Turning 'tall' things

I've a small lathe, a Jet 12-36 if I recall correctly and have been giving some thought to making a few 'tall' items. From my readings here and elsewhere getting a deep hollowing system seems the most common route. But as there are several ways to remove the pelt from a feline so may there be several ways to turn 'tall' things. Sitting in my easy chair the other night I thought about making a tall vessel, something to hold chopsticks. I lack a deep hollowing system so got to thinking that I turn a bowl with the rim designed to accept a top that would be perhaps 2 inches high and fit the rim of the aforementioned bowl. Atop this top would be another top and so on until I reached the desired height/depth/tallness. The fits would not be poppin' tight but would be close and the whole structure connected with superglue. I would glue two together, turn to clean up inside and out; glue on another segment and turn again to clean up. Has anyone gone this route?

Reply to
Kevin
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The "turn to clean up" step may be a problem. Appropriate joint design can miss that. Assembled pieces often become less rather than more clean when glued up and re-turned, if support is lacking.

Sounds to me like the direct route to what you want to turn would be a steady rest to hold the open end (work with the tailstock as long as you can, first). Home-made versions are quite possible (and in same cases better than come purchased versions that lack rollers/bearings). Skateboard wheels are your friends here.

However, for something of modest depth (which a chop-stick vase would be, in my estimation, unless you have very large chopsticks) simply getting a solid mount on a faceplate and going should be sufficient. Work from the rim to the base so that you have maximum support when working at the far end of the piece. You can also make a plug for the open end to provide tailstock support when turning the outside. So - mount to faceplate - given typical grain orientation, perhaps a waste plate on the faceplate, with scrap wood boxing the squared stock, and glue as well as screws in the (wasted) section of stock at the base. Or some serious chuck jaws if you are a chuck person...

Mount, bring up tailstock, rough exterior not reducing base diameter. Can finish-turn upper exterior at this point if desired. Put a drill chuck with forstner or brad-point bit in the tailstock, bore out most of the waste, or at least a starting hole as deep as you want to go. Pull back or remove the tailstock, dive in with gouges/scrapers/oland to hollow the interior. Go easy, since you don't have any support out here (unless you built or got a steady rest) and are a long way from the chuck/faceplate. You'll also be forced to work with quite a bit of overhang unless you have some interesting tool-rests. Long gouge handles are good here - so is keeping your chin out of the line of fire.

Put a conical plug in the opening and replace the tailstock for support. finish turning the outside and part off.

Use cheap stock for a few practice pieces to improve your odds with more expensive stock.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

For pencil holders I mount on a chuck and finish turn the outside with tailstock in place. Then I bore it out with forstner bits. I turn the largest bit deep enough to get a registration for later. Then one about 1 inch smaller and drill about half an inch deeper. Then a smaller one, and so on. The final bit is 1 inch diameter and there is enough room for the drill chuck to drill it to the final depth. Then I start with the next larger and drill to final depth, until the last one. With low speeds it is possible to drill this way and have an inside ready to sand. Of course there is the dimple in the bottom, but for a pencil holder who cares?

This way the drill bit stabilizes the entire turning, which would be difficult using a hollowing tool (for me, anyway).

Reply to
Gerald Ross

Kevin - the advice to drill rather than use hollowing tools is good.

the 12-36 is a nice lathe, but it isn't super-duper rigid, and as you hollow you will need the rigidity - if you are OK with straight sides (on the inside), what I would do is rough turn the outside, then drill the inside and clean it up and finish it - make a plug and hold with the tailstock while you shape and finish the outside - this is the opposite of "normal practice" but it puts you in a position to suffer much less vibration

Reply to
Bill Noble

Look up "segmented turning" What you're proposing is reinventing the wheel and probably not going to give you the desired result..

You can either build the whole thing at once (see staves) or build a stack of hollow rings, glue together, mount on a faceplate and clean up, mostly with sanding..

if you decide to hollow a solid piece, experiment with a bowl gouge laying on it "side" at different angles... With a bit of practice, you can run a bowl gouge straight in to hollow and clean up the walls..

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

In a manner of speaking, a Forstner bit acts as a steady rest while it is drilling. That's the best suggestion that has been made. Carrying it a bit further, after you bore out the inside, you can pull back the bit near the mouth, and leave it there while you finish the outside.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Tennis ball on the tailstock works for me.. Or whatever size ball fits the purpose..

How ya doing, Leo?

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

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