Help with steady rest on baluster
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 |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Dave
How new are you to turning? 34" long with a 1/2" diameter anywhere near the middle, is tricky turn. There can be lots of vibration. First get some practice pieces to "waste." To use a steady rest on a piece like this you need to rough down to a smooth circle in the cneter of the piece. If you are using 1 1/4" stock, aim for a 1 1/8" circle, not 1/2". Never mind what the actual diameter is dupposed to be at center, turn to the largest diameter you can for the steady rest. Then work the tail stock end. move the steady rest down a bit to a finished diameter and turn the head stock end. Practice, practice, practice. Hope this helps. -- God bless and safe turning Darrell Feltmate Truro, NS Canada www.aroundthewoods.com "dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.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. Dave Ipswich, UK |
Help with steady rest on baluster
110 years ago your spindles were turned were probably turned in less than 10
minutes each, on a foot-powered lathe without a steady rest. Humbling, isn't it? Things to try: Slow your speed way down. 700 rpm is plenty, less if you can get it. At this speed, a good surface can only come from a super-sharp tool. Have you checked that the steady rest is holding the spindle exactly on center? If not, it'll only make things worse. Gouges will also make this situation worse, because they have more bevel that has to rub. Skew chisels will give you a better cut. Even with a steady rest, you'll have to support the cut with your leading hand/fingers curling around the spindle as you cut it. Start at the middle of the spindle and work towards both ends. The idea is always to leave as much support as possible, for as long as possible. Once you turn a section 3"-6" long, sand it and leave it... at this length/thickness, you can't go back (sometimes even to sand) without chatter. Try a different wood. Oak, with its hard/soft layers, is very hard to turn into long, thin spindles, and doesn't respond well to steady rests of your type. And if that coarse grain isn't perfectly aligned with the axis of the spindle, it'll be pretty weak too. I'm not sure if you can get poplar in the UK, but that's what I'd try, at least for practice. If not, any medium-hard wood without pronounced grain will do. Practice, practice, practice on some boring wood, at what seems like ridiculously slow speeds, always supporting your cut with your leading hand, trying to make the longest, thinnest spindle that you can. Spindles that are 24" long or longer and 1/8" (yes, you read that right) in diameter, complete with lots of elements, are absolutely do-able without a steady rest. This is the graduate-school, rocket-science of woodturning. And once you master it, everything else in life is a piece of cake. Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI "dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.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. Dave Ipswich, UK |
Help with steady rest on baluster
"dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.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. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Hi Dave, Please don't turn if you are taking any anti depressants or
mood elevating beverages for your incipient depression. :) It may not matter with balusters, but with very thin long rods, goblets, etc. driving the blank with a chuck instead of a spur seems to help prevent bowing. probably by compressing longitudinal fibers. You've gotten some much better tips, but since you have already bought the Sorby steady rest you might like to make a 'turtle' to use with it. Nothing more than a short piece of black iron pipe, say 2 in. length X 2 in. diam. Drill and thread 3 holes around the circumference for three 3/8 or so bolts to bear against the middle of the wood blank. Adjust the bolts to center the blank in the pipe and lock the bolts with two nuts each. Then let the Sorby rollers ride on the round pipe avoiding the bolt heads. Turn an adjacent section of the blank to round, remove the turtle and use the steady while completing the baluster. Hope my description isn't too confusing. Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
Help with steady rest on baluster
I did a bit at school 30 years ago. I bought a cheap nasty lathe at the
