(Buck, I tried to post to you directly but your fake email address bounced).
Hi Buck,
First of all, your plan to end up with one diameter at 2.5" round when
starting with 2.5" square is a bit ambitious. You might get lucky and end
up 2 3/8" but doubt much if you will get 2.5" round. Okay, normally you
would use a large spindle gouge or roughing gouge and turn the piece to a
cylindar. To make the cylindar as straight as possible, align your tool
rest with the lathe ways by sighting over the top of the tool rest and make
sure it is parallel to the ways. When the piece is getting to round, run
your forefinger against the tool rest while cutting the piece. This acts as
a gage to control depth of cut. Get your cut started and sway your body
(arms are clamped to your sides). Sounds clumsy but it will work.
Now that the piece is round (suggest you do all 4 pieces plus at least one
practice piece at the same time), mark the length of the leg. I would make
the largest end start at the headstock end so you don't have to cut anything
off there. Any drive center mark should be hidden at assembly. At the
small end of the leg, set a pair of machinists calipers to your desired
diameter plus about 1/16". Use your parting tool and cut a groove down to
where the calipers will just slip on. It is safe to do this while the wood
is spinning, just pay attention to what you are doing. (If you don't have
the calipers, use an open end wrench the proper size, just make the groove
wider). You said you have some extra length so turn the small end diameter
about 1/2" or so wide - beyond the marked end of the leg. This will give you
room to start your tapering cut(s). Starting at the large diameter still
remaining down at the foot, start cutting material away toward the smaller
diameter. You can still be using your roughing gouge or large shallow
spindle gouge. You need to visualize the taper and cut away anything that
doesn't belong there. Yep, I know, easy for me to say. The upshot is that
you can't cut anything from the headstock end because it is already
undersize. When you have some length of taper started, turn your tool rest
so it is parallel to the taper. Using your forefinger as before as a guide,
cut away excess material.
In case you aren't real happy with how things are going, you can use a block
plane, placed on top of the piece but skewed at about a 45° angle to also
remove material. Don't extend the blade very far until you experience the
cut a bit. Oh, by the way, you always want to be cutting from the large end
to the small end to keep from chipping out the wood.
When you have it about to size, take a piece of 1 x 2 or such and glue a
piece of 80 grit sandpaper on one wide side. Move the tool rest out of the
way and sand the entire piece, from end to end at one time. Final sand with
120 grit if you are going to paint and a bit finer if you are not.
Remeasure for length and use the parting tool to cut most of the way thru
the piece. Stop the lathe and finish with a small hand saw. There you have
it.

Jim in Ohio

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 19:32:46 -0500, "Jim Pugh" wrote:

(Buck, I tried to post to you directly but your fake email address bounced).
Hi Buck,
First of all, your plan to end up with one diameter at 2.5" round when
starting with 2.5" square is a bit ambitious. You might get lucky and end
up 2 3/8" but doubt much if you will get 2.5" round. Okay, normally you
would use a large spindle gouge or roughing gouge and turn the piece to a
cylindar. To make the cylindar as straight as possible, align your tool
rest with the lathe ways by sighting over the top of the tool rest and make
sure it is parallel to the ways. When the piece is getting to round, run
your forefinger against the tool rest while cutting the piece. This acts as
a gage to control depth of cut. Get your cut started and sway your body
(arms are clamped to your sides). Sounds clumsy but it will work.
Now that the piece is round (suggest you do all 4 pieces plus at least one
practice piece at the same time), mark the length of the leg. I would make
the largest end start at the headstock end so you don't have to cut anything
off there. Any drive center mark should be hidden at assembly. At the
small end of the leg, set a pair of machinists calipers to your desired
diameter plus about 1/16". Use your parting tool and cut a groove down to
where the calipers will just slip on. It is safe to do this while the wood
is spinning, just pay attention to what you are doing. (If you don't have
the calipers, use an open end wrench the proper size, just make the groove
wider). You said you have some extra length so turn the small end diameter
about 1/2" or so wide - beyond the marked end of the leg. This will give you
room to start your tapering cut(s). Starting at the large diameter still
remaining down at the foot, start cutting material away toward the smaller
diameter. You can still be using your roughing gouge or large shallow
spindle gouge. You need to visualize the taper and cut away anything that
doesn't belong there. Yep, I know, easy for me to say. The upshot is that
you can't cut anything from the headstock end because it is already
undersize. When you have some length of taper started, turn your tool rest
so it is parallel to the taper. Using your forefinger as before as a guide,
cut away excess material.
In case you aren't real happy with how things are going, you can use a block
plane, placed on top of the piece but skewed at about a 45° angle to also
remove material. Don't extend the blade very far until you experience the
cut a bit. Oh, by the way, you always want to be cutting from the large end
to the small end to keep from chipping out the wood.
When you have it about to size, take a piece of 1 x 2 or such and glue a
piece of 80 grit sandpaper on one wide side. Move the tool rest out of the
way and sand the entire piece, from end to end at one time. Final sand with
120 grit if you are going to paint and a bit finer if you are not.
Remeasure for length and use the parting tool to cut most of the way thru
the piece. Stop the lathe and finish with a small hand saw. There you have
it.

