Ask Me a Question

Posted on February 26, 2008

How cool is this!

You can click on this button and leave me a woodturning question.

I will answer it on this blog ……

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The Mothers Day Music Box

Posted on February 18, 2008

I decided to take on another modeling and turning challenge and I started on the “Mothers Day” Project.

This turning project will feature a multi-piece music box made from Redwood Burl.

Inspired by the book “Masterful Woodturning” (ISBN 0-8069-8709-X). I decided to combine woodturning and music boxes.

Design goals for the Music Box project:

Box with a removable lid
Made from a burl
Music box hidden inside
Animation
Wind the music box without opening top
Pleasing shape

This is a unique challenge because I wanted to make the top rotate with the power of the music box as well as using it to wind the mechanism.

This meant that the box would be multiple pieces that would need to fit together with relatively tight tolerances.
Click to see model

To buy the book on modeling go to page two of the store !

» Filed Under Hollow Forms | 2 Comments

New “Woodturning with Sketchup” Blog

Posted on February 18, 2008

Join the growing group of users that have bought “Woodturning with SketchUp” and are discovering the benefits of using Google’s free sketching software to model their woodturning projects.

Just like the “Beehive Model” you will find that modeling your ideas on a computer can save time, wood and result in a better design.

The finished beehive illustrates how a difficult design challenge can be modeled and then turned with realistic proportions.

To minimize confusion I will highlight the woodturning for projects on this blog and the modeling on “Computer Modeling of Woodturning”.

Watch for the “Mothers Day Project”………….

Want to get started modeling, check out these resources:

The “Computer Modeling of Woodturning” blog.
The tutorial video, available on UTube “Woodturning with SketchUp”.
Or go directly to the store and buy your copy now!

Not all turners are interested in computer modeling, therefore I have created a separate Turnedoutright blog on the subject so a not to annoy users of this blog that are uninterested in modeling.

If you are interested in keeping current with computer modeling techniques go to “Computer Modeling of Woodturning” and subscribe to its feed.

» Filed Under Models | 1 Comment

Two new tools.

Posted on February 6, 2008

I discovered two new tools. One is purchased and one is shop-made.

Bedan Gauge: When I was turning a flute I needed to turn a cylinder very straight along a 24″ tube.I remembered seeing a jig attached to a Bedan that did this and decided to build my own. I won’t belabor this post with intimate details I think the pictures are self explanatory. The materials all came from HD’s metal bin. BTW the Bedan was also shop-made. Making this tool will require a small welder.

Shinto Rasp:While watching a Utube video on turning finials the craftsman used a Shinto Rasp to rough shape the piece. I had to have one and have so far found it to be an invaluable tool. The cutting surface is made from a matrix of what look like hack saw blades. The blade has two sides, smooth and course and can be easily flipped for use.This tool will seriously remove some material and surprisingly leave the surface smoother than you would imagine.

Donnie Don’t forget to visit the store where you will find some interesting books on wood turning!

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Vacuum Adapter

Posted on January 30, 2008

Some lathes (like the Stubby) have cross drilled main shafts and this makes the use of vacuum adapters a challenge. I decided to make an adapter for my stubby this weekend. The adapter detailed below can be made from standard hardware store items, except for the double sealed bearing which you can get from Master Carr in a few days.

