A friend had a black walnut tree removed and offered me some of the wood. The landscapers had already cut it into firewood lengths by the time I got there. I now have several 1-2 foot diameter by 18 inch long chunks. I’m thinking of trying to turn some of it into doorknobs as a practice project on the lathe (I’m just beginning to explore turning). Has anybody out there ever tried to make their own knobs for interior doors that would be willing to share their experience? Any tips or thoughts on problems that may come up (like how to attach it to the hardware inside the lockset)?
Thanks,
Loach
Replies
Loach, if you're talking about Bit Key locks, (Where the keyhole is below the knob,)
there's a possibility. Those knobs are attached to a square threaded bar called a spindle.
The existing metal (Or, glass) knobs are attached to the spindle either by screwing the knob onto the spindle's ends, and securing by setscrews.....or,on older locks, on square spindles having several threaded holes to accomodate knob screws alone.
I'm assuming the wood is not seasoned,(Dry) so any finishing turning will swell/schrink or split in time.
If you can wait for a couple of years while the wood Stablizes, (Comes to a moisture level of,say your dining room table,it could dry slowly in your barn if cut into blocks (Billets) and 'stickered ' using sticks to seperate the blanks and allow air to circulate around the wood.
It may be hurried (Somewhat) by cutting the (Green) wood in usuable blanks larger than the finished article.
If, you're describing the newer locksets, (Key in knob,) Bathroom or passage type locks,you are barking up the wrong walnut tree.
These locks don't have removable spindles and the knobs are through bolted to each other.
My advice, is to learn to turn and carve chess men or checkers or tool handles or gavels or mallets or little jewel boxes or coasters (For your scotch on the rocks
By the way, tell your neighbor his landscaper not only charged him through the nose to remove the tree, BUT he sold the wood for enough to buy a new Harley.
Stein.
Edited 8/19/2004 6:56 pm ET by steinmetz
Loach ....
I don't have much to offer with respect to turning the knobs since it would depend a lot on the type of hardware you're trying to adapt to (as has been alluded to previously). My purpose in posting in response to yours is ....
Whatever you do get the end grain sealed, cut or mill the pieces into rough blanks or do something quickly. A friend gave me a firewood lenght of some beautiful walnut. I left in in the shop for a couple weeks until I could figure out what to do with it. It checked and split for the entire 2' or so length. I got absolutely nothing out of what would have otherwise been a very nice piece of timber!
At these lenghts they're good for bowls or other types of open vessels. As you may already know .... eliminate the pith (very center core) from the blanks. Either hand split them or rip them with a chain saw along the lenght of the log. Try to 'rough turn' them as soon as you can. Leave them an inch or so thick. Put them in paper or plastic bags to control the drying process. Take 'em out now and then but don't rush things. You can also use a 50/50 dilution of green wood end grain sealer to prevent too rapid drying and help control the checking and cracking.
But whatever you do, get the logs sealed up or somehow protected from too rapid drying. My one and only experience with green walnut was a disaster because I didn't.
Congrats! Sounds like you scored some pretty nice stuff.
Oh - by the way ... don't know what you do with your shavings from your turning projects but beware of walnut in the garden or landscaping. The chemicals in some walnut species can be detrimental to other plants.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Thanks to both steinmetz and Dennis. I agree that drying the wood will be my first problem. I'm going to try tmake some turning blanks from it and see how it goes. I'll try a few bowls, and try to rough out a couple of doorknobs, and will try to seal the end grain with wax. My best thought for attaching the door knob to a lockset was to rough turn the knob leaving a flat on both ends, and then chop a small square mortise in the hardware end of it. After it has dried and been finisf turned, I could epoxy in a brass sleeve that would mate with the metal tenon that pokes into a regular knob, and try to pin the whole thing in place with a brass pin at the base.
And thanks for the heads-up about the nastiness of the shavings in the garden!
Loach
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