Wood Lathe limitation question
Yankee woodcrafter
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
Hello everyone! I am literally going out on a limb asking this. Please don’t laugh. I build furniture out of standing dead locust. I use the whole log or branch and have used a tenon cutter to put them together. I’m now building rocking chairs and I need a tenon on both ends of a stick (branch) which are true to each other. The tenon cutter and drill motor thing is not perfect so I’m wanting to try it on a lathe. These branches are not straight. I’ll be out of balance for sure. So here is my question… Am I asking to much from the lathe? Is this just plain stupid? Is there a better way? Any and all replies will be welcome. Thank you! John
Replies
Limitations
There is an arcade game called whack-a-mole, which has evolved into whack-a-goth in TV advertizing. I could also envision one called whack-a-turner involving unstraight pieces in a lathe. ;-)
Although turning irregular pieces on a lathe is possible by greatly reducing rotational speed, I suspect that using a jig of some sort that holds the irregular stock may be a better (and, safer) approach.
Hello Ralph, thanks for the reply! Low rotation speed, yes. I'm having trouble seeing a jig though. I was thinking of a counter weight of some sort, attached firmly to the piece. I'm hoping to find someone who has dealt with this and can set me straight. If there is any way you describle this jig to me that would be wonderful. What I'm wanting to do is dangerous to me and the lathe, this I know. I won't try to hold anyone responsible for they're idea's. John
Visions of . . .
. . . sugar-jigs, dancing in their heads . . . ;-)
I'm envisioning a long-ish clamping jig that would hold the branch in place, and have guides at both ends that would index a block on which the drill motor and tenon-cutter would be mounted. Once the branch is clamped, both ends at the same height, the drill-holding block is slid forward, cutting the tenon at the same orientation on both ends.
I might be over-thinking this, however. I suspect the early makers of rustic furniture used an Apalachian version of Zen to position their brace-mounted tenon cutters just right.
Hey Ralph... Yeh, Zen... lmao! I'm finding it's a real trick to do! My dad taught me to figure it out and just do it so... Wood hacker has been very creative! Thaanks Mr Hacker... I've done a few jigs... way to detailed and mixed results unless I had a welder and all this other crap tp make a 10' jig... I'm thinking something simple... I hope! Keep thinking and I respect your wisdom! 2 or 10 heads are better than 1. We will not be defeated. there has to be something simple...
turning tennon on out of balance piece
tried posting a technique here which will work for what you're after, but got blocked by the site spam blocker for some reason.
sent you a private message
Chuck it up in the lathe
set the speed to low. Stand aside and turn it on-this is not rocket science....although in this case it might be....
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