Bandsawing a short section of log into a rough circular blank for turning is a hazardous endeavor. Because the log is unstable, the blade tends to grab, increasing the possibility of it breaking or causing injury to the operator’s hands. The system I suggest is considerably safer and particularly useful for those turners who use a pin chuck drive because the blank is ready to mount on the chuck right after it’s cut.

The drawing shows the details of the fixture. It consists of a 3/4-in. plywood base and a turned post that is tenoned, wedged and glued to the base. The post should be sized to fit your pin chuck. The cutout in the base allows the fixture to be pushed close to the blade for sawing out small bowl blanks.

To use the fixture, drill a hole in the log and mount it on the post. Place the fixture on the bandsaw table with the side of the log against the side of the blade (see the drawing), and clamp the base of the fixture to the saw table. Then, just rotate the log on the post to cut a circular blank

A. D. Goode, Sapphire, N.S.W, Australia

Fine Woodworking Magazine, December 1990 No. 85

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