Help with spindles

[Band Saw Box]

Hello everyone
Our daughter wants me to turn her 6 of the spindles in the pictures. I need some advice as to what I may need to turn them. For turning tools I have me pen genie along with a PSI carbide tipped skew and gouge. I have a 60 deg. live and dead center and the drive center that came with the lathe. I think I can turn the basic shape but that's about it, I'm not sure how to do the ball on the top end or the tenon on the end. Thanks in advance for the help. Oh I guess I need to give some info on how big this little spindle is, well it about 6" long the base is 1 1/4" in dia. and is slightly concave.

 

[glen r]

I would start with a piece of wood longer than what the finished spindle is going to be. You should have a spur drive (minimum) or a Nova type chuck to have the wood turn without spinning. Turn the spindle where the drive end will end up being the tenon end and the ball will be on the live center. When you have gotten to this point you will have to finish the ball end after you cut the rest of the wood off on the band saw or hand saw. The tenon end gets finished the same way. Do as much of the sanding and finishing that is possible before you cut the material off. I can't comment on the tools you should use as I don't know how experienced you are using the tools that you have.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

You can prob use your tools. You should buy a parting tool probably.

You'll prob either want a chuck or you'll have to finish the end of the ball off the lathe which us certainly possible if you turn between centers.

 

[Janster]

..I have seen some nice pens made by you, you "have" the skills with what
tools you have to do spindles just fine! Go for hit!!!

 

[lorbay]

You will need a spindle gouge. You can do all of this with a skew but you need to be really good with it. Set the piece up behind your lathe so you can see it as you turn. Use a pair of callipers to determine your depths, these can be established with your parting tool. Start with the ball end, this should be towards the tail stock sanding each section as you work to the base this keeps the mass of the wood towards the head stock and lessens the vibe ration. Once at he base you will have left the stock long enough to make the tenon and part off
Lin

 

[artme]

Now if you were over here I would line up some of our inland acacias like dead finish, mulga, red lancewood or bendee.

They are ideal for spindles and finials.They take a great finish.

 

[Jim Burr]

Aren't you supposed to be off your feet?

 

[Band Saw Box]

Thanks for the help. Yes Jim the doc what's be off my feet as much as I can thanks for your concern, I'm just getting some ideas so when I'm ready I'll be able to take a crack a trying to make one. Would it be easier to turn this piece between centers or with a chuck?

 

[lorbay]

You can turn it between centres but it's not a good idea and you really need a good stable hold at the head stock.
Alan Carter was at our guild last month and he turns small goblets on a really thin stem 1/8" or less and 8 to 10" long. He starts off with a block of wood at least 2" x 2" x 12" and you think that's a little over kill but it's all about stability. Have a look. Woodturning: Alan Carter Turns a Thin Goblet on the Lathe - YouTube
Lin

 

[its_virgil]

I would suggest doing some searching (google) and use the terms (1) woodturning spindles and (2) woodturning finials and also search youtube on the same two subjects. Read, watch and learn then practice. Search also for woodturning spindle duplication to get some ideas on how to duplicate the spindle so they all look as close to each other as you can get. Good luck.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[Charlie_W]

Hi Dan,
Yes, place the original up behind your work piece and hold it in a chuck if you can. Use your parting tool and calipers to get your key measurements established and cut from point A to point B and just eyeball the shape from the original. Practice on some scrap first. You might want to make a skinny parting tool from a sawzall blade.

 

[kovalcik]

Here is how I would do it. Assuming you do not have a chuck, mount a piece of wood between the drive center and the live center. The ones that came with your lathe will work. The minmum I would go for blank length is 8". 10" to 12" would be better. Round the piece and then mark off the critical dimensions and features with a pencil. I would put the tenon near the headstock and the ball toward the tail. This puts the most meat at the drive center end. With a parting tool take the detail marks you made down to the correct dimensions, except for the tenon and the long skinny part up to the ball. Leave those heavy for now. You want to finish up your heavy cutting before taking those down. Now use your gouge and skew to turn the features except for the tail end of the ball and tenon. Just rough shape those for now. Sand and finish at this point. Now I would take the tenon down to size and then finish shaping the ball until about an 1/4" or less remains holding it to the tail stock. Part off at the tenon end. Cut off the 1/4" at the ball end and finish by hand.

You can do the details with a skew, but if you are not proficient with the skew, a 3/8" shallow detail gouge with a shallow grind should let you get into all the details. You could also see if you can get a diamond cutter for your carbide tool. Whatever tool you decide to use, try to fit it into the details on the sample piece and you will see very quickly whether you will be able to get into all the nooks and crannies with your tool/grind. If push comes to shove, an "80 Grit Gouge" always works.

A chuck would allow you to turn most of the shape between the chuck and a live center, then pull the live center away to finish the ball.

Hope this helps.

 

[Old Codger]

Dan...I've seen your posting a number of times over the past year or so, so I know you're an experienced turner... Take a 'repeat a form tool' available from any box store and lock it into place after form fitting it to your original form. Use it and a sharp detail gouge to repeat the original form over and over again... The 'replicas' may not be exactly perfect, but close enough so no one without calipers will every notice. If you mess up, consider it 'practice' and try again... You'll be surprised at how fast your 'muscle memory' takes hold and your end projects turn out exactly as you wish! Safe turning to you always...from a fellow Sailor (CTMCS...)!!!

 

[hard hat]

Dan, once you are back up on your feet, come over and I'll help. We can turn them all here in a day, or I'll help with the first then you'll be set for the rest.

Message me if you want my #

 

[SteveG]

As artme and its_virgil alluded to, different woods take detail better than others, and so your selection of turning stock is a very important. If you already have a wood in mind, check out its characteristics. Fine detail and duplicating spindles is fairly demanding, so keep it fun!

 

[sbwertz]

My "maiden voyage" turning was in a college theater scene shop. We needed to extend an existing staircase onto a balcony. The original staircase had been made with pre-turned spindles from home depot, but were no longer available. The shop had a lathe, but no one knew how to use it. I got a book from the library, taught myself to turn spindles. I turned 22 stair spindles for the balcony.

Some thngs I learned: After turning the piece round, I made myself a set of calipers from heavy poster board. One for each bead and one for each groove or cove. I numbered them. Then I measured on the blank the widest point of each bead and the deepest point of each groove or cove and marked it with a pencil. As I turned each section, I tested it with the corresponding caliper until it was the right diameter.

I also fell in love with turning. It took me 30 years to get back to it, though.

 

[Band Saw Box]

Thank you all for the ideas and help. I'll be taking hard hat up on his ok offer. But I'm still going to check out the videos and other idea you have given me. For right now it will be videos. Being away from my lathe for so long I have get out the manual so I can remember how to use it.