THE
E S S E N T I A L
WOODTURNER Classic Projects & Smart Techniques Every Turner Needs to Know
E D I T E D BY
TIM SNYDER
CONTENTS Small Projects & Gifts
PAGE 24
Pen Turning 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Pen Presentation Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Spiral Turned Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Inside-Out Ornament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Lady’s Purse Mirror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Tree Ornament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Pen Turning Made Easy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Bowls Stylish Salad Bowl Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Turning a Calabash Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Live-Edge Bowls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hollow Turned Vessel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
50 58 64 70
PAGE 50
Furniture & Home
PAGE 90
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Classic Candlestick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Shop-Made Shaker Knobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Turn a Showy Finial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Turn & Weave a Shaker Stool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Golden-Glow Oil Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Pencil-Post Bookshelf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Turned Bookends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Bamboo-Style Stool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Kitchen
PAGE 162
Turned Bottle Stoppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pepper Grinder & Salt Cellar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodturner’s Travel Mug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graceful Pepper & Salt Mills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rockin’ Rolling Pin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big-Wheel Pizza Cutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Classic Cake Stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
127 132 142 146 153 159 162
Sports & Outdoors Shop-Made Baseball Bat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Picnic-Perfect Croquet Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick & Easy Duck Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Garden Tool Handles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
168 174 182 187
PAGE 182
Tools & Shop Shop-Made Collet Helps You Get a Grip. . . . . . . . . . . . . Shop-Made Mallets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lathe Dust Collector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Tips for Turning Tricky Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Six Finishes for Woodturners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
193 199 205 210 216
PAGE 199
Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
T HE E S S EN T I AL WO O D T U R NE R
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SM A LL PROJECTS & GIFTS
Pen Turning 101
SMALL PROJECTS & GIFTS
PEN TURNING 101
An overview of the right tools, materials, and techniques BY JOE HURST-WA JSZCZUK
I
n this day of text-messaging and emails, one
a few products that can save time,
might assume that handwritten notes are a
stock, and frustration for beginner and
thing of the past, yet custom pens are more popular than ever, and they’re super easy
For this exercise, I used an attractive,
to make. With a lathe, a few scraps of wood,
inexpensive, and easy-to-turn olivewood
and a pen kit, any woodworker possessing
blank. I paired it with a pen-turning kit
basic turning skills can create a writing
designed specifically for ball point pens—
implement that’s useful and unique. With a
you can find several similar options online
little practice, you’ll soon be turning out pens
or at your local woodworking store. The
in less time than it takes to read this article.
same techniques can be applied to any of the
In the next few pages, I’ll show you what
6
experienced turners alike.
other styles, but you may need to purchase
you’ll need to get started, walk you through
additional drill bits, mills, and bushings to
the pen-making process, and then suggest
match the kit.
T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
Pen Turning 101
SM A LL PROJECTS & GIFTS
Pen Anatomy Blank Brass tube (long)
Twist holder
Nib adaptor Ring
Refill/ink cartridge
Nib
Finial Clip bushing
Blank Brass tube (short)
Ring Center band Twist mechanism
Getting started
Pen blanks: You can buy ready-made
As the figure above illustrates, pen turning
blanks, or saw your own. Advanced turners
boils down to turning a cylinder. The body,
can make pens out of plastic, metal, and
consisting of one or more blanks, is bored
even bone, but when starting out, stick with
and fitted with a brass cylinder, mounted
less-exotic woods that are stable and easier
to a lathe, and then turned, finished, and
to work, such as cherry, maple, or walnut.
assembled. A particular pen kit may have
Drill bits: The blanks must be drilled to
more or fewer parts than those shown
fit the kit. You can use a good brad-point
here. The instructions included with the kit
bit, but pen maker’s bits are ground to drill
will explain the exact assembly sequence.
straight, deep holes without clogging. Make
Tooling up Entire catalogs are dedicated to pen-making
sure your bit matches your pen kit. (For the cigar pen, you’ll need a 10mm bit.) Epoxy: You’ll need a sure-fire means of
accessories, but if you own a lathe and a
attaching the brass to the blank. Epoxy
few turning tools, you won’t need to spend
isn’t as quick-setting as cyanoacrylate glue
a lot of money to start. Check your arsenal
(CA), but until you master the art of fitting
against the Pen Turner’s Start-Up Kit,
the tube, you will appreciate a few extra
shown on page 8. A few of these items don’t
minutes of working time.
