D K Woods wrote:
Hi folks, just got myself a HF lathe (34706) and I can't wait to get
started. But I've got a, probably very silly, newbie question here.

LOML wants me to try making hairsticks (the chopsticks-looking single prong
kind). Ok, sounds like fun...but I'm not sure where to start. My
knowledge of turning is...um...limited. (G)

How do you make a long (6" or so), very thin object (3/8" diameter or so),
that is turned to a ball on one side, and a long taper to a point on the
other?

Use a split collet, which can be made of wood.
Start with 3/8" dowels, either hardware-store variety, or turn your own
between centers of your chosen wood species. They can also be mail
ordered in various hardwoods--can't remember where offhand, though.

For the collet, use a block of hardwood 3-4 inches long, mounted on a
scroll chuck or faceplate. Accurately drill a 3/8" hole all the way
through it if you can. Turn the outside down so a PVC threaded collar
from a sink drain will tightly screw onto the end of the wood collet.
Taper the end just a bit to easily start the collar, and so when the
collar is screwed on it squeezes the sawcut end to grab the dowel. It
won't take much pressure to hold the dowel if it's made accurately to
fit in the 3/8" hole.

This way you don't need the tailstock for support at all, you can have
the pointed end sticking out maybe 3 inches and cut the long pointed
taper with a skew (Practice first) or a gouge. Then flip the dowel over
and turn the ball, you're done.

And if your lathe has a hole through the spindle that's big enough, you
can make them about as long as you want!

Ken Grunke
http://www.token.crwoodturner.com/shop/
member, Coulee Region Woodturners of Wisconsin
http://www.crwoodturner.com




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Ken Grunke wrote: (clip) Turn the outside down so a PVC threaded collar
from a sink drain will tightly screw onto the end of the wood collet. Taper
the end just a bit to easily start the collar, and so when the collar is
screwed on it squeezes the sawcut end to grab the dowel. It won't take much
pressure to hold the dowel if it's made accurately to fit in the 3/8"
hole.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^
That will work! Perhaps less elegant, but also a little simpler would be to
use a hose clamp in place of the PVC collar.

You could also glue the end of the dowel into a piece of wood mounted on a
faceplate, and then support the other end with a live center in the
tailstock. Finish the pointed end of the piece near the tailstock, and then
last, complete the knob near the faceplate and part off. Depending on the
length and flexibility of the piece, you may want to use your fingers
lightly behind the piece as you finish and part off the point.

The second technique requires less preparation, but is harder to do. I
would go with Ken's method if you are going to do very many.

Since you are just learning, you might try both methods, just for the
experience.

Hello David,

A hairstick or hairpin is a tough first turning on a new lathe. There have been
a couple of responses on how to hold the wood for turning that will work. I
think that you probably face an even bigger problem: how to use the tool to cut
properly on a long thin taper, etc.

However, assuming you know how to sharpen your tools and how to use them to cut
the wood the way it wants to be cut, the easiest and most stable way to mount
the wood on the lathe for turning is to whittle the wood down into a taper that
will fit into the headstock Morse Taper. A couple of taps with a mallet (don't
hit it too hard or you could damage the bearings), bring up the tailstock to
help support the wood, tighten it then back off just a little. This is a common
way to mount the wood to turn long thin spindles.

Once the wood is mounted onto the lathe, run the lathe at about 1000 to 1500
rpm. At this speed the wood will cut better. I personally would use a good sharp
skew chisel to turn the whole thing; however, the skew is more difficult to use
and may give you trouble. The next best thing is to use a roughing gouge to make
the wood round and generally tapered and near to finished size. Then use a
smaller spindle gouge to take it on down to finished size and taper. The taper
should be from the headstock to the tailstock. Now, up near the headstock
spindle (but leave space for parting off) make a "V" cut with the long point of
the skew chisel. Move over the width of the ball (or bead that you want to turn
on the end) and make another "V" cut. Now take a pencil and mark the center
between these two "V" cuts. Using a small spindle gouge, start at the pencil
mark and cut a curve down into the "V" cut on one side and then on the other.

Now, sand to finish. You can wrap sandpaper around a piece of straight wood and
gently apply it to the taper to even it up. Work down through the grits from
coarse to fine and apply some wax or oil to the wood. Burnish it with a handful
of the shavings and part it off.

Expect to ruin a few before you get a good one, but have fun doing every one of
them and learn from each problem.

Good Luck,

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com/

In article , D K Woods says...

Hi folks, just got myself a HF lathe (34706) and I can't wait to get
started. But I've got a, probably very silly, newbie question here.

LOML wants me to try making hairsticks (the chopsticks-looking single prong
kind). Ok, sounds like fun...but I'm not sure where to start. My
knowledge of turning is...um...limited. (G)

How do you make a long (6" or so), very thin object (3/8" diameter or so),
that is turned to a ball on one side, and a long taper to a point on the
other? It seems like there will be problems with supporting the end of the
piece as you make the taper. And tell me if I'm wrong, but you shouldn't
use the taper to, in effect, part off scrap that was being held by the
tail. Hmmm...

