Replies

1. 
   lat_axe | Sep 20, 2020 05:04pm | #1

   Veritas are making mini versions of many of their tools at 1/3rd the normal size. If you can persuade them to make a mini ruler, the 50 inches on it might be shrunk to a sub-36 inch length!

   The only difficulty will be that the resulting spindle will have to go on a 1/3rd size piece. On the other hand, this will save wood.

   Lataxe (the full size one).

2. 
   Rob_Sp | Sep 20, 2020 07:31pm | #2

   This used to be a serious and useful forum. But to answer your question, assuming it is sincere... You certainly can. Depending on the profile, you can break the piece where a transition allows, turning a tenon on one piece and boring a matching hole using a drill chuck in the tail stock on its mate. Then gluing the two together.

   
3. 
   mikaol | Sep 20, 2020 07:45pm | #3

   Rob, there's an old saying - "Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive."
   Mikaol

4. 
   Rob_Sp | Sep 20, 2020 07:51pm | #4

   Thanks for the advice! :-)

   
5. 
   mikaol | Sep 20, 2020 07:55pm | #5

   Or you could just glue it

6. 
   john_c2 | Sep 21, 2020 06:42am | #6

   There are two options. Get a bed extension and make your lathe longer, or design the turning to have a break, as illustrated above, and then join the two parts together.

7. 
   James.Davenport | Sep 21, 2020 10:59pm | #7

   Thanks. I assumed that these were the only two options. Unfortunately, the spindle I need to turn was to have no break, but it does now!

8. 
   rob_ss | Sep 22, 2020 03:54am | #8

   Needs must where the devil drives!
   It can be quite hard to turn the tenons to an exact match, so I bore the mortice with a forstner bit, then turn the tenon to match the exact size.
   You can make a handy gauge for this by drilling a hole in some thin MDF or ply using the same tool, then cutting it in half on the table saw. Make sure you go exactly in the middle though!

9. 
   lat_axe | Sep 22, 2020 05:35am | #9

   For round-tenon M*T joinery one of these is a very handy item for turning the tenon to an exact diameter.

   https://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/woodturning/measuring-tools/sizing-gauges-callipers/h970000-sizing-tool

   The accuracy to which you can form the diameter of the round tenon is determined entirely by the accuracy with which you can measure and set the distance of the nose of this tool to the edge of the parting tool that turns off the wood. I generally aimed for and achieved to +/- 0.1 mm in green wood. Tighter tolerances may be possible with dried timber.

   You can use a matching drill bit as the measure on which to set the tool, although I always did a double check with a vernier on both tool gap and drill bit diameter.

   I had and used one for green woodworking items that involved round-tenon M&Ts - runged chairs and stools. It enables consistency, accuracy and any size you like (up to 3 inches diameter, at least - although mine were generally around 5/8 - 3/4" (16 - 19mm).

   Alas, no room for a lathe in my current workshop (or much else in the way of large machinery) so the lathe and all its tooling have been long gone to ebay now.

   Lataxe

10. 
    Rob_Sp | Sep 22, 2020 04:49pm | #10

    Just bore a hole in a piece of scrap. turn the tenon on the end of your section a little fat and then sneak up on it using your scrap as a gauge if it is a one off. For cutting multiples then I would second Lataxe's suggestion of the Sorby tool. It is quick and accurate. Like Lataxe I set the gap using a Vernier or digital caliper, then make a test cut on scrap and tweak if necessary until it is correct. I also typically use a skew to make a peeling cut to get it close to finish diameter, the closer the better before using the sizing tool. One more word of caution, this tool takes a bit of practice, you want to grind your parting tool or bedan square, you have to keep an even backward pressure on it while cutting, and you have to keep it square to your work- for me I concentrate on keeping the shavings coming off the tool even as I work along the length of the tenon.
    Good Luck
    Rob

11. 
    [email protected] | Apr 30, 2021 10:25am | #11

    Making sure the mortise is sized and centered is also a treat. Unless perfect smoothing the intersection is difficult. Turners have local clubs and one of them usually has a monster lathe