George,
It also helps to bring up the tailstock until you have the nut roughed out.
Tony Manella
ndd1"at"prolog.net (remove "at")
http://home.ptd.net/~ndd1/
Lehigh Valley Woodturners

"george" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I am not quite even a novice turner. I've bought a lathe, had one lesson,
and I'm playing. I've successfully made a couple of very small vases,
1-2" tall.

Now I'm trying to work with a tagua nut following the instructions in the
article in the FWW compilation, Lathes and Turning Techniques, and which
was originally published in the July 1990 FWW. The article suggests
sanding down flat one end of the nut and gluing it to a 1" dowel with
Super Glue. I've tried this with old glue, new glue, waiting an hour, or
clamping it overnight. In all cases, the glue joint has failed as I begin
trying to rough the nut into round, no matter how gently I try to work
with the gouge.

All further suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

George