Tools, jigs and accessories | Syzygy Woodworks

September 13, 2013June 17, 2017

PVC Gouge Handle with Aluminum Insert

I buy my bowl and detail gouges from Thompson Tools. They come unhandled and I have always turned wooden handles for them. I enjoy the process of turning a handle for a tool that I will be using for a number of years. However, as I have started to travel more for demonstrations, I’ve found that it is pretty challenging to pack long handled gouges. So I decided to make some new handles for my bowl and detail gouges.

A couple of years ago I saw Mark St. Ledger demonstrate at the Florida Woodturning Symposium. As well as thoroughly enjoying his demonstration, I remembered the handles he was using on his gouges. I’m not sure what he was using as an insert, but I do remember that the handle was made from PVC pipe. I decided to see if I could make something similar.

I ordered a length of 1 3/8″ aluminum round bar and also brought some 1″ Schedule 40 PVC. I chose the Schedule 40 over the other variety they had in the big box store as the Schedule 40 had thicker walls.

The first step was to cut the aluminum round bar into 2 1/2″ lengths. I did this using a v-block on my bandsaw.

I then mounted the length of aluminum round bar on my lathe using the long jaws of my chuck and drilled it. I find that I get more accurate results if I drill the hole out in increments of about 1/8″ diameter. On this particular insert I needed a hole of 1/2″ diameter. So I first drilled a 3/8″ diameter hole …

… and then drilled the 1/2″ diameter. I also used a bit of oil to lubricate the bit. The hole was drilled all the way through the aluminum round bar.

Without removing the round bar from the long jaws, the next step was to face off the aluminum using a detail gouge.

I then turned a 1 1/2″ long tenon to match the internal diameter of the PVC pipe, approximately 1″.

A test fit to make sure that I had a snug fit and PVC butted square up to the shoulder of the tenon.

I then supported the PVC pipe using a 60 degree live center in the tail stock.

I turned the section of the round bar up to the chuck jaws down to match the external diameter of the PVC pipe.

I then sanded the PVC pipe using 80 grit to get rid of the lettering on the pipe, and then worked my way through the grits ending at 180. This left a surface that felt good, relatively smooth with a bit of texture.

I reversed the round bar in the chuck jaws …

… and finished turning the nose of the insert.

Moving to the drill press I drilled a hole in the insert. I held the insert steady using a v-groove block while I was drilling.

I then tapped the hole with a 1/4 – 20 thread.

Finally, I mounted the insert back on the lathe and just cleaned up the inside of the hole again.

Completed sanding the insert and a bit of polish. All shiney 🙂

The next step was to make a hardwood plug for the other end of the handle. I chose to make this from African Mahogany, firstly because I wanted to include some wood in the handle, but also because at this stage I was pretty tired of turning aluminum. The steps to make the end plug were exactly the same as for the aluminum insert with the exception of all the drilling and tapping.

Once the hardwood plugs were made I expoxied them and the aluminum inserts into the PVC pipes, and gave the handles a couple coats of matt lacquer.

Hero shot of the completed set of handles!

The African Mahogany plugs. They look great against the white PVC.

The business end of the handles showing the aluminum inserts with socket set screw.

May 3, 2013April 28, 2013

Remote Switch for Powermatic 3520B

One of the first modifications I made to my Powermatic 3520B was a remote switch. I had one on my previous lathe and had grown comfortable with it. I like to keep the switch on the lathe bed by the tail stock, so I don’t have to reach through the “line of fire” if I need to switch the lathe off in a hurry.

Most of the instructions you find on the internet for making a remote switch involve relocating the on/off switch only. I wanted to relocate both the on/off switch and the variable speed dial. Being somewhat “electronically challenged” I also needed a simple method that didn’t involve a lot of rewiring. After much searching I finally found the following set of instructions on the AAW Forum.

http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/showthread.php?p=51600#post51600

It was pretty simple to do. Once I had sourced the various parts it took me about an hour to assemble everything. In essence all you are doing is putting a longer wire between the control panel that holds the on/off switch and speed dial ant the wires in the head stock. I have been using it for over a year now and have not experienced any problems.

