I’ve watched a few videos where people start with blocks. If I had a band saw I would probably shave off the corners first.
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I laugh at osha, when I was 13 I was loading lumber with a forklift. But yeah don’t risk your eyes they won’t grow back
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Rabbit hole - was looking at lathes today and ways I can improvise as I don’t have the space for an actual lathe…wonder if any of those micro/desktop lathes would work.
Also currently looking at revisiting what I attempted as a kid but with a better understanding of tools to just chuck up a couple pucks on my drill from a hole saw and spin sand.
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I have done something similar in the past. Used a bolt through a item into the drill press chuck. I recommend fairly slow speed.
I used files for initial shaping then sand paper to smooth it out.
The drill press isnt really designed to take a side load, so be careful.
Its not very accurate, but you can get decent “round” results.
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Good to know - will likely just chuck it on my cordless and secure it on a vice. Totally ghetto, will run at lower RPMs to get feel for it. Gonna start simple with your standard Duncan Butterfly-type shape.
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I made a Dado Plane from scratch. I used the above method to make the knob mechanism to raise and lower the blade.
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Wow. That’s a big chunk of wood.
Its also in spindle orientation, so you could turn it as a one-piece, but you will need a 1/8" parting tool for that.
Huh… A one-piece… I’d be tempted to try my hand at that aagain. They are very tricky to turn complex shapes with complex inner profiles and dimples etc.
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Yeah this is the kind of thing you’ll want, but it would be better to turn it in cross grain orientation (grain perpendicular to the lathe bed). End grain doesnt work as well with double sided tape. It tends to gum up easier each time to remove and replace the tape.
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Shoot, didn’t even think of that. Do you think maple would be hard enough to use for this same purpose?
Maple will be just fine.
Follow up question. The screws I used to mount this 4x4x4 block are 1 1/2” long. Do you think I ruined it by screwing it in the wrong direction? I’m worried if I start turning it after re-screwing it in the proper grain direction, I’ll accidentally shave down to the old holes.
Yeah you could run into difficultues with this. I need to see the block and the holes to give a proper assessment though.
Do you think giving it a go in the orientation it’s already in is worth a shot? Or does the end grain cause so many difficulties it’s not even worth it?
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Turning a one-piece is a lot different to the usual 3 piece yoyos. It is difficult to turn a clean one, but if you have a parting tool, you can certainly give it a shot. The KNack I posted recently is a one-piece example.
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I meant more so for turning the block into a chuck mount (idk if that’s what it’s actually called) since you mentioned the double stick tape won’t vibe too well with the open grain.
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It should work. Drilling a clean straight hole in the centre will be more difficult though.
Ah, I see. Because the grain may break? Hopefully the fresh 1/4” bit will be sharp enough to not cause any splintering. I guess if it does splinter I fall back on the block of maple I have.
Drilling into endgrain is more difficult but can still be done. Your fresh bit will certainly help. Turn a small divot right at the centre of the piece for the end of the drill bit to sit in to keep it centered and keep the lathe speed fairly fast.
Do you think it’ll help any to start thin and progressively increase diameter until I get to the desired 1/4”?