I modified a design from the Fall Issue of Wood turning Design. The main design modifications consisted of the addition of a vacuum shaft and MT2 seal.The modified design assembly is shown to the right with individual parts detailed below.
Rotating adapter:made from standard 1/4 MIP inch threaded pipe, air fittings and a double sealed bearing. The right angle adapter is fitted with a nipple that is CA’d into the bearing and the other end is fitted with a standard air fitting. The fittings are Watts brass pipe fittings from Home Depots plumbing section and the bearing is 6384K49 from Master Carr.The 1/4 MIP x Close nipple [A-740, Watts] was mounted in a 3 jaw chuck and the threads turned to the ID of the bearing.One end of the nipple was then threaded into a FIP elbow [Watts A-727] and the other was then glued with CA into the bearing.The bearing assembly is pressed into the mortise in the outer hand wheel adapter after inserting the bearing seal. The bearing is secured with 3 screws that capture the outer ridge of the bearing and press it against the seal. The bearing could be epoxied into the mortise eliminating the seal and screws but I wanted to make the bearing replaceable.
Bearing seal: made from non-slip shelf material. I got mine from Albertsons grocery store. It is a soft neoprene like material used to line shelves. You can also use neoprene PN9109K62 from Master Carr for any of these seals.
Hand wheel adapter (outer): made from MDF turned on waste block and a mortise that fit the bearing was turned on center with a 3/8 center drilled hole. The diameter of the hand wheel adapter should match your lathes hand wheel.
Hand wheel seal (inner): made from non-slip shelf material. You could eliminate this seal and just glue the two sections of MDF together. I wanted to be able to get to the Tnut (PN90975A059 from Master Carr) inside the assy if necessary.
Hand wheel adapter (inner): made from MDF turned on a waste block and bored with a 3/8 inch hole and a 1”x1/8 deep countersink on its inside surface. A Tnut is installed on center on the inner surface. This nut will receive the vacuum shaft when it is inserted through the headstock. I installed the Tnut on the lathe using a 3/8 all thread to get it centered in the 3/8 hole. I re-tapped the thread in the Tnut to match the 1/8 IP pipe thread (which amazingly was in my tap set). Note: the Tnut must be countersunk below the surface so that the two halves of the hand wheel adapter can be fit together without interference.
Hand wheel seal outer (outer): made from non-slip shelf material. The seal is glued to the outer surface with contact cement. This seal will be pulled tight against the hand wheel when in operation.
Vacuum shaft: to deliver the vacuum to the vacuum chuck this is a 1/8 IP “all thread lamp pipe” from HD PN70270 [Westinghouse] which is close to 3/8 inches in diameter. I installed a 3/8 diameter clear hose on the shaft to help prevent scratching the MT2 tapir when the vacuum shaft is installed in the headstock. I used a 30 inch all thread pipe and cut it to the size of my headstock.
MT2 Seal: the seal in the head stock taper is made from a #2 neoprene plug from Lowe’s [Hillman 13/16 x 5/8 x1] . Freeze the plug (that will make it hard for drilling) and then drill it with a Jacob chuck while it is jammed in the headstock. The MT2 seal is inserted on the shaft and secured with 1/8 IP lamp rod bolts and washers [Westinghouse, Home Depot PN70172]..

In operation the vacuum shaft with the MT2 seal installed is pressed into the MT2 taper. While holding the shaft the hand wheel adapter is screwed onto the other end of the shaft until it is tight on the lathes hand wheel. Attach the vacuum hose to the rotating adapter and screw on the hand wheel adapter. Plug the vacuum shaft and check for leaks. Don’t be surprised if it really sucks

Don’t forget to visit the store where you will find some interesting books on wood turning!

» Filed Under Stubby, Tools | 1 Comment

Polymer Clay Segment & Inlay

Posted on January 22, 2008

Over the holidays I experimented with a new turning material “Polymer Clay”. I was familiar with this materials use in crafts and I also saw a few pens made from it. Since that time I have been wanting to experiment with it for use as a substitute for finials, inlays and borders in turned pieces.

Polymer clay is a clay that at room temperature is soft and pliable. It is hardened by cooking it at 275 degrees for 30 minutes per 1/4 inch (Premo brand). When it is hardened correctly (which I have found to be a bit unpredictable) it turns easily, somewhat like acrylic. Many different effects are possible. In this case I used extruded polymer clay hearts, embedded in a black base clay as the decorative segment in the Madrone hollow form.

Donny

First knead black clay and then roll it to a consistent thickness between a couple of 1/4 thick slats.
Then a slice of 4″ black pipe was used as a cookie cutter to make a more or less round disk.
Use previously extruded and baked heart shaped strips. Cut them to lengths about equal to the radius.
Push the heart strips into the clay in a radial pattern. Insure there are no voids. Bake this disk at 275 degrees for 30min.
Make a jam chuck with a tenon in the middle that matches the same size hole drilled in the disk.
Mount the disk on the jam chuck with hot melt glue and turn the face flat.
Flip it over and turn the alternate surface flat.
Trim the edge with a skew.
The disk is now ready to laminate in the turning.
I glued this disk between the sections of a turned Madrone form, then hollowed it.

Visit the store for books on wood turning techniques, software and plans.

» Filed Under Hollow Forms, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The bowl goes to college

Posted on January 15, 2008

The bowl that I turned this weekend is already in use in my daughters dorm.

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Travel Mug

Posted on January 13, 2008

The winter issue of American Woodturner featured the turning of a travel mug. I bought a mug insert some time ago from WoodCraft and it was sitting on my project bench waiting for motivation. Since I needed a Christmas gift for a friend and I wanted to try turning a staved vessel using fixed angle router bits, I set about planning this project.

Using SketchUp I modeled the stave angles and dimensions to insure the wall thickness accounted for the taper in the mug insert. If you want a copy of the model register and leave a comment at the end of this post.

I started by making a SketchUp model of the mugs form to get all the angles correct and insure that I accounted for the mugs taper. The mug is larger at the top than the bottom and it is important that there is enough wall material to allow a taper to be turned without cutting through the walls. The model allowed me to create and fit the stave’s just like the real thing. I followed with a real prototype, making a cross sectional glue up by cutting and routing one stave and then slicing it into small sections. This step verified that my cutting and routing setup would produce closed glue lines.