Jim in Ohio

Jim.. if you were doing it on your old Shopsmith, would you use the tailstock
eccentric?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Mac, no, because your piece would be oval instead of round. That's how
hammer handles and such are turned. Lots of fun.
Jim
"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 19:32:46 -0500, "Jim Pugh"
Jim.. if you were doing it on your old Shopsmith, would you use the
tailstock
eccentric?
Major snip of previous post....

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"Jim Pugh" wrote: Mac, no, because your piece would be oval instead of
round. That's how hammer handles and such are turned. Lots of fun.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jim, please explain. If you're right, the market price of old Shopsmiths
may go way up. G

Leo, the support for the tail center on a ShopSmith will rotate both cw and
ccw - I suppose to line up the tail center with the drive center. Anyway,
moving the tailcenter "offcenter" is the same as moving the piece to a
secondary center. (presuming that the piece was turned round while "on
center").
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"Jim Pugh" wrote: Mac, no, because your piece would be oval instead of
round. That's how hammer handles and such are turned. Lots of fun.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jim, please explain. If you're right, the market price of old Shopsmiths
may go way up. G

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 18:50:53 -0500, "Jim Pugh" wrote:

I always wondered what the hell that eccentric was for.. lol
About the only thing it did for me in over 20 years was to loosen up a tad and
get off center..

Mac, no, because your piece would be oval instead of round. That's how
hammer handles and such are turned. Lots of fun.
Jim
"mac davis" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 19:32:46 -0500, "Jim Pugh"
Jim.. if you were doing it on your old Shopsmith, would you use the
tailstock
eccentric?
Major snip of previous post....

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing




mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 08:23:04 -0500, "Jim Pugh" wrote:

Leo, the support for the tail center on a ShopSmith will rotate both cw and
ccw - I suppose to line up the tail center with the drive center. Anyway,
moving the tailcenter "offcenter" is the same as moving the piece to a
secondary center. (presuming that the piece was turned round while "on
center").
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"Jim Pugh" wrote: Mac, no, because your piece would be oval instead of
round. That's how hammer handles and such are turned. Lots of fun.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jim, please explain. If you're right, the market price of old Shopsmiths
may go way up. G


I think it might be for tapers, too, Jim..
This is off the SS site:

With a full 16-1/2 inch of swing over the ways and 34 inches between centers,
the Shopsmith Lathe can handle large diameter faceplate turnings, as well as
table legs and spindles up to a full 34 inches long. The Tailstock offers a
unique adjustable mounting system for the dead (or live) center that lets you
create professional-looking cabriole-style legs using a technique called “offset
turning”.



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Ah mac, you said the magic word "cabriole". Not the same as a tapered leg
that the original poster asked about.
"mac davis" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 08:23:04 -0500, "Jim Pugh"
wrote:

Leo, the support for the tail center on a ShopSmith will rotate both cw
and
ccw - I suppose to line up the tail center with the drive center. Anyway,
moving the tailcenter "offcenter" is the same as moving the piece to a
secondary center. (presuming that the piece was turned round while "on
center").
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"Jim Pugh" wrote: Mac, no, because your piece would be oval instead of
round. That's how hammer handles and such are turned. Lots of fun.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jim, please explain. If you're right, the market price of old
Shopsmiths
may go way up. G


I think it might be for tapers, too, Jim..
This is off the SS site:

With a full 16-1/2 inch of swing over the ways and 34 inches between
centers,
the Shopsmith Lathe can handle large diameter faceplate turnings, as well
as
table legs and spindles up to a full 34 inches long. The Tailstock offers
a
unique adjustable mounting system for the dead (or live) center that lets
you
create professional-looking cabriole-style legs using a technique called
"offset
turning".



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing