rolling pin

Make a "French" style rolling pin and skip the hole. I'm not sre whether this style is actually especially prevalent in France, but that's what I've always seen it called in the US. Long narrow in with taper ends - user rolls on the tapers, rather than grabbing handles.

Drill the hole first, then turn the pin with the hole in the middle.

Glue up the turning block - before gluing up, rout a half-round in each half, line them up, perfect hole.

Parabolic bit.

D-bit (search the archives, detailed instructions have been given in the this group in the past).

With any of the drilling methods, drill half-way from each end and the ends will come out right (but you have to hope the middles meet - on the other hand, it's half the distance to go out of whack).

Do like the pepper mill turners do: Go to the Goodwill store and get an old rolling pin, and use the hole out of that one.

If you feel you need handles, drill the hole first, then turn with a mandrel as drive and a large tapered live centre at the other end (don't go mad with tailstock pressure or you might split the stock).

Anything I turn needing a central hole has the hole drilled first, whether it's a through hole or a blind hole. I did it that way when I first started because I didn't know any better, and continued because I'm still convinced it's the easiest way - with smaller stuff, anyway. I have a boxful of hardwood mandrels turned to suit, and it only takes a few minutes to make a new one. A bolt in a jacobs chuck (with a rubber tap washer for friction) is sometimes enough.

But why a hole in the first place? Here in S.Scotland/N.England, I've made a few rollings pins on demand, and they've all been plain cylinders - some ends slightly domed, some turned down to decorative integral knobs. Most professional cooks/bakers here seem to use the flat of their hands to drive a very plain rolling pin - there seems to be more control. In fact, SWMBO has just chipped in with her opinion that she's only ever used a plain wooden roller as handles/holes, etc, must be difficult to clean and sound like a bit of a hygiene risk.

John

Try using a smaller bit for a pilot hole to the half-way point, then approach from the other end. Check that the two holes line up with better than 50% congruency; if not, set aside the wood for potential pepper-mills and start again. If the pilots line up fairly well /then/ rebore to correct size.

Also, drill /very/ slowly and remove frequently to clear the bit; here I use an old screwdriver to check for direction. It's possible to true a wandering pilot at this stage, but it takes a lot of time, care and luck...

For items up to about 12" I guesstimate a 70% success rate with lamp standards, etc; anything over that and it drops off quickly

Good luck!

I've made a few rolling pins, but all were one solid piece without any mechanism. But I've made other items which require a perfectly-centered hole. In that case, I drill the hole first, then use the hole as a center to turn the piece. I know there are gun barrel drills (or are these reamers?) used in metal lathes. No matter how careful I tried, I had not been able to drill a perfectly-centered hole (I'll be looking for any words of wisdom on this topic!)

gun drills and reamers are 2 seperate but equal tools

a gun drill bit is a long slender "V" shaped implement

when using a gun drill, much like a lathe, the drill bit is mounted in the headstock and the workpiece is pushed into the bit

HTH Otto

used in metal lathes. No matter

Nobody's hit mine yet, but short hole in each end, hole through the shorter handle, the entire captured by a turned dowel with a head.

I don't believe anyone's asked the most important question yet:

What type of bit are you using? A forstner bit would be my first choice as they cut very cleanly and don't tear out the entrance. Second choice would be a brad-point. Standard bits will frequently wander.

Not very clear on why you need a through'n'through hole. The handled rolling pins I've seen use something that looks like pins that fit snugly into the holes and have hand pieces that freely rotate and are captured by a head on the handle pin.

BTW, anyone know why the gadget is called a rolling *pin*?

Rather suspect it has something to do with similarity to a belaying pin or the pins used to hoist anchor with a capstan.

Good point. I use a centre-point for the pilot then a home-made boring bar. I prefer an old .22 barrel w/carbide inserts but that's a bit oversize for a rolling pin...

Would a forstner cope with the needed depth? I think an extension bar'd introduce an element of 'wobble', causing more risk of wander?

AFAIK, Old or Middle English word pinn meant a peg of any kind, usually wooden. Hence rolling pin, nine pins, belaying pin, cotter pin, etc.

Not forgetting pin number - a security device invented by someone with a wooden head...

John

You don't need a hole all the way threw the main blank... Make your handles the pieces with the hole all the way through them then turn a pices that had a dowel like pin and a knob on the end. Glue this piece into the two holes on the ends of the main part(rolling pin) and your handles will spin around this part not the rolling pin. Understand? if not email me and I will send you better directions..

YOu can also see my exlanation here:

I've been watching this thread for a few days but didn't have anything to add until now. I was just cleaning out my desk drawer and found a sketch I had made some time in the dim past. In a kitchen store, somewhere, I found a number of rolling pins made by the Vic Firth company. Their primary product is drum sticks but... Anyway, take a look at

Bill

Christ> You don't need a hole all the way threw the main blank... Make your handles

Are you using a drill chuck on the tail stock?? the hole should be VERY centered, especially if you have trued the whole pin up first.. I'm guessing that you might need a steady rest, also??

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I asked the wife why a rolling pin has handles... (and I should have thought of this) and she said it was to keep the heat of your hands from melting the shortening in the pie crust..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Hi Bill,

Having nothing to add never stops me. The standard rolling pin design of my youth was seen every Sunday in the funny papers; the weapon Maggie used to get Jiggs attention. Recent generations, nevermind, too tedious to bother explaining. :) What about a quintuple purpose rolling pin/spurtle/drumstick/baton/knock-out bar? That way the baker like greasy Joan he doth stir the pot and roll the dough, days. Then like Gene Krupa (again nevermind) he doth beat the drums and lead the band, nights. (those old drummers may have also stirred a different kind of pot) As for the knock-out bar, he used it while turning another pin/stick on his Stubby.

Yep, I've swilled my first holiday Bud, but never a fifth on the fourth. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

mac davis wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I don't understand your statement here, Mac. If the rolling pin is sufficiently long, this is still not a problem. Maple doesn't conduct heat all that well anyway.

The rolling pin we most often use is a simple maple cylinder, ~2"d, 18" long, purchased at a snooty kitchen store, in the days before woodworking became an obession^H^H^H^H^Hhobby.

Patriarch.

The length would take care of it, probably, mine doesn't have handles and it's cherry. As for the heat of the hands, that's critical if you want a flakey crust. The dough and everything else should be COLD, that's why stone rolling pins as so well liked by bakers.

Dave in Fairfax