Hi,
Long post - chaptered for skimming...
--Prelude--
I'd like to thank everyone for their help recently with turning bottle
stoppers. It turned into a big production, as I swapped motors on the lathe
(the old one overheated easily and had to cool for an hour after about an
hour of intermittent use). The new motor turned in the reverse direction
the old one did. This meant it needed to be right where the support for the
shelf the lathe was mounted to was. I figured if I was going to go to the
trouble of remounting the shelf, then I might as well move the shop to the
larger room in the basement (which I had planned on doing) first, so I
didn't have to do it again. I got half moved, then realized I didn't want
the lathe on the only studded wall in the new room (1 studded in wall, 2
cement and one "fictional", future wall). So I used that as an excuse
(along with a good deal on MDF shelf "seconds") to build a 2x5xcomfy-height
lathe bench. It's much sturdier than the shelf and doesn't turn the wall
into a huge speaker. I also blocked it up so I can actually slide the
tailstock/tool rest when there's a couple grains of sawdust under the lathe.
--False Starts--
Anywho, I tried a bunch of different approaches suggested by various
wreckers. The main hurdle was how to turn/finish the stoppers without a
chuck. Someone suggested a screw chuck. I tried making one out of a stiff
piece of metal mounted to the face place with a bolt in the middle. I
couldn't get the bugger exactly centered. As a result the hole in the work
enlarged and sent the piece flying. I tried mounting a block of wood to the
face place and putting a piece of dowel between the work and the block but
the first dowel broke (too thin) and the second wouldn't stay, even with
water as someone suggested. So I got frustrated and just turned them
between centers, figuring I'd come up with a way to finish them (I just
wanted to turn _something_). The first piece had a crack from too much
force with the tailstock dead center. I got a catch on the second and half
the piece hit my safety glasses. I turned an itty bitty shape anyway, for
much-needed practice. The third turned out okay, though I still didn't have
a clue how to finish it. With each piece I practiced with the tools, esp
the skew and tried different sandpaper grits. I also actually spent some
time learning how to sharpen and got those beautiful, long shavings that I
hadn't gotten since my father in law first sharpened my roughing gouge. I
felt like I learned a lot from the whole experience, but still had nothing
to show for it all.
--Results--
Then I remembered someone in the first thread brought up turning the dowel
from the workpiece. When I regained my sight after being blinded by the
obvious, I went back out to the woodpile and cut a log, then cut it in half
lengthwise with a buck saw (no chainsaw -- too big for 3 wheel bandsaw). I
turned the log into a bottle stopper with a dowel protruding toward the
headstock and turned it down as far as I possibly could, plus a little bit
more, at the tailstock. It bounced off my safety glasses and under the
bench. When I found it I cut the dowel to length and chucked it in the
drill to finish the small bit at the top. I put a coat of poly on it and
started another. I forgot to tighten the tailstock set screw and change the
pulleys from max to min speed, but I did remember to stand off to the side
as I flicked the switch. It missed my safety glasses. I tried again, and
turned it nicely to where I just had to cut the dowel and tip. Then I took
a bit more off the tip. I caught the piece after it bounced off the
toolrest. It made a nice 1/8" deep x 1/2" gash in the almost completely
sanded top. I cut it, chucked it in the drill, sanded the top from
"cheesegrater" down to "baby's bum" grits and put a coat of poly on it. So
I've got 2 stoppers and will likely turn one more before xmas. And maybe
make a box to put them in if I have time.
--Lessons (remember, I'm a newb)--
A chuck and 12" tool rest would make life easier.
You never have enough tools and the ones you have are too
thick/thin/short/long to get where you want to go
I'd like to experiment with dyes and/or stains to give the wood a bit of
character (2 pieces had spalting but both were screw ups)
The grind on a roughing gouge should be slightly concave, not convex.
Once you mess up a tool's profile it's a PITA to get it back. Wishing a
tool to cool down quickly between grinds does not prevent bluing.
A face shield might be a good investment.
Put dust mask on _before_ the coughing fit starts.
Swearing is really, really satisfying
A picture is worth 1000 words, so imagine how long this post would have been
without these: :O)
http://www.glassgiant.com/misc_gallery-album/imgid/186
http://www.glassgiant.com/misc_gallery-album/imgid/187
Shawn
--
Shawn Wilson
http://www.GlassGiant.com