need any introduction; you may have some
Pen mill: This two-part cutter helps
of them sitting around your shop. A few of
ensure easy-to-assemble barrels and
the specialty items deserve explanation.
gap-free pens. The shaft slides into the
T HE E S S EN T I AL WO O D T U R NE R
7
SM A LL PROJECTS & GIFTS
Pen Turning 101
5
6 cut. Rotate the handle so that the flute faces
6 Paying attention to the grain orientation
in the direction of your cut.
of the finished pen, arrange both blanks
Once you’ve turned a smooth cylinder,
10
onto the mandrel. Remove the tool rest and
set the lathe to 1,500 to 2,000 rpm and
set the speed to 500 rpm. Starting with
continue shaping the blank. You have some
small strips of 150-grit sandpaper, remove
leeway here, but be careful not to cut into
tool marks and shape the ends of the blanks
the bushing or brass tubes. (Leave the
flush to the adjacent bushings. Continue
ends of the blanks a hair larger than the
sanding both blanks through 600 grit.
bushings.) Repeat the turning process with
(Pinch the strips of sandpaper, as shown,
the second blank.
so that if the abrasive catches the work,
T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
Pen Turning 101
SM A LL PROJECTS & GIFTS
the paper will slip from your grip without pulling your fingers in.)
7 Turn the lathe off and apply a small amount of finish to a small piece of cloth or paper towel. Spread the polish onto the barrels. Now turn on the lathe and adjust the speed to 1,000 rpm. Working from beneath, apply even pressure with the still-damp pad. Move the applicator from side to side until the solvent evaporates and the surface begins to build a finish. Apply additional coats until you achieve the desired sheen.
8 Inspect the brass tubes to make certain 7
that they’re free from any clogs that might prevent assembly. Arrange the rings and bands as shown in the figure on page 7, or according to the instructions included with your kit. Now assemble your pen. To prevent cracks or splits when pressing parts together, apply smooth, steady pressure. (If using a metal-faced vise, attach wood or MDF pads to both faces to protect the pen’s metal parts.)
8
T HE E S S EN T I AL WO O D T U R NE R
11
SM A LL PROJECTS & GIFTS
Pen Presentation Box
Overall Dimension: 7 1/8"w × 1 1/2"d × 1 1/4"h
SMALL PROJECTS & GIFTS
PEN PRESENTATION BOX Elevate the turned pens you give away with this fetching container BY MARLEN KEMMET
A
finely crafted turned pen deserves an
(For safety when routing the coves, we
equally impressive presentation box.
started with a blank 1" extra in length.
This easy-to-build scrap project requires
You’ll crosscut it to final length after routing
minimal stock but yields spectacular
the coves.) Now, resaw a 3/4"-thick piece
results. The key is to use a 5/8" core box bit
from the blank for the box bottom (A) so
and a pair of stops at the router table to
that the grain in the box top (B) and bottom
form the pen-holding coves. For thick pens
match nicely.
or those longer than 5 1/2", see the note in
2 Fit your table-mounted router with a
figure 1 to make any needed adjustment.
5/8"-diameter core box bit. Raise it to full
Start with the box blank 1 Mill and cut a piece of straight-grained stock to 1 3/8 × 1 1/2 × 7 3/4".
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T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
height. Position the back fence 7/16" from the bit’s cutter. Clamp a pair of stops on the fence at 3 9/16" from the bit’s cutter with one on each side of the bit. The goal is to
SM A LL PROJECTS & GIFTS
Pen Presentation Box
B Use a pushblock to move the taped-together bottom and top pieces along the fence and through the blade.
increments in softer woods. Start with a
top, where shown in figure 1 and as shown
blank against the right-hand stop. Then,
in photo B. Clamp a stopblock in a mitersaw
lower the left end onto the spinning bit
extension fence, and cut exactly 1/2" from
using a notched pullstick. Move the blank to
each end of the assembly. Do not separate
the left, switching to a shoe-style pushstick
the pieces at this time.
or pushpad to apply downward pressure.