beginning of November, spent most of November learning to sharpen tools and building jigs. I did a two day course at the beginning of December, joined a club at the beginning of January, sold the cheap nasty lathe and bought a Nova DVR XP in the middle of January. It's a clearly a bit of an obsession but I'm enjoying it very much. I'm turning down to the largest possible diameter for the steady but I wonder if it's worth doing that say 6" from the end and then working my way up the baluster in 6 inch sections? Dave On 26 Jan, 12:15, "Darrell Feltmate" wrote: Dave How new are you to turning? 34" long with a 1/2" diameter anywhere near the middle, is tricky turn. There can be lots of vibration. First get some practice pieces to "waste." To use a steady rest on a piece like this you need to rough down to a smooth circle in the cneter of the piece. If you are using 1 1/4" stock, aim for a 1 1/8" circle, not 1/2". Never mind what the actual diameter is dupposed to be at center, turn to the largest diameter you can for the steady rest. Then work the tail stock end. move the steady rest down a bit to a finished diameter and turn the head stock end. Practice, practice, practice. Hope this helps. -- God bless and safe turning Darrell Feltmate Truro, NS Canadawww.aroundthewoods.com "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. Dave Ipswich, UK |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Michael,
I can go down to 100 rpm - presumably there will be other issues then? I'm pretty confident the tools are sharp. I do have some cherry - would that be suitable? To centre the steady I just bring up each roller to touch the wood at rest - is there a better way? Dave On 26 Jan, 12:30, "Michael Latcha" wrote: 110 years ago your spindles were turned were probably turned in less than 10 minutes each, on a foot-powered lathe without a steady rest. Humbling, isn't it? Things to try: Slow your speed way down. 700 rpm is plenty, less if you can get it. At this speed, a good surface can only come from a super-sharp tool. Have you checked that the steady rest is holding the spindle exactly on center? If not, it'll only make things worse. Gouges will also make this situation worse, because they have more bevel that has to rub. Skew chisels will give you a better cut. Even with a steady rest, you'll have to support the cut with your leading hand/fingers curling around the spindle as you cut it. Start at the middle of the spindle and work towards both ends. The idea is always to leave as much support as possible, for as long as possible. Once you turn a section 3"-6" long, sand it and leave it... at this length/thickness, you can't go back (sometimes even to sand) without chatter. Try a different wood. Oak, with its hard/soft layers, is very hard to turn into long, thin spindles, and doesn't respond well to steady rests of your type. And if that coarse grain isn't perfectly aligned with the axis of the spindle, it'll be pretty weak too. I'm not sure if you can get poplar in the UK, but that's what I'd try, at least for practice. If not, any medium-hard wood without pronounced grain will do. Practice, practice, practice on some boring wood, at what seems like ridiculously slow speeds, always supporting your cut with your leading hand, trying to make the longest, thinnest spindle that you can. Spindles that are 24" long or longer and 1/8" (yes, you read that right) in diameter, complete with lots of elements, are absolutely do-able without a steady rest. This is the graduate-school, rocket-science of woodturning. And once you master it, everything else in life is a piece of cake. Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI "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. Dave Ipswich, UK |
Help with steady rest on baluster
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. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Dave,
I've had good luck making balisters from poplar. It's harder than pine, but not quite as hard as oak, and the grain isn't as coarse so it cuts smoother with less vibration. If I were trying to make something with only 1/2" diameter in the middle, then that's the last cut that I would make. I would work from the ends toward this and finish it up last. -- Charley "dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.com... I did a bit at school 30 years ago. I bought a cheap nasty lathe at the beginning of November, spent most of November learning to sharpen tools and building jigs. I did a two day course at the beginning of December, joined a club at the beginning of January, sold the cheap nasty lathe and bought a Nova DVR XP in the middle of January. It's a clearly a bit of an obsession but I'm enjoying it very much. I'm turning down to the largest possible diameter for the steady but I wonder if it's worth doing that say 6" from the end and then working my way up the baluster in 6 inch sections? Dave On 26 Jan, 12:15, "Darrell Feltmate" wrote: Dave How new are you to turning? 34" long with a 1/2" diameter anywhere near the middle, is tricky turn. There can be lots of vibration. First get some practice pieces to "waste." To use a steady rest on a piece like this you need to rough down to a smooth circle in the cneter of the piece. If you are using 1 1/4" stock, aim for a 1 1/8" circle, not 1/2". Never mind what the actual diameter is dupposed to be at center, turn to the largest diameter you can for the steady rest. Then work the tail stock end. move the steady rest down a bit to a finished diameter and turn the head stock end. Practice, practice, practice. Hope this helps. -- God bless and safe turning Darrell Feltmate Truro, NS Canadawww.aroundthewoods.com "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. Dave Ipswich, UK |