I removed the control panel from the head stock and took a couple pictures with my cell phone so that I would have a reference of which wire went where.

Then I went shopping in the electric department at Home Depot.

Conduit box.

Male and female disconnects.

Spade terminals and snap connectors.

Next stop was NAPA auto parts.

10 feet of trailer wire. They did not have 5 conductor wire, so I got some 6 conductor and didn’t use one of the wires.

Total cost was around $35. $15 at Home Depot and the trailer wire cost $2 a foot.

Push the wire through the hole at the back of the head stock. Remove the grommet from the hole first. It’s a very tight fit. I couldn’t get the grommet back in the hole fully, you might have better luck.

Connect all the wires at the headstock side.

Put the connectors on the remote side of the cable. I made the red plug from some scrap rubber. Cut it to fit the conduit box and drilled a ½” hole in it to accept the cable.

I cut the back outlet thingy off the conduit box at the band saw. Then I cut a piece of scrap wood the size of the conduit box. Epoxied six ½” x 1/8” rare earth magnets into the wood and then screwed the wood to the backside of the conduit box. You need some strong magnets. The on/off switch on the control panel takes quite a bit of force to pull out and if the magnets are not strong enough you will pull the remote box off the lathe trying to turn the lathe on.

The back of the box.

I gave the conduit box and cover a coat of appliance paint and let it dry overnight. Before I painted the cover plate I drilled the holes with a ¼” bit and kinda elongated them by pulling them against the bit. The spacing on them is a little close to fit over the holes on the headstock and so some tweaking was needed.

The headstock with the conduit cover in place of the control panel.

The remote switch. It sticks in the horizontal position better than in the vertical position due to the curved sides of the lathe ways.

April 26, 2013April 21, 2013

Custom Live Center Cones

After my last post on turning a sphere using the Soren Berger Sphere Calipers, I received some queries on making the live center cup that holds the sphere during the final stage of turning the sphere. Custom live center cones are easy to make and open up many possibilities for supporting the work piece on the tail stock side. I have the Jet live center that came with my Powermatic and it has 3/4 – 10 threads on it. This is the same size as the threads on the popular Oneway live center.

To make custom live center cones you will need a 3/4 – 10 tap, a 5/8 drill bit and a 3/4 – 10 bolt around 2 1/2″ long.

Mount a block of wood in a chuck, turn it round and true up the face. It is best if the wood is mounted in a face grain orientation, as if you were turning a bowl. The threads that are tapped into the wood will be stronger with the grain orientated like this. Once trued up, drill a hole around 1 1/2″ deep with the 5/8″ drill bit.

To tap the block of wood on the lathe I use the following procedure. First lock the spindle on the lathe. Then position the tap at the mouth of the drilled hole and support the other side of it using a 60 degree live center. Most taps have a hole or dimple on this end allowing you to do this. Then comes the part that requires a bit of co-ordination 🙂 Using a wrench turn the tap and as it threads into the lathe turn the wheel on the tail stock to help drive and support the tap. It is actually a lot easier than it sounds.

You will need to tap the blank deep enough that when threaded onto the live center it bottoms out and the blank makes contact with the live center. This will help to support the live center cone, in much the same way that a blank held chuck jaws is supported by the shoulders of the jaws as well as gripped by the jaws. Check that this is the case before proceeding.

With the head removed from the 3/4 – 10 bolt, mount it in the chuck with a set of pin jaws. Now would also be a great time to release the spindle lock on the lathe!

Screw the blank onto the 3/4 -10 bolt. You did remember to release the spindle lock on the lathe, didn’t you?

The blank can now be turned to whatever shape you need. This custom live center cone will be used to support a goblet while the stem of the goblet is being turned.

The image below shows the finished custom live center cone mounted and ready for use.

A variety of custom live center cones for a variety of purposes. From left to right:

A cone to fit in the mouth of a hollow form and support it.
A cup to support a sphere.
A convex shape to support a goblet.
A cylinder to support a pepper mill.

