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Musing about little things that take inordinate time.and effort.

Here's two of mine. What doesn't go as fast for you as it seems it should?

I know _how to turn whistles that work and over closing box lids that fit just right. DIY articles, instructional sites and video 'how to's' abound, but the time and effort it takes me to 'get it right' seems out of proportion to the expected results. Practice and repetition may be the answer for some of you, but not always for me.

Getting the windows, tips, windways and fipples all matched up to produce a consistent sound for a batch of whistles takes time and is hit or miss for me in spite of trying to cut to fairly precise measurements or applying memorized brain-muscle coordination. Proprioception and all that ...yeah right! :)

Same with box lids. I often start out intending to turn a nice 'pop', but bless the ladies who like loose lids so they can remove them with one hand. Probably never happens to you. Same with a hole in the bottom like the little girl's stocking ...or just as bad, a big thick bottom. :)

Pen and bottle top making have been made relatively straight forward by easily made or reasonably priced components, jigs, predrilled exotic blanks, etc.

Why not the same for whistles and box lids? Inserted rims seem expensive and limiting to me. Any suggestions other than for me to take up another hobby and join another ng? :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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Arch
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Drumsticks - dead simple, and yet (starting, as usual, from firewood) I can only turn them for non-paying customers, as they'd be a dead loss to turn for money - in part because the "competition" is a robot, though mine are somewhat customized for particular things the mass market does not provide, I gather. The second takes 2/3rds of the time, as it has to match the first to make a pair.

Would go faster if I used square wood as a starting point, but it's against my lathe religion. As for duplicators, if I was going to go there I'd just put it on a rotary axis router and CNC it - ie, back to robots.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

You might be able to make a form tool to cut the drumming tip to be the same - it is small and unique.

Martin Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

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Martin H. Eastburn

Thanks Ec. & Martin for responding to my post, Sort of calm doldrums in my two stomping grounds these days. In Maine, between ice-out & black flies and in Florida between wild fires and hurricanes.

My son plays in a pipe & drum band and recently asked me to turn a pair of drumsticks for him. The tips are sure not as easy as they look, even turning one and as for two alike ...drats! I wonder if I could buy a used form tool from one of the robots or does anyone here know a source or could make one? If I can't make a decent wooden tip, I probably couldn't make a form tool. (:

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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Arch

As you probably know Arch, you'll find my name pronounces easier when you look at my email address (full of lowercase filler in case you want to use it), or turn the "handle" around.

The ones I make actually don't have those tips. The local drummer buys those, I turn rounded end slightly larger sticks for hitting a type of bass drum (not your felt-knob style bass drum - more like a 30 gallon oil drum with heads.) They apparently work better than using the back end of the commercial sort with tips.

I could probably grind Arch a tool for the tips, though the main problem is that they are so tiny, and normally the spindle is between centers - to cut the form you end up breaking the spindle off. I think the best way to make that type of tip would be with a collet hold and a headstock with a large headstock bore (with most of the stick down inside the headstock). For most of us the closest approximation is likely a chuck hold and a steady rest for the free end. It's still going to be tricky since the surface speed is so low at that small diameter.

One also gets good (or doesn't) at parting off to a nubbin and doing finish work on a belt or disk sander, spinning the stick. With a collet or steady-rest setup, you could do that while still on the lathe with a hand-held disk sander.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Hey Lawrence, Many thanks for your excellent advice. Didn't know about the drumstick tips and hadn't considered the slow rpm's at the tiny tips. Any info re sources for store bought tips?

Isn't that just like a crass 'dog lover' to take liberties without asking first. Next thing I'll be calling Robert, Bobby. Arrgh! Sorry about my presumption, but at least I love good coffee and dark chocolate .... and you didn't call me "Archibald"! :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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Arch

One thing on the tips and sticks. IIRC, there are a number of sizes and abilities. Like reeds for various wind instruments and mouthpiece on Trumpets.

I'd look at a web page or a catalog and see what goes.

It might be easy, one stick and different lengths (might be diameter & length) It might be easy with several tips.

Martin Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

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