Help with steady rest on baluster
"dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.com... I'll definitely try loosening the tailstock. Any other recommendations for a better wood than oak? Something like your cherry or one of the maples would be more even and probably easier to work with. Think you've got one you call sycamore over there that would work. Truth is, if you had rived oak or real straight stock, your differences would be less noticeable, perhaps to the point of vanishing. I use a straight chisel skewed so the exit trails the cut, which bridges the differences in hardness along the length of the grain as the best way to get things smooth. Don't press at all after entry. If your design permits, enter the cut near the end where support is better, and plane toward the middle for smooth. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Dave like Arch said
Arch you where faster on the draw here, I was going to suggest the same/similar idea, of the pipe to have the steady roll on, at least initially, also I'm not to impressed with the Sorby steady, a home made one with the larger inline skate wheels would be a big improvement I think rather than those little hard wheels they use. As for the choice of wood the Canada poplar is growing all over in NW europe, and should be available also The Sycamore (Plane tree over there) and yes several Maples are also a common tree, just try some to see what works for you, but first improve the hardware. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo On Jan 26, 9:27 am, (Arch) wrote: Hi Dave, Please don't turn if you are taking any anti depressants or mood elevating beverages for your incipient depression. :) It may not matter with balusters, but with very thin long rods, goblets, etc. driving the blank with a chuck instead of a spur seems to help prevent bowing. probably by compressing longitudinal fibers. You've gotten some much better tips, but since you have already bought the Sorby steady rest you might like to make a 'turtle' to use with it. Nothing more than a short piece of black iron pipe, say 2 in. length X 2 in. diam. Drill and thread 3 holes around the circumference for three 3/8 or so bolts to bear against the middle of the wood blank. Adjust the bolts to center the blank in the pipe and lock the bolts with two nuts each. Then let the Sorby rollers ride on the round pipe avoiding the bolt heads. Turn an adjacent section of the blank to round, remove the turtle and use the steady while completing the baluster. Hope my description isn't too confusing. Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
Help with steady rest on baluster
All,
Thanks for so many ideas and such a fast response - I'll get cracking over the next few days and let you know how I get on. Dave On Jan 26, 5:52 pm, " wrote: Dave like Arch said Arch you where faster on the draw here, I was going to suggest the same/similar idea, of the pipe to have the steady roll on, at least initially, also I'm not to impressed with the Sorby steady, a home made one with the larger inline skate wheels would be a big improvement I think rather than those little hard wheels they use. As for the choice of wood the Canada poplar is growing all over in NW europe, and should be available also The Sycamore (Plane tree over there) and yes several Maples are also a common tree, just try some to see what works for you, but first improve the hardware. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo On Jan 26, 9:27 am, (Arch) wrote: Hi Dave, Please don't turn if you are taking any anti depressants or mood elevating beverages for your incipient depression. :) It may not matter with balusters, but with very thin long rods, goblets, etc. driving the blank with a chuck instead of a spur seems to help prevent bowing. probably by compressing longitudinal fibers. You've gotten some much better tips, but since you have already bought the Sorby steady rest you might like to make a 'turtle' to use with it. Nothing more than a short piece of black iron pipe, say 2 in. length X 2 in. diam. Drill and thread 3 holes around the circumference for three 3/8 or so bolts to bear against the middle of the wood blank. Adjust the bolts to center the blank in the pipe and lock the bolts with two nuts each. Then let the Sorby rollers ride on the round pipe avoiding the bolt heads. Turn an adjacent section of the blank to round, remove the turtle and use the steady while completing the baluster. Hope my description isn't too confusing. Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
Help with steady rest on baluster
This is an untested idea, as far as I know, but it ought to work.
