Help requested please....

[opfoto]

As some may remember, a while ago there was a discussion about the need for bowl gouges.
I purchased a couple from Doug Thomson after reading a very helpful review in one of the mags and a couple of users here suggested him as well.

I am finally getting round to turning 2 handles from Walnut. I am using the copper pipe couplers from the BORG near me. I decided to do everything on the lathe. I drilled a hole the diam (1/2 and 3/8) and length of the tang (2in) with paddle bits.

The 1st one I drilled while the blank was still square. I noticed a wobble at the tail stock end as I was turning the blank down to form the tenon. I was using my 60degree live center in the tail stock. The wobble continued thru the finishing. The handle looks great. There was no wobble at the headstock...

I know I locked down the tailstock, I tightend the part that is adjustable within the tailstock. The tailstock did not seem to creep at all.

For the second handle I decided to round the blank 1st then drill for the tang. Smaller chisel, smaller bit. Still the same wobble.

BTW, The handles are 15-16 inches long. I have never turned anything quite this long and these are handles for my 1st set of bowl gouges, but I was hoping that this would give me some experience to try peppermills down the road.

My chisel bounced up and down on both handles when tested for round at the tail stock end and lays smooth on the headstock end.

Does anyone know what I can do to remove the wobble?

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks

 

[bobskio2003]

Where's the wobble?

If the wobble is only happening in the middle, you are tighten your tailstock way too much. Bob I.

 

[Fred]

What lathe are you using? What wood are you turning here and at what speed are you turning?

If your stock is out of balance ... SLOW DOWN until you get it rounded a good bit. Then increase your speed as things get "rounder."

Over tightening of the tail stock to much is surely one problem you need to address. Also, centering your stock as best as possible early on into both your centers is always a good thing. Any wobble will turn out as you continue to work the blank wood down to a round shape.

Try bringing your tail stock with a live center mounted up to the head stock with your dead center mounted. Check to see if the points of both centers are correctly aligned. Off set centers holding longer pieces of stock pronounce the offset and can cause problems down the way as you first start to round over the stock. This is how oblong tool handles are turned. Again, go slow and increase speed as the blank takes shape.

Post your results for further discussion. Good luck with this headache!

 

[holmqer]

It depends on where the wobble is, if it is at the tailstock then you may have bad bearings in the live center. Can you feel a wobble on the live center itself?

If it is in the middle you may as someone else said be using too much force on the tailstock, or have used too much force on the cutting tool. Another possibility is that the turning is vibrating.

Try a little less force on the tailstock ram.

Try a gentler touch with the tools. You may want to make sure you have the tools freshly sharpened as one tends to use greater and greater force as they become duller.

Try choking up on the tool with one hand, and then with the other hand use the thumb to control the tool while gently cupping your fingers around the turning. This will dampen vibration and provide support on the stock to reduce flex.

 

[opfoto]

Thanks for the replies....
I have completed the 2 handles I wanted to make. The handles look great considering the wobble. I will post pics this weekend.
I believe the wobble was from not finding the exact center of the blank. I loosend the tail stock and it continued to wobble as I continued turning handle #2. I will be more careful when finding center. I used a cheater center finding square but the blank wasn't square stock to begin with.

Thanks again,

 

[redfishsc]

When I drilled a 5/8" hole through a couple of 12" turning squares as custom fishing rod grips, I held the 1.5" turning squares with my jaw chuck (longnose jaws), used LOW SPEED and used a paddlebit in the tailstock drill chuck which will keep things very center (a bradpoint drill bit will work as well).

They took a while to drill, but drilled fine.

I only turned them round AFTER drilling, because all I did to turn them was put a dowel in one end (like a jam chuck) and slide the other end over my live center, and then turned to shape.




As a side note, I have a bowl scraper I made a walnut handle for. I don't care for the walnut handle, it gets beat up easier than I suspected and it doesn't get used as much.

I'm much more partial to hard maple, or even cocobolo if you don't mind the money--- the heavy cocobolo does a great job at damping vibration--- one of my bowl gouges has a coco handle and it's my fav.