Turning - Page 19 of 24

The simple lawnmower-wheel fixture sketched above has made featherboard hold-ins obsolete in my shop. I have two: one as shown and the other a mirror image of the first. I…

In the Southern Appalachian mountains we turn dowels and rungs from stock that's been riven with a froe, then cleaned up with a hatchet or drawknife. With the device sketched…

Here is an easy method of using the bandsaw to make tenons on round pieces such as chair rungs. Take out the saw's miter gauge, put it in backwards (with…

This jig routs accurate and consistent flutes on tapered turned legs. The jig is a U-shaped plywood channel as wide as your router base, mounted to the lathe bed. Dimensions…

Here is an effective mandrel for turning the outside contours of bracelets. You'll need an arbor (made for using buffing and grinding wheels on the lathe), a rubber stopper and…

The homemade stabilizer device shown above allows me to turn four-poster beds and architectural columns on my 9-ft. lathe. The stabilizer eliminates the whipping and vibrating that accompany long-stock turning.…

I frequently turn pieces that I have drilled out or turned hollow. To support these pieces for further turning and finishing, I use this large-diameter bull-nose tailstock. To make it,…

I needed a lathe chuck to hold work without screw holes. This shopmade expansion chuck is invaluable for turning small trays, dishes and vases. A single 1/4-in. machine screw pulls…

Turning copies of a spindle on a hand lathe can be tedious work. Templates, gauges and other gadgets help but don't substantially increase speed and accuracy. In contrast, this method,…

The sketch above shows the thickness-sander lathe attachment I made to sand dulcimer tops and sides. The design is similar to the sanders shown in Fine Woodworking #21, p. 50,…