1.) Mount a short piece of your 1 1/4" stock on the lathe (between centers or in a chuck.) 2.) Attach wooden pieces to it, with a hose clamp, and turn the outside of the attached pieces round. 3.) Mount your 1 1/4" spindle blanks between centers, and attach the rounded pieces in the middle with a hose clamp. 4.) Fit the steady rest over the round blocks. 5.) Turn the spindle to completion on both sides of the steady rest.* 6.) Move the steady rest to a finished area near the middle of the spindle, and finish up. _______________________ *You could remove the blocks/hose clamp and move the steady rest as soon as you have a round area near the middle. Of course, leave any 1/2" parts to be done last. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
The slower speeds will be good, and if you have a variable speed lathe it's
worth finding a "sweet spot" for the speed that gives you the least whip. Sometimes a tiny bit of speed change makes a tremendous difference in how the spindle behaves. Cherry might be just fine, certainly better then the oak. If you wait until the spindle is whippy, adjusting the center rest as you've described won't work because you are adjusting it to the spindle as it's sagging due to its own weight and buckled from the compression of the centers. As others have mentioned, if you want to use the steady rest, turn the center portion of the blank round, apply the center rest, then work around it for as long as possible. This method, however, is directly the opposite the way you need to work. You want to start at the center and work to the ends. Best, in my mind, would be to learn to turn such things without the aid of a steady rest... but that's me, not necessarily you. Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI "dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.com... Michael, I can go down to 100 rpm - presumably there will be other issues then? I'm pretty confident the tools are sharp. I do have some cherry - would that be suitable? To centre the steady I just bring up each roller to touch the wood at rest - is there a better way? Dave On 26 Jan, 12:30, "Michael Latcha" wrote: 110 years ago your spindles were turned were probably turned in less than 10 minutes each, on a foot-powered lathe without a steady rest. Humbling, isn't it? Things to try: Slow your speed way down. 700 rpm is plenty, less if you can get it. At this speed, a good surface can only come from a super-sharp tool. Have you checked that the steady rest is holding the spindle exactly on center? If not, it'll only make things worse. Gouges will also make this situation worse, because they have more bevel that has to rub. Skew chisels will give you a better cut. Even with a steady rest, you'll have to support the cut with your leading hand/fingers curling around the spindle as you cut it. Start at the middle of the spindle and work towards both ends. The idea is always to leave as much support as possible, for as long as possible. Once you turn a section 3"-6" long, sand it and leave it... at this length/thickness, you can't go back (sometimes even to sand) without chatter. Try a different wood. Oak, with its hard/soft layers, is very hard to turn into long, thin spindles, and doesn't respond well to steady rests of your type. And if that coarse grain isn't perfectly aligned with the axis of the spindle, it'll be pretty weak too. I'm not sure if you can get poplar in the UK, but that's what I'd try, at least for practice. If not, any medium-hard wood without pronounced grain will do. Practice, practice, practice on some boring wood, at what seems like ridiculously slow speeds, always supporting your cut with your leading hand, trying to make the longest, thinnest spindle that you can. Spindles that are 24" long or longer and 1/8" (yes, you read that right) in diameter, complete with lots of elements, are absolutely do-able without a steady rest. This is the graduate-school, rocket-science of woodturning. And once you master it, everything else in life is a piece of cake. Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI "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. Dave Ipswich, UK |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Leo, Leo, Leo -- you obviously have way too much time to think g !!!!
Bill Leo Lichtman wrote: This is an untested idea, as far as I know, but it ought to work. 1.) Mount a short piece of your 1 1/4" stock on the lathe (between centers or in a chuck.) 2.) Attach wooden pieces to it, with a hose clamp, and turn the outside of the attached pieces round. 3.) Mount your 1 1/4" spindle blanks between centers, and attach the rounded pieces in the middle with a hose clamp. 4.) Fit the steady rest over the round blocks. 5.) Turn the spindle to completion on both sides of the steady rest.* 6.) Move the steady rest to a finished area near the middle of the spindle, and finish up. _______________________ *You could remove the blocks/hose clamp and move the steady rest as soon as you have a round area near the middle. Of course, leave any 1/2" parts to be done last. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
With all the advice here, including my own on steady rests, I agree with
