Hi,

I'm a recent convert to woodturning and trying to turn some replacement
balusters for my 110 year old originals. They are 34" long and about
1/2" diameter at the thinnest points, turned from 1 1/4" square stock.

Whip is a bit of an issue. I thought I could improve things by using
oak rather than the original pine and whip is still a big issue. The
surface finish looks rather like a turtle's shell - the tool is
scooping out wood unevenly as the wood vibrates.

I thought I could cure the problem with a centre steady rest so I
slapped down the cash for a robert sorby steady with three steel
rollers and it's even worse. When I turn the lathe on there's a lot of
noise - I presume that the problem is that the wood I'm steadying isn't
perfectly round - because I had to rough it to circular unsupported.
The result is that the wood is now vibrating from contact with the
steady before I touch it with the gouge.

Depression is starting to set in - any hints on how to proceed would be
much appreciated.

Dave
Ipswich, UK