Summary:

The project required an interesting mix of wood turning and woodworking skills. The router method of creating angles yielded perfect glue lines but was a bit challenging to set up. I don’t know if this is easier than setting up a sled on the table saw or not. The technique for rolling the glue up on wax paper outlined in American Woodturner works much better than my manual method. The metal mug inserts are not all exactly round and the dimensions (especially the lip) vary slightly so don’t expect to make these in batches. Each insert needs to be turned with its own hollow form.

I was very satisfied with the outcome!

The detailed turning process is below.

Donnie

I set up the saw to cut the stave’s accurately by using a accurately cut template to set the fence. Precision is critical to get a good glue-up of the stave’s.
After making a sanding sled I put the stave’s through the thickness sander to insure that they were all uniform size and finish.
Next I set up the router with my 22.5 degree bit and routed the two angles. The setup of the router height was critical. It took a number of passes with scrap wood to get it right. Make sure you use a feather board to hold the stave consistently up against the bit. The key is to get the top of the bit to line up and cut exactly at the top of the stave.
The form was then glued up with Gorilla glue and a couple of pipe clamps. Use wax paper under the clamps and on work surfaces to make clean up easier. Wear latex gloves to keep from having to remove skin to clean up your hands. Don’t forget to wet the mating surfaces before you apply the glue. Polyurethane glues bond better with moisture. After an overnight wait the clamps are removed and the form is mounted between cone centers, then turned round.
The plug was made from a piece of oak that was glued to a waste block and turned to size in a separate step. The glue block was left on the plug and served as a mating surface for the tail stock live center. After drying overnight the pugs waste block was parted off leaving a closed end that was ready to re-chuck for hollowing. I used a cone center to align the mug and then tightened the chuck.
The hollowing process is one of trial and error to get the insert to fit . I used a hook tool and termite tool, both worked well. I made a template that matched the OD of the insert and used that to get the basic internal shape, depth and taper.
Then the insert was fitted by hand.Wipe chalk on the mug insert, push it into the form and rotate. Pull it out and look for the chalk that was transfered to the inner wall, then cut those areas back. I got this tip from American Woodturners article.
Part off excess material until the form is the correct length. Then cut a rabbit at the edge of the form to receive the lip of the insert. Once the lip and the inner profile is cut install the insert and bring up the tail stock with the cone center installed. Cut the outer profile of the mug with the insert installed, this method insures that the outer profile exactly matches the inserts lip. Mark the orientation of the insert in the form so that you can get it back exactly in the same place. I found that every insert is slightly different and not always perfectly round.
I applied the finish while the piece was on the lathe. Then, using my shop made laser depth finder I checked the location of the bottom so that I would not go through it when I parted it from the lathe.
The completed hollowed form looks like this. I finished it with several coats of satin polyurethane so that it could withstand spills and cleaning.Note: instructions for turning this mug are also available from Woodcraft. I found that both the techniques from this set of instructions and the article in American Woodturner were helpful.

» Filed Under Hollow Forms, Instruments | 7 Comments

Measuring Lathe Misalignment

Posted on January 13, 2008

I noticed while turning this holiday that my tail and headstock were out of alignment. I noticed it while drilling a piece with a Jacobs Chuck in the tail stock. The bit seemed to struggle finding the center and that caused me to investigate.

I don’t know what the formal technique for measuring this misalignment is but here is what I came up with. It uses standard shop tools and materials. Nothing fancy!

Donnie

This is a picture of the misalignment.The vertical is out of alignment and the horizontal is nearly perfect.
Cut a 2×3 inch piece of Plexiglas with square sides (the slide) and hold it between the tail and headstock centers . We will mark each side of the glass and use its transparency to measure the error. I hold the slide by hand lock the tail stock down and then using the quill drive the centers into the plastic making a mark on both sides.
Mark the holes made by the centers with a Sharpie by scribbling over it and then wiping it off, leaving the indent highlighted. Hold the slide up to the light and with a knife and small square scribe a line (on one side) through the center of each mark.
Now using a caliper measure the distance between the two lines.

» Filed Under Tools | 1 Comment

Stubby tailstock lift

Posted on January 9, 2008

Over the holidays I updated and completed a number of jigs in my shop.

Band saw fence
Drill press fence
Table saw sled

But the most fun was the face lift that I did to my stubby!

I’ll admit I went a bit crazy but hey it seems to work really well.

These modifications require close alignment to the lathe, so if you plan to add one to your lathe be prepared to do some custom fitting.

I used this setup all weekend and it seems to work great, time will tell if I decide to keep it!

Enjoy the videos below first they are silly but show how easy the lift operates!

Click on these videos to see the magic!

Drawers: top drawer doubles as tool storage during turning. Insert keep shavings out of drawer.
Loading the lift
Lowering the lift, note the use of your foot on the pivot arm to control decent and lift.
The lift in the “stow” position
The lift in the “unload” position
The lift drag can be adjusted with the pivot wrench. This wrench is also used to easily remove the pivot arm in the event it is in the way. I suspect it may interfering with some hollowing tool setups.