*snip long free-thought section of post*

And so on, more questions always rising up.... I've tried searching
archives but I just don't know enough about it to really ask (the search
engine) good questions.

THANKS for your patience and help!

david
--
"We have money to blow up bridges over the Tigress and Euphrates and we
don't have money to build bridges in our major cities. We have money to
destroy the health of the Iraqi people and we don't have enough money to
repair the health of our own people in this country."
-- Rep. Dennis Kucinich


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snip
This way you don't need the tailstock for support at all, you can have
the pointed end sticking out maybe 3 inches and cut the long pointed
taper with a skew (Practice first) or a gouge. Then flip the dowel over
and turn the ball, you're done.

And if your lathe has a hole through the spindle that's big enough, you
can make them about as long as you want!

Ken Grunke
http://www.token.crwoodturner.com/shop/


Wow thanks, Ken, that's a great point. And as a matter of fact, my lathe
does have a big enough hole through....

Thanks for your help!

david
--
"We have money to blow up bridges over the Tigress and Euphrates and we
don't have money to build bridges in our major cities. We have money to
destroy the health of the Iraqi people and we don't have enough money to
repair the health of our own people in this country."
-- Rep. Dennis Kucinich


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The second technique requires less preparation, but is harder to do. I
would go with Ken's method if you are going to do very many.

Since you are just learning, you might try both methods, just for the
experience.

Good idea to try both, experience is a Good Thing„¢ especially at my stage
of the learning curve.

Thanks for your help!

david
--
"We have money to blow up bridges over the Tigress and Euphrates and we
don't have money to build bridges in our major cities. We have money to
destroy the health of the Iraqi people and we don't have enough money to
repair the health of our own people in this country."
-- Rep. Dennis Kucinich


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On 17 Aug 2003 08:32:59 -0700, Fred Holder wrote:

Hello David,

A hairstick or hairpin is a tough first turning on a new lathe. There have been
a couple of responses on how to hold the wood for turning that will work. I
think that you probably face an even bigger problem: how to use the tool to cut
properly on a long thin taper, etc.

snip

Wow, thanks for the tips! I think my *first* turnings will be little
nothings, probably spindles where I need no spindles, that kind of thing.
I'd rather get a feel for the tools before moving my concentration to
working towards a specific goal. But after I get comfortable, I've already
bought a few pen sets and am eager to use some beautiful blanks I've got
lying around... Slim line pens seem pretty straight forward, I figure that
would be a good starting point.

thanks
david
--
"We have money to blow up bridges over the Tigress and Euphrates and we
don't have money to build bridges in our major cities. We have money to
destroy the health of the Iraqi people and we don't have enough money to
repair the health of our own people in this country."
-- Rep. Dennis Kucinich


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D K Woods wrote: When you say 'part off the piece' are you referring to
actually trimming away all of the wood and seperating the piece completely
from the chuck?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That's what it means. On something as slender as a hairpin, or a chopstick,
you can loosely surround it with the fingers and palm of one hand while you
apply the tool carefully with the other. It will stop spinning without
incident. If it were a heavier piece, you would slow down the lathe, in
order to lessen the spinning of an unattached piece. You do need to keep
control, or you'll be down on your hands and knees searching for it among
the chips. Unfortunately, the chips are always the same color as the wood,
making it harder to find :-)

D K Woods wrote:

On Sun, 17 Aug 2003 13:28:19 -0400, Darrell Feltmate wrote:

David
snip
I then taper and finish with a skew. The bead also gets turned with the
skew and I part off the piece.

When you say 'part off the piece' are you referring to actually trimming
away all of the wood and seperating the piece completely from the chuck?
Don't you end up with a rapidly spinning, free object at this point? I'm
sorry, perhaps this is common...but as someone as new as I am this sounds
like something that raises the safety flag. Maybe you hold the piece with
one hand as you part it?


This is a tricky piece for a beginner but after the first hundred or so
you should be a pretty good spindle turner. If you use fairly green wood
they should warp into some nice curves for hair skewers.

Well, when I try to step back and observe myself from a distance, I find
that I typically learn things by doing complicated procedures first. (and
I've never had a bad experience doing this, and it does tend to accellerate
my learning curve) I guess I'm quirky, but I (not really consciously or
intentionally) tend NOT to start at the beginning. I've toned it down a
little since I've started woodworking, because of the element of safety.
But I still always aim a little high.


Well, you could always part it off FIRST. (grin)



--

Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA
............................................
Is there life before coffee?


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David
When parting off a spindle, I support the piece with one hand and part
off with the other, all the way through. Since you part at the head
stock, the piece stops turning and drops in your hand. Just support the
piece, so not grab it. A held piece will snap if it is small and can
grab back if it is large.
--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS, Canada
http://roundthewoods.com