6 Mill and plane a 12"-long piece of
Turn off the router after each pass and
contrasting stock to 3/16" thick. From it, cut
allow the bit to stop before lifting the blank
a pair of slightly oversized ends (C) to the
with the pullstick from the router table, as
shape in figure 1. Tape them to the ends
shown in photo A.
of the taped-together bottom (A) and top
4 Rip a chamfer along the back edge of the bottom (A), where shown in figure 1,
bottom of the assembly.
end view. The chamfer creates clearance,
7 Carefully mark and lightly indent the hole
allowing the top (B) to open and close.
center points on each end of the taped-
5 Adhere the bottom (A) and top (B)
16
(B), making them flush with the back and
together assembly, where shown in figure
together with double-faced tape. Rip a 45ยบ
1. (Note: For a smooth opening and closing
chamfer across the top front edge of the box
action, the holes must be perfectly aligned
T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
BOWLS
Turning a Calabash Bowl
B OWLS
TURNING A CALABASH BOWL Master the tricks for working green wood BY MIKE MAHONEY
M
58
any people ask me if the wood I make
green blank, rough it into a bowl shape that
bowls from is green wood. The answer
is 10% as thick as the diameter, seal it with
is always “yes.” However, there’s more to
an appropriate sealer, and store it away for
the story. In order to make large bowls,
slow drying. Later, after the rough bowl has
you have to start with a green piece of
fully seasoned, you turn it to final shape and
wood. That's because it would be rare to
wall thickness. The downside here is the
find a dry piece, say, 5" thick × 12" wide
painfully long wait; rough-turned bowls take
that does not have a crack in it. (Such
from months to over a year of drying time.
cracks in salad bowls make them filler for
However, there’s another way to
the rubbish bin.) So the trick is to take the
work with green wood and make very
T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
BOWLS
Turning a Calabash Bowl
A
B
Template
Nail
C
2 Chainsaw the log almost in half where
5 Rest the log half on the bandsaw table and
marked (photo A), splitting it through the
cut out the blank, running the blade along
pith. That way, the log still sits firmly on the
the edge of the template as you rotate the
ground for cut 2. If uncomfortable using a
blank (photo C). Note: For the best results,
chainsaw, split the log at a bandsaw using a
I use a 1/2" × 3 TPI (teeth/inch) blade.
right-angle sled.
3 Cut a flat on the bottom of the log (cut
6 Remove the template, and, using a drill, bore a 3/8" hole 1 3/4" deep into the blank’s
2) so the blank will sit flat on the bandsaw
nail hole to accept a screw center (photo
(photo B). Finish cutting the log in half.
D). Work to keep the bit at a right angle to
4 Make a round hardboard or plywood
template the diameter of the desired bowl.
the blank’s face.
size, this one is 6" high and 14" across).
Mount the blank & turn the outside 1 Install a four-jaw chuck onto your lathe’s
Mark the template's center and the center of
headstock, and tighten a screw center into
the half log’s top face. Secure the template
it. Install a live cup center into the tailstock.
by driving a nail through its center and into
Now, screw the blank onto the screw center,
the log’s center.
and bring up the tailstock to secure the blank.
(While every bowl blank will be a different
60
D
T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
BOWLS
Turning a Calabash Bowl
H
J
interior of the bowl with the gouge (photo H).
bottom. I make that judgment by eying the
Start near the center of the blank, and take
outside shape and determining where the
a series of cuts, working from left to right in
outside bottom will be. Since I am shooting
the order in figure 2. Make deeper and deeper
for a 3/16" wall thickness, I make the inside
cuts until most of the bulk is removed. I
3/16" from my perceived exterior’s bottom. I
carefully leave more bulk at the bottom of my
also want a continuous flowing curve on the
piece so I can make cuts on the upper portion
inside that mimics the exterior shape. This
of the bowl without losing structure to make
takes patience and thoughtful measuring with
those cuts.
a caliper throughout the process (photo J).
the wall thickness. Since this is a greenfinished bowl, aim to cut the walls evenly
Sand and complete the calabash 1 With the tool work done for now, it’s time
and relatively thin to help with the drying
to sand your calabash. I use 3"-diameter
process. Uneven walls and thick wood
Mirka Abranet mesh sanding discs attached
invites cracking during the drying process.
to a 3" foam pad accessory for a portable
2 Note: At this point, you want to establish
Using a 3/8" bowl gouge, establish a wall
drill. (I prefer Abranet over traditional
thickness of 3/16" as shown in photo I. To do
sandpapers because the mesh abrades green
this, I cut down from the rim one third of the
wood faster and smoother.) I also protect
depth of my bowl and stop. Now, make sure
myself from sanding dust with a respirator.
you are cutting the wood evenly and cleanly.
