have managed at least to get myself a wood lathe to try my hand at turning cork grips for fly rods.
Question I have is what speed should I set the lathe?

Philip

Mine is set at 1850 rpms, however you have to find a speed that works for you. I know some that like to use the 3000 rpm range and it works for them. I'd start at 1800 rpm and then try the faster speeds to find one that works best for you.

I agree with mark. i do it by feel now, but you need to see what works best for you and the material you are working with.

The larger the piece, the lower the speed. The smaller the piece, the higher the speed. RPMs have to be considered against the FPM (feet per minute). A 5 inch diameter piece spinning at 1500RPM puts a lot more FPM past the tool cutting edge than does a 2 inch diameter piece spinning at the same 1500RPM.

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It also depends upon the material your using and the method of shaping. Cork where you use primarily sand paper turns slower than wood with a chisel for example.

Phil,
If I am using natural cork in a typical size of about 1 inch, I will have the lathe turning at top speed of about 3600 rpm.
If I am using larger Pisces and am working them down, I start with about the slowest speed or under 1000 rpm, and gradually speed up as the work piece gets smaller, or the work piece gets closer to its final finish.
If I am working acrylic, I turn very slowly, or I will melt the acrylic due to high temperatures being generated at high lathe speed.

But, as the others have suggested. Start slowly, and if you want, gradually speed up, until you are going too fast and then slow it back down to where you are comfortable.

Good turning.
Roger

Since my lathe is variable speed, i generally turn between 1000 and 1450, whether it be wood,cork or acrylic