Split Turning - Advice Needed

Oct 01, 2003 3 Replies
R

I need to do a long split turning and need some advice on holding the timber together and splitting it apart please. When I say "long" I mean around



750mm x 70 - 75mm thick. Thankfully it'll only be two pieces to glue together but nevertheless it's still pretty long. I've looked through the archives and the brown paper/PVA glue combination seems to be a popular and safe choice. However, I still have some concerns . . .


- Is 750mm too long to turn safely as a split turning?



- Is the brown paper/PVA glue join the best one to use in this instance?



- Having slaved away and produced a beautiful split turning (yeah, right!), how do I then split it without having knife/chisel marks in the end - which, depending on the final design might well be quite delicate?



- Would it be a good idea to make it with a couple of inches waste on each end, glue only the ends together and then use parcel tape to keep the rest together, removing a few inches of tape at a time as I need to turn it and then taping it back up once that portion of turning/sanding is done (although I'm not sure how I mark it out accurately if it's all covered in tape)?



Thanks in advance as always.



Kind regards



Ron Headon Swindon, England


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A

Comments inline below...

aka about 2.5 feet long. Not a problem at all. I've done much much longer.

It's a great way to go. Do a good job of gluing and it'll be strong enough of a bond to stay together while turning but yet easily enough to split apart later.

You've alluded to the answer below...

Leave yourself a couple of inches on each end for waste. This are two particular reasons for this in relation to split turning:

  1. It allows you to have a good bond on either end of the turning. You can go even further in the strength department by using a tape on the outside or even nailing / screwing the two halves together at the ends only. No need to tape in the middle of your piece. The glue bond is fine there.
  2. Allows you to start the splitting process in a waste area. I usually use just a wide bench chisel and pry it open gently starting at the ends. The marred area is in that waste area at the ends. I'll then trim the end of the pieces from the waste areas afterwards. Sometimes, I'll use a large thin knife to split it so I can get even pressure by grasping it with both hands ... one hand on each end of the blade.

Have fun,

- Andrew

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D

What about hose clamps? If your lathe is long enough, you could glue a couple inch bond on each end and then hose clamp the rest of it, moving the clamps to rounded areas as you create them, starting by turning the ends.

Derek

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C

...with a piece of leather or rubber under the clamp to keep from marking the wood.

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

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