2 Before sanding and with the piece
If you like what you see, cut the next one
stationary, carefully examine the surface
third down until you blend that with the first
areas that have torn grain or tool marks.
third. Proceed to blend in the bottom one
Then, with the lathe running at 500 rpm,
third. I'll use a 1/2" bowl gouge that has been
sand the bowl’s inside surface, as shown
traditionally ground to finish this task. That’s
in photo K. Once you smooth out the
because the grain direction changes from
troubled areas, spin the piece and sand
the sides to the more end-grain-like wood
over the entire surface inside and out. I
at the center, which the traditional grind
start with 120 grit and sand through 400,
handles better than a fingernail grind.
going over the inside and outside surfaces
3 Remain very conscious of the depth of the 62
I
T H E E S SE N T I A L WOOD T UR NER
within reach. Carefully clean the bowl with
Turning a Calabash Bowl
BOWLS
compressed air between sanding with
hard to dry, you need to slow the process
each grit. Don’t overheat the wood during
down at this point.
this process. Green wood can create heat-
1 Place the bowl in a thick paper sack from
checking, which can ruin your project. Apply
the grocery store and leave it in a cool dark
the sanding mesh lightly to the wood, and
place for a few days to a week. Since the
replace the discs as soon as they lose their
piece is thin-walled, it should be dry by
cutting/sanding ability.
then. If you have a sensitive scale, one way
3 Next, remove the finely sanded calabash
to know is to weigh the bowl after a day or
from the lathe and make a jamb chuck from
two and keep weighing it until it stops losing
a piece of scrapwood that you screw on to
weight. You could also use a moisture meter,
a faceplate (photo L). Using a 3/8" spindle
provided you don’t mar the surface.
gouge, cut a 3/8"-long tapered tenon on the
2 Finish the calabash once it is dry. Notice
jamb chuck that fits snugly inside the rim of
how the dried calabash has warped. It has
the completed bowl. Test-fit the bowl to get
moved into an organic shape that is very
the size just right.
pleasing to the eye. To finish the piece, first
4 Further secure the bowl by holding it in
determine how you see it being used and
place with the tailstock and live cup center.
the wood’s color. If I am making a decorative
Then, finish shaping the bottom of the bowl
calabash, I go with a tung oil or shellac. If the
(photo M). Sand as before. Remove the
wood is a light color, I avoid these finishes
tailstock and take some delicate cuts to trim
since they may go yellow over time. Gloss
off the last bit of wood at the center. Sand
polyurethane works well on a lighter wood.
the area. This approach will let you give
I see the bowl I turned here as a utility item
your baseless bowl better balance when it
and will therefore use a penetrating oil finish
rests on the table.
like walnut oil. Penetrating oils are better for
Dry the calabash and apply a finish
utility items since there is no film to harm while cleaning. Also, penetrating oils require
Note: While you dodge months of drying by
no skill to apply and can be restored by
turning a calabash, a little careful drying is
anyone. Once the finish dries completely, put
still critical. And, since oak is particularly
your calabash to work.
Jamb chuck
Tapered tenon
K
L
M T HE E S S EN T I AL WO O D T U R NE R
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CRAFTS & HOBBIES: WOODWORKING $27.95 US
PROJECTS TO BUILD Your TURNING SKILLS
Essential
There’s a lathe in your shop, stock at arm’s length, and you’re ready to spin some wood.
The Essential Woodturner features classic “go-to” projects that every woodturner should know how to make — either for themselves or as gifts. With over thirty projects ranging from pepper mills and bottle stoppers to pens, mallets, rolling pins, and duck calls, these projects are ideal for anyone looking to expand their turning knowledge and skill while creating handsome crafts — and having a lot of fun. With helpful drawings, step-by-step photos, and expert guidance, each project can be successfully completed in a few hours or a couple of days.
The Essential Woodturner includes: ■■
Over 30 classic projects that guide you through essential woodturning techniques.
■■
Expert know-how on the choosing and using the right tool for each turning.
■■
A wide-ranging selection of projects that make great gifts for family and friends.
■■
Smart and simple techniques for finishing turned work.