Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | Oct 24, 2007 01:00am | #1

   Guy,

   You'll find that it depends on the length of said rod. The longer they are, the whippier they get, and so more difficult to turn- windsor chair spindles are a case in point, around 5/8-3/4" dia at the large end, to maybe as small as 1/4" at the small end (and often these are whittled rather than turned). If you google "lace bobbins" , you will see some fairly small turnings.  They are typically about 4-5" long, and no larger than 3/8-1/2" at their largest diameter, often 1/8" dia. or smaller where the thread is wound.  

   Ray 

2. 
   saschafer | Oct 24, 2007 01:50am | #2

   To expand on Ray's reply: The "whippiness" goes approximately linearly as the length of the rod (twice as long means twice as whippy) and inversely as the square of the diameter of the rod (one-half the diameter means four times as whippy).

   The modulus of elasticity (the "stiffness") of wood varies from species to species, but not by a huge amount--less than a factor of two overall for domestic species. (However, there are some tropical hardwoods that have remarkable rigidity.) Hardwoods aren't necessarily stiffer than softwoods. A "hard" domestic softwood like longleaf pine is considerably stiffer than a "soft" domestic hardwood like aspen.

   -Steve

    

3. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 24, 2007 02:04am | #3

   I'm not a 'turner' but I have worked alot with a metal lathe and we had what I call a 'Lathe Steady Rest'. I have turned very long and thin metal parts using one or several supporting the item being turned..

   Maybe you can search in here on on the web for ideas if wood turners use such a thing.

4. 
   philip | Oct 24, 2007 10:14am | #4

   Guy, in addition to what has been said already: the type of tool and how you employ it also has a bearing on how slim a rod you can turn.
   There is one way to arrive at a temporary answer to the question- cut some slim billets and start turning them.....

   Philip Marcou
5. 
   KeithNewton | Oct 24, 2007 06:37pm | #5

   Glynn, If you are out to turn some thin spindles say for a chair back, you can also make them using a shaper or router with a half-round cutter. You can even do tapers with a cutter of the same diameter as the large end. You end up with a football shape on the other one, but it is easy to dress that on down with a block plane.

1. 
   user-198412 | Oct 24, 2007 08:43pm | #6

   Hi folks <!----><!----><!---->

   Thanks for the feed back but I think it might be beneficial to show you what I would like to replace.<!----><!---->

   What do you think of my chances?

   Glynn

   
1. 
   saschafer | Oct 24, 2007 09:43pm | #7

   I don't think it's impossible, but I think a dowel cutter would be easier:

   View Image

   -Steve

    

2. 
   JiminFla | Oct 24, 2007 09:43pm | #8

   Glynn,

   It's going to be very hard to turn a piece of wood a couple of feet long to a diameter that small. Lee Valley sells a spindle steady that helps a lot with narrow turnings, but even with that I don't think you will be able to prevent it from bowing.

   Jim

1. 
   user-198412 | Oct 24, 2007 09:58pm | #9

   Jim

   It doesn't have to be long just 6in should do.

   I must admit i'm not too sure how well it would hold up but it might be worth a go.

   They Dowel Cutters look quite good but really just want to play with the lathe.

   Glynn.

1. 
   JiminFla | Oct 24, 2007 10:43pm | #10

   I took a one-day course at the Woodcraft store near me when I started working on the lathe and it taught me the basics so I didn't scare the bejezus out of myself the first time the gouge caught.  After that I read several books and practiced a lot on scraps and it worked out OK.

2. 
   philip | Oct 25, 2007 09:18am | #13

   Guy, even for a beginner there should be no problem in turning a piece only six inches long between centres-something like 1/2 inch diameter.
   Don't know about suitability for that mirror, though.Philip Marcou

2. 
   Ckenney | Oct 25, 2007 10:00pm | #18

   In Richard Raffan's videos/books, he shows how to turn very small diameter rods using a skew chisel. Basically, he supports the spindle by holding one hand on the opposite side to support it, using that hand's thumb to control the skew.Not that I can do that comfortably, yet.(Then again, he also uses a shallow spindle gauge to hollow out end grain in about two seconds. I swear he produces those videos at George Lucas's Industrial Lights and Magic!)

1. 
   Napie | Oct 26, 2007 03:35pm | #20

   That hollowing technique is not that hard.  I make a lot of boxes in addition to bowl turning and it really works.  The hard part is to understand that the cutting edge is actually at the two o’clock position.  It seems counterintuitive to cut upside-down.

   <!----><!----> <!---->

   Raffan’s videos are great.

6. 
   woodtrner | Oct 25, 2007 06:58am | #11

   I have a gobblet turned by stuart batty that has a stem 12 inches long and approx, 1/16 inch in diameter. He turned it freehand . I watched him do this at a symposium in Provo Utah.

   There are steady rests (check out oneway website for example) that would allow you to turn a relatively long piece to a fairly thin diameter. But as anything in woodturning, it will take a lot of practice.

1. 
   philip | Oct 25, 2007 09:15am | #12

   Aiyaiyai, you woodturners are worse that fisher men.....(;)
   (I think you meant to say that the wall thickness of the "glass" was 1/16th-which is quite thick for that sort of turnery)Philip Marcou

1. 
   joinerswork | Oct 25, 2007 03:45pm | #15

   philip,

   I once turned a 1/4" dia. ball with a 1/16" dia. tenon, 1/4" long, for a restoration job.  I'm glad it wasn't 12" long.

   Ray

2. 
   woodtrner | Oct 27, 2007 07:18am | #21

   I've been turning for over 30 years and I think I know the difference between a stem and a goblet wall. For proof see http://www.swflwoodturners.org/StuartBattyDemo.html

    

1. 
   philip | Oct 27, 2007 08:42am | #22

   Keep your hair on , really, I wasn't questioning your knowledge of goblet and stem.... All I was saying, and still am saying , is that a wood turning 12 inches long by 1/16th of an inch is stretching it a bit: certainly the stem in the picture looks much thicker than 1/16th.Philip Marcou
   P.S. But thanks for the link- that steady is really simple and neat.

   Edited 10/27/2007 1:46 am by philip

7. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Oct 25, 2007 03:09pm | #14

   Glynn,

   I was perusing some of my older issues of FWW last night (#38 to 40?) and stumbled upon a Method(s) of Work that might intyerest you. 

   The person used a low angle block plane, skewed at 45° to turn thin cylinders.  He held it in his right hand and used his left hande as the rest to stabilize the stock.

   Might work for you.

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

    

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

8. 
   Steinmetz | Oct 25, 2007 04:56pm | #16

   Glynn. As small as a toothpick with short lengths .

   If you intend to turn long slender pieces, you'll need an attachment for the lathe called a Steady Rest It mounts on the lathe bed and supports the turning, so that it doesn't flex and wobble as you turn.

   Steinmetz. Guy Forks??? is your birth day coming up (Nov 5th??

   Ed.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 10/25/2007 10:07 am ET by Steinmetz

1. 
   user-198412 | Oct 25, 2007 08:15pm | #17

   Dear Ed.

   <!----><!----> <!---->

   No it has just passed; last week in fact.

   I don’t know where I got Guy Folks from I think it has something to do with burning a lot of scrap wood (which I seem to produce a lot of).

   <!----> <!---->

   Glynn<!----><!---->

1. 
   Steinmetz | Oct 26, 2007 12:26am | #19

   I was a little 'tongue in cheek' when I asked about your birthday,Glynn, I thought everyone in GB knew of Guy Fawkes day Nov 5th