Hi,
I'm a recent convert to woodturning and trying to turn some replacement balusters for my 110 year old originals. They are 34" long and about
1/2" diameter at the thinnest points, turned from 1 1/4" square stock.Whip is a bit of an issue. I thought I could improve things by using oak rather than the original pine and whip is still a big issue. The surface finish looks rather like a turtle's shell - the tool is scooping out wood unevenly as the wood vibrates.
I thought I could cure the problem with a centre steady rest so I slapped down the cash for a robert sorby steady with three steel rollers and it's even worse. When I turn the lathe on there's a lot of noise - I presume that the problem is that the wood I'm steadying isn't perfectly round - because I had to rough it to circular unsupported. The result is that the wood is now vibrating from contact with the steady before I touch it with the gouge.
Depression is starting to set in - any hints on how to proceed would be much appreciated.
Dave Ipswich, UK