Replies

1. 
   WillGeorge | Sep 10, 2008 03:47am | #1

   FIRST OFF..

   I only turn on a mini wood lathe these days.

   Metal lathes.. Some BIGGIES.. But long ago. So.. just an idea that came to my mind.

   Why not wrap with a good strong twine.. A lathe is a good winder! Slop on alot of Shellac to hold it together. Use the no wax shellac so you can finish later without further problems. After it dries cut away!

   STOP after a bit.. Wrap some twine on the turned work.. Make a GOOD KNOT! Carry on!

   OR find a old Maple branch that fell off a tree and just turn off the 'nubs'. Crooked walking stick for a crooked old man or woman.. Made many and hand them out to old folks that walk by in the morning!

   
   

   ---

   Edited 9/9/2008 8:48 pm by WillGeorge

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Sep 10, 2008 06:02am | #2

   Kenneth,

   I also work use a midi lathe, so I do not speak from experience.  I would turn the sections first, then install the appropriate drill bit in the lathe and use the dimples left by the spur center to center the drill bit.

   You could also install the fittings first and turn the staff with them in place on the tailstock end.  The female end would register over a standard live center and the male end would register in a cup center (in theory).

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   Kenneth | Sep 10, 2008 06:22pm | #4

   Chris,

   Thanks for your suggestions.  I use a Oneway and I have enough length to turn both sections together.  I have tried turning the staff three ways:

   1. I turned both sections, installed a drill in the lathe tailstock drilled the holes for the coupling, the size of the hole was such that there was no play when I inserted the fitting,  and cemented them in with epoxy.  When I screwed the sections together, they did not align. 

   2. Prior to turning, I drilled a hole in the 1 1/2" square blanks using the lathe.  Then I glued in the coupling and clamped the square blanks to the work bench in "perfect" alignment.  When the glue set, I separated the sections, screwed the coupling of of the blank into its mating section that I installed in a wood block that was mounted on the headstock.  I turned each section separately, screwed them together only to find that again, they were not aligned.

   3. Finally, I rough turned each section, glued in the coupling, screwed the two sections together and tried to turn both sections at once.  The result is hard to describe but when I mounted the joined sections back in the lathe, I found that the coupling was not in alignment with the head and tailstock.  Note that it is impossible to turn the staff properly if the coupling is "wobbling" off center.

   Frustrated at wasting a lot of good wood, costly brass couplings and time, I resorted to my time-honored process for solving these problems; pondering the solution while consuming several cold ones as I watched Georgia Tech beat Boston College but to no avail.

3. 
   Scott_y | Sep 10, 2008 05:27pm | #3

   You could turn the pieces separately, leaving the last inch or so close to the join ever so slightly oversized. Join the pieces, then sand them even with the couplers.

1. 
   Kenneth | Sep 10, 2008 06:23pm | #5

   Scott,

   Thanks for the reply.  See my reply to Chris.