Michael, a common occurence. My favorite "steady rest" for a spindle is my hand wrapped around it while a skew does the work. In other words, practice, practice, practice. I like to do this with 3/4" square pine scraps and turn 18" spindles with coves down to 1/8". Never mind how many I break! I did say scrap did I not? :-) -- God bless and safe turning Darrell Feltmate Truro, NS Canada www.aroundthewoods.com "Bill Rubenstein" wrote in message . net... Leo, Leo, Leo -- you obviously have way too much time to think g !!!! Bill Leo Lichtman wrote: This is an untested idea, as far as I know, but it ought to work. 1.) Mount a short piece of your 1 1/4" stock on the lathe (between centers or in a chuck.) 2.) Attach wooden pieces to it, with a hose clamp, and turn the outside of the attached pieces round. 3.) Mount your 1 1/4" spindle blanks between centers, and attach the rounded pieces in the middle with a hose clamp. 4.) Fit the steady rest over the round blocks. 5.) Turn the spindle to completion on both sides of the steady rest.* 6.) Move the steady rest to a finished area near the middle of the spindle, and finish up. _______________________ *You could remove the blocks/hose clamp and move the steady rest as soon as you have a round area near the middle. Of course, leave any 1/2" parts to be done last. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message news:xJKuh.187895$hn.177465@edtnps82... With all the advice here, including my own on steady rests, I agree with Michael, a common occurence. My favorite "steady rest" for a spindle is my hand wrapped around it while a skew does the work. In other words, practice, practice, practice. I like to do this with 3/4" square pine scraps and turn 18" spindles with coves down to 1/8". Never mind how many I break! I did say scrap did I not? :-) Well, there is the final option of the spokeshave if the design permits. Zero RPM. |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Arch wrote:
Hi Dave, Please don't turn if you are taking any anti depressants or mood elevating beverages for your incipient depression. :) It may not matter with balusters, but with very thin long rods, goblets, etc. driving the blank with a chuck instead of a spur seems to help prevent bowing. probably by compressing longitudinal fibers. You've gotten some much better tips, but since you have already bought the Sorby steady rest you might like to make a 'turtle' to use with it. Nothing more than a short piece of black iron pipe, say 2 in. length X 2 in. diam. Drill and thread 3 holes around the circumference for three 3/8 or so bolts to bear against the middle of the wood blank. Arch ... I'm trying to envision this assist; is this made with three bolts or three at each end (six total)? Bill -- Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881) http://nmwoodworks.com --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 000707-0, 01/27/2007 Tested on: 1/27/2007 12:16:16 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com |
Help with steady rest on baluster
St. Lou Bill, Leo L. doesn't have extra time. Just that Left Coast
guys think faster than Middle and Southern Americans ...and displaced Hollanders. :) Detroit Bill, I used three bolts, but I don't see why you couldn't wear a belt & suspenders and use six. :) Dave, I have to confess that I've only used a turtle on a metal lathe. Our suggested devices for thin spindles are mostly to think & post about. :) For actual turning we all end up using our hands or at most a simple stick wedged between the ways and blank for back support. Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Hi Bill
Stock used is usually square or close to it, now if you take a piece of steel pipe that's able to slide on there, you'll need a stove bold with a nut for each side on both ends. So after drilling and tapping 8 holes, (4 on each side) slide the pipe on, install the bolds with the nut already on it, now adjust the bolts until the pipe is centered, then use the nut as a lock nut to prevent the bolts from moving, place the steady and start turning. The problem with what the other Leo is suggesting is that every piece of lumber used, has to be the exact same of the one used to make the shims, and the problem with the one I suggest is it is time consuming, for you will have to centre the pipe every time, but they can work, being able to turn without these "crutches" would be the best way, but I digress. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo On Jan 27, 12:16 pm, Bill in Detroit wrote: Arch wrote: Hi Dave, Please don't turn if you are taking any anti depressants or mood elevating beverages for your incipient depression. :) It may not matter with balusters, but with very thin long rods, goblets, etc. driving the blank with a chuck instead of a spur seems to help prevent bowing. probably by compressing longitudinal fibers. You've gotten some much better tips, but since you have already bought the Sorby steady rest you might like to make a 'turtle' to use with it. Nothing more than a short piece of black iron pipe, say 2 in. length X 2 in. diam. Drill and thread 3 holes around the circumference for three 3/8 or so bolts to bear against the middle of the wood blank.Arch ... I'm trying to envision this assist; is this made with three bolts or three at each end (six total)? Bill -- Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881)http://nmwoodworks.com --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 000707-0, 01/27/2007 Tested on: 1/27/2007 12:16:16 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software.http://www.avast.com |
Help with steady rest on baluster
wrote:
Hi Bill Stock used is usually square or close to it, now if you take a piece of steel pipe that's able to slide on there, you'll need a stove bold with a nut for each side on both ends. That last part answers my question ... I couldn't see a way to make it stable (in a reasonable amount of time) with just three bolts total. 3 (or 4) on each end makes sense. Four actually makes more sense because, while three (on each end) makes sense only on round pieces, 4 can be used for round, square and rectangular. Bill -- Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one rascal less in the world. Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881) http://nmwoodworks.com --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 000707-0, 01/27/2007 Tested on: 1/28/2007 2:00:36 AM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com |
Help with steady rest on baluster
"dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.com... Hi, I'm a recent convert to woodturning and trying to turn some replacement balusters for my 110 year old originals. Dave Ipswich, UK Dave, You have had many good suggestions. Here a quick and dirty one. I came up with this idea after spending two days making a steady with ball races and sturdy enough to survive a nuclear explosion only to find that I had to use ear defenders because it made so much noise. Turn your spindle blank to the largest diameter you can get out of the wood. Get a piece of 4"x2" scrap of wood and cut a V slot in the end. Measure the distance (take a wild guess) at the separation between the lower part of the spindle and the bed of your lathe and cut off a length of the 4"x2". If your guess is right you will have a block of wood which sits on the lathe bed with the V cradling the spindle. A second piece of the 4"x2" is cut to sit across the bed and the two screwed together. Clamp the second piece of wood to the lathe. I must admit that cutting the V block to the right length is a bit of a long shot. So cut it short and put a slot in it for the fixing screw such that it can be adjusted up and down. Cut a third piece of wood as a strap to go across the top at least 4"x2" and put a long wood screw in each side to clamp the spindle between the V block and the strap. Sand the spindle with 60/80 grit where the rest will fit and apply a liberal amount of beeswax. Assemble the rest and marvel at the quietness. You may wish to add some subtleties to the design. If you make the strap piece longer such that it sticks out towards you, then you can leave the inner clamp screw slightly loose and just rest your elbow on it when you are cutting to bring on the pressure. I can take a picture of mine and send it to you if you want to give it a try. I can't post it for the group as my ISP doesn't support binaries. BillR |
Help with steady rest on baluster
With thw spindle at rest, it's hard to tell if you are deflecting the
stock, when setting the steadyrest. With part turning slow, I let the peice just spin the roller, with a little friction from my fingers on the roller. "dave_ipswich" wrote in message oups.com... Michael, I can go down to 100 rpm - presumably there will be other issues then? I'm pretty confident the tools are sharp. I do have some cherry - would that be suitable? To centre the steady I just bring up each roller to touch the wood at rest - is there a better way? Dave |
Help with steady rest on baluster
Makes sense to me - I'll give it a try
Dave On Jan 28, 2:15 pm, "Rick Carusi" wrote: With thw spindle at rest, it's hard to tell if you are deflecting the stock, when setting the steadyrest. With part turning slow, I let the peice just spin the roller, with a little friction from my fingers on the roller. "dave_ipswich" wrote in ooglegroups.com... Michael, I can go down to 100 rpm - presumably there will be other issues then? I'm pretty confident the tools are sharp. I do have some cherry - would that be suitable? To centre the steady I just bring up each roller to touch the wood at rest - is there a better way? Dave |
Help with steady rest on baluster
A couple more ideas in addition to all the other excellent advice.
I've turned some very long (30" by 3/4dia) spindles and have made them quite smooth: If your steady rest is on an uncentered bit of wood, you're right, it will be bad before you start. Try making it close to round, then put on the steady rest, then turn another part round right adjacent to the steady rest, and repeat if necessary until it's smooth. Alternately, start near the tailstock, turn round until it starts whipping, then put the steady rest near the tailstock where it's smooth and concentric, and make your way toward the center. Don't put your steady rest *exactly* in the center for the final turning, move it just a little to one side. if you're exactly at the center you can get the second mode of vibration which is twice the frequency of the primary whipping mode (the "jumprope" mode). After you get the piece mounted, you can see what's about the right force for the tailstock by tightening and loosening the tailstock (just the tiniest amount) while it's spinning. Too much it will whip, too little it will be loose on the cone. A spring loaded cone can sometimes help in this instance. Once it's roughly round, you can get a really smooth surface using a hand plan for cylinders and cones. Use one of the very low angle block planes that has a 5 or 10 degree blade, hold it as though you were going to plane from head to tail or from tail to head stock, and rotate just enough to bite off a super tiny shaving. If you do this with your other palm on the back of the spindle, pressing gently against the wood to keep it from whipping (DON"T wear gloves!!) you can get a long smooth surface that's like glass this way. Of course coves and such have to be done some other way. Leave the smallest (1/2" dia, for example) cuts for last. |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:11 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter