1. Home
  2. Woodturning Crafts
  3. Making long thin wood rods

Making long thin wood rods

I had to make 55 decent miniature bird house perches in a hurry. To prepare long thin wood rods for feeding thru a hollow headstock chuck I tried pulling squares thru a die, also turning down with a skew and string and travelling steady rests, also skewing between a chuck and a 'pulling' tail center. None were very efficient for me. Locally, I couldn't find any satisfactory thin commercial rods or dowels, neither wood nor fiberglass, (nor bamboo twigs 'G') were attractive. Maybe I could have stained them, but no time.

Anyway, I ended up cutting mahogany spindle blanks to about 1/8" square on a sled & bench saw. Then holding in a drawbarred headstock Jacobs chuck and supporting the FREE tail end with my fingers to prevent whipping, I 'turned' to size and finish with sandpaper pinched around the blanks and run back and forth. I used grits beginning with 60 and thru 300. It worked for me.

This method may have been 'too much sugar for a dime' and there's probably a faster and more efficient way to make long thin rods from my choice of wood. What method do you suggest or have used efficiently?

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

formatting link

Reply to
Arch
Loading thread data ...

Using a skew and string? Do you mean a string steadyrest? They work really well for doing long goblet stems, but they take time to set up, and lots of care to make them work.

The idea of using a die sounds like it woud have promise. Were you pulling the wood through the die? I suggest feeding the wood through your chuck a few inches at a time, and running the die over it while it spins. The "whipping" free end could be fed into a drilled guide block in your tailstock. You could cut off pieces as they energe on the other side of the guide block.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Hi Arch

I just made 20 ornament bird houses, and instead of using my customary bamboo made skewers for the perches, I made them now from leftover cutoffs, held them in my little Talon chuck, just sticking out far enough to make 2 or 3 at a time, takes a lot longer than cutting a piece of the bamboo skewer, but they do look a lot better IMO ;-))

So my efficiency has gone down time wise, but the efficiency of use of material has gone up, they look better IMO ;-)), and most importantly I am more pleased with the end result.

I used some Oak, Walnut and Mulberry etc., put a drip of CA on them when turned to increase their strength and seal them up, they are smooth enough having used the skew for turning, but a quick touch with some 400 grit emery cloth was done a time or two.

Turning for me has not much to do with efficiency, it has very much to do with liking what I do, having fun and getting the end results that I am after.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Arch wrote:

Reply to
l.vanderloo

Arch, Saw an AAW demonstrator in Louisville cut 'em down close and then just pushed a machinist's hole sizer over the end using the tailstock. Came out slick as a whistle and to exact size for the hole he'd drilled. Use parting tool for your desired length.

Does that description make any sense? TomNie

I
Reply to
Tom Nie

Hi L. L. Yep, I meant string steady. For travelling steady I tried holding a skew fixed on the rest and using two fingers around the spindle. I left the the banjo unclamped to be slid along as a sort of longitudinal feed. It was N.G. for me.

Hi L. V d L. Efficiency has everything to do with turning when you've been given plenty of time and left to the last minute makng the favors for your wife's annual Christmas party for her WW2 Navy Nurse, Wave, Spar and Women Marine group. :(

Hi Tom, Your description makes good sense. I plan to try it along with the others, but I'm never going to volunteer to make 55 favors again! :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

formatting link

Reply to
Arch

Sometimes those are called dowel sizers. I've made my own from time to time. Also, I've used a dowel maker tool. I believe Woodcraft distributes them. Dan

Reply to
Dan Bollinger

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.