I'll definitely try loosening the tailstock. Any other recommendations
for a better wood than oak?

On 26 Jan, 12:39, "George" wrote:
"dave_ipswich" wrote in ooglegroups.com...



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.Couple of things to begin with. Make sure you're not flexing the piece at
the outset with too much pressure from the tailstock. If a live center,
snug and then back off an eighth of a turn or so, keeping the point an cup
engaged.

Watch your cutting angle. Depending on the tool used, you'll want to cut
high on the piece with a skew, lower with a gouge, where the tool provides a
bit of clearance by its shape. I tend to wrap the steadying hand around
under when using a skew, behind on a gouge or chisel.

Then there's the problem of the differential density in oak to overcome.
Makes a non-flexible wheel on the steady more of a liability than a help
sometimes. Keep the tool firm to the rest and skim the chatter off in
stages if you must. Trying to steady a cut on a bouncing bevel won't work.