YSTHLN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_18MN2FXE22R60QVFACKR The whole thing is one piece of oak, the handle portion is stained with ebony stain, I like how dark it stays in small scratches left behind from high grit sanding after some rough grit sanding
Phoenix feather or dragon heartstring? Dragons don’t have feathers. Pheasant feathers, especially from a Golden Pheasant, work well for Phoenix feathers and can work for thunderbird too.
Any snake bone, or in a pinch a fish bone, could work for sea serpent spine.
If you ever need unicorn hair, these work really well
That's called a glass dip pen, and they can be found on etsy, ebay, and amazon https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Borosilicate-Signature-Calligraphy-Decorations/dp/B08S6LR1T9/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=glass+dip+pen&qid=1615435726&sr=8-8
You could also do a search for chandelier crystals, which come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Good luck, I hope this helps! Please share your wand when it is made :-)
The big ones are, but I got this set (after going through exactly what you did with the HF tools) and it’s night and day! Turning really became a joy and I could focus on what I wanted to make instead of just trying to get the tool to cut anything:
Easy Wood Tools COMBO= Easy Start Rougher+Finisher+Detailer! Items 9520+9620+9720.Wood Turning https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FKXZY6M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W9V65NZSD3EHY0005CV4
I got this set of carbide tools after struggling hard with the cheap tools from HF (don’t get me wrong, I love the lathe, but the tools were a nightmare) and really enjoy turning with them! They are smaller (and cheaper) than the big carbide tools for bowls and whatnot, though you can make a bowl with them too.
And, GET A FACE SHIELD!!! This is what I’ve got. It’s very comfortable and you can adjust it to fit over ear protectors if you want. I don’t use the ear protection for the lathe, but do for saws.
Ha! I was saving it! I’ll post it later, but here’s the listing they got it from:
The main problem with this one is that it has a maximum reach of not quite 13” So beyond that I either have to calculate or do some guessing.
Yep, something like these would be cool too:
TAI DIAN Mix 7 Colors Mini Glass Bottles Chili Shape Cute Bottles with Cork Little Bottles Gift Tiny Jars Vials 7 pcs/lot https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076SHF97X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_EE.8Fb53NY672
Seal them with Parafin.
The Harbor Freight 10x18 is a great lathe! It's what I, and many others here, use. You can get on their mailing list and get 10-20% off coupons which helps bring the $260 price down more. Just STAY AWAY from the harbor freight skews/chisels. They are a nightmare to keep sharp and drain all of the joy out of the hobby. These cost $160, but bring the joy back to turning!
I've hit up Woodcraft both online and in store as well as these off Amazon.
I love my Harbor Freight 10x18! Just do NOT get their basic lathe chisels, they are impossible to keep sharp. I like these tools a lot.
I have these and really enjoy them.
Whatever you do, stay away from the super cheap tools! Harbor freight makes a fine lathe, but the cheap tools suck! I had no end of problems with my early wands and figured it was just lack of experience, but when I got the above tools it was amazing how much better they cut. It turned an annoyance into an enjoyable experience.
I know one other turner here who got a set that also enjoys them.
Another benefit of the carbide is that you don’t have to buy sharpening equipment. When they eventually get dull, you rotate the bit and keep going, when all of the sides are dull you can replace the bit.
Hope this helps! What lathe are you looking at?
If you're curious, here are some books on the subject of occult wandlore and wand making.
https://www.amazon.com/Wandlore-Crafting-Ultimate-Magical-Tool-ebook/dp/B0073XF0YS
I'd also recommend looking at examples of occult wands; some people include metals, crystals, dried herbs, consecrate them in incense, etc. etc. I'm pretty sure those two books cover that subject however. :)
Doe anyone use a foot pedal cut of switch on their lathe? I was thinking that it might be a nice added layer of safety in case a blank breaks, or something gets caught and is flapping around, all you have to do is lift your foot and the lathe turns off. I don't know about other lathes, but mine from HF has a very small switch that isn't the easiest to hit if there was an emergency.