Big Blue's Last Job

Bill Grumbine

Member
Messages
252
Location
Kutztown PA
Greetings all

Some of you know, after eight years of faithful service, my Poolewood lathe is leaving for a new home. The new owner is picking it up on Saturday. I turned my last job on it this morning, a job that literally let the lathe go out with a bang!

I had a customer call me earlier this week to ask if I could turn some 8" x 8" Douglas fir posts. They were short pieces, finishing out to 15" long, but he wanted some extra left on them for affixing them to the beams where they would be installed. I told him it was either now or the end of September, since that is when the Robust is due to arrive. He told me he wanted them round. How hard could that be?

When he arrived with a measured drawing from the architect, I saw how hard it could be. The shape was simple enough, but they weren't exactly round. They had to have a square to round transition, requiring a pommel cut. Now, I have made pommel cuts by the thousand, and teach and demo them on a regular basis. But this was going to be the mother of all pommel cuts! The architect had specified a transition from the 8" square (7 1/2" actually, since this is dimensional lumber) to 5" round! Fortunately for me, he brought spares.

dougfirpost01.jpg


The total reach for this cut was 3 1/2", accounting for the slight curvature. I got two done with my wee little 1 1/4" skew with the short handle I keep meaning to lengthen. But I blew two up as well, and of course, it was on the finishing cut for that very part, that cut where you look at the thing and say to yourself, "I'm going to take just one more cut and it will be perfect!"

dougfirpost03.jpg


This is what perfect looks like when you don't quite get it. So, off to Woodcraft I went, and returned home with the biggest skew they had, an Alan Lacer model. I don't care much for the curved edge, but that is easy enough to fix. At any rate, a little honing, and I was able to complete the last post without any more bone jarring, blood pressure raising catches. I had these things on a faceplate, and the catch in the picture above was enough to bend every single screw holding the thing on. I was very happy that no damage was done to the lathe, only the wood and my ego.

Thanks for taking a look.

Bill
 
Boy that does look like a lot of work!

Bill Grumbine said:
..........."it was on the finishing cut for that very part, that cut where you look at the thing and say to yourself, "I'm going to take just one more cut and it will be perfect!"

Boy ain't that the truth! :rofl: :rofl::D

Sorry to see the Poolewood go, but I'll enjoy watching you get acquainted with the Robust! :thumb:
 
OUCH! I just about scared myself looking at the picture. I'm sure I would have needed to change my shorts if I had been there!:eek:


Wes
 
Well the biggest scare was the fear of breaking something on the lathe just three days before the new owner comes to get it. I have had no reason to curse this machine, and it has always performed well for me, but the opportunity to move "up" to the Robust was too good to pass up. I will have more swing, more HP, more bed length, and a few other goodies which I am eagerly anticipating. You should have seen the look on my customer's face when I told him I was selling the lathe for a bigger one! :eek:
 
I'll be waiting to hear all about the Robust.

I've been looking in that direction also and have been wanting to take a ride to Barneveld to see one in person. It's only about 60 miles. If I do get one I can at least save shipping charges.

Karl
 
Bill....just how big of pens ARE you going to turn on your new lathe, hmmmm?:D



That "catch" thing.........That's why I don't turn. I'm positive that I would end up with a lathe tool jabbed into some part of my body and end up with a dislocated shoulder, a broken bone or two and maybe even a new ear hole. :D:D:D

Glad you're okay Bill.
 
Bill, sorry to see the pictures of the catch, but on the other hand, it's reassuring to know it doesn't only happen to us amateurs. ;) Congrats on a great new lathe, too. I'm jealous already, and you don't even have in in hand yet. :)
 
Just curious, Bill, why don't you like the round edge on the Alan Lacer skew?

Is a straight edge better somehow? or just personal taste?
 
Bill....I got my first lessons on turning pommels when I turned the spokes for Dave Richard's sail boat wheel. 3 pommels IIRC on each of 8 spokes. It was a lesson!

Nicely done and thanks for letting us greenhorns know that somebody with your experience runs into problems once in while too!

Nice BIG JOB!
 
Bill, your monster catch reminds me of one of Alan Lacer's (I think) videos where he recommends mounting the workpiece so a catch will stop the rotation of the piece. I'm sure this was for learning how to use a skew but maybe some method of allowing slip when a gouge or skew digs in could prevent bent screws and worse??? Have you ever seen a system like that?
 
Clark, I have used that method many times in the past for teaching people to turn spindles. It involves the use of a dead center for the drive center, and generates just enough friction to keep a piece moving. It would not come close to spinning a block of wood 8" square by itself, much less one with a tool applied to it. Besides, who wants to spend three or four hours turning one of these things when 20 minutes will do? :D
 
Bill,

Yikes! I'm going to print out the picture of that catch and tape it up next to my lathe, just to remind me that such things happen even to the best turners...

Might just lead to reaching my goal of have fewer curse words in my shop... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
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