April 12, 2013April 14, 2013

Wooden chuck jaws

I needed to make another set of wooden chuck jaws for a project I am working on. Wooden chuck jaws can be quite useful. They are quick to make, cheap and can be custom made to suit a particular project. They have the added advantage that you can hold a piece without the risk of damage from the jaws. The obvious disadvantage is they are not as strong as metal jaws, so care and thought needs to be used in their application.

With these jaws I needed to hold a sphere around 3″ in diameter, so I needed the useful depth of the jaws to be at least 1 1/2″. I say useful depth, because about 1/2″ of the jaws will be taken up by the screws attaching them to the chuck. With that in mind, the first step was to joint and glue a couple 2×4 lengths together. Once the glue had cured, I cut 4 3 1/2″ sections as shown in the image below. I planned on mounting these jaws to my Vicmarc VM120 chuck and so I also needed some M6 x 1.0 pitch screws, 20mm long, that’s about 3/4″.

Using an appropriately sized transfer punch and the regular metal jaws I marked the locations of the eight holes on the four blanks. I also numbered the blanks.

I then moved to my drill press. I drilled a 1/4″ hole at the marks all the way through the blanks. I did this from the underside of the jaws, the side that would be against the chuck, in order to reduce any alignment issues. I then flipped the blank over and drilled a 15/32″ hole almost all the way through the blanks. I set the stop on the drill press so that the drill would stop about 1/2″ from the underside of the blank. That way when the screws were placed in the hole just over an 1/8″ would protrude out the bottom of the blank.

I then moved to the bandsaw and cut the blanks to form a circle.

The blanks were then screwed to the chuck …

… the chuck mounted to the lathe, and the wooden jaws were turned round and the face trued up. Use caution, a slow speed and light cuts, until you are assured the blanks are secure on the chuck. After you have turned the jaws round, and before you true up the face, remember to transfer the jaw numbers to the outside of the jaws.

A cylindrical hole was then hollowed in the wooden jaws. Again, use caution, especially at the bottom of this hole, to make sure you don’t hit the screw heads with your gouge.

A test sphere for the project I am working on was then held securely in the jaws and hollowed.

April 2, 2013April 2, 2013

Silver solder a bandsaw blade

To my mind, one of the biggest factors in getting a good cut on a bandsaw is a sharp blade. Things like blade tension, blade guide set up etc are all important, but if the blade is not sharp you will have tracking problems, the blade will wander within the cut and you will have to force the wood through the cut. However, at $20 and up for a blade it is always tempting to use the blade long past when it should have been sharpened or replaced.

For years I have thought about the convenience and cost savings of making my own blades up. I always hesitated, worried that it would be difficult or involve expensive welding equipment. Well a couple of months ago, inspired by a Popular Woodworking article by John Wilson, I took the plunge and ordered a Bandsaw Blade Splicing Kit from Lee Valley and 100 foot coil of Lenox Flexback bandsaw blade, and started making my own blades up. I have been surprised at how quick and easy it is. The shop made blades are far cheaper as well, about $8 per blade. My only regret is that I didn’t start doing this years ago.

The image below shows everything that I use to make up the blades.

100 foot coil of bandsaw blade stock.
Bandsaw blade splicing kit including the jib, flux and ribbon silver solder. (Note: this is silver solder, not soft solder that is used for plumbing)
Propane torch.
Gloves.
Toothpick to apply the flux 🙂

First, measure and mark the blade. The blades for my bandsaw need to be 105″. Add about an 1/8″ of an inch to allow for the scarf overlap.

Cut the blade at that mark.

Hold the two ends back to back and touch them to the grinder to square them off. If you are off by a degree or so the fact that the ends were back to back will cancel that out. (This is a similar principle to joint two pieces of lumber at the same time.) You can also use a belt sander to square the ends of the blade and grind the bevel for the scarf joint.

Set the blade in the jig to double check the joints are square when the blade is aligned in a straight line.

Change the grinder platform angle to approximately 25 degrees and grind a bevel on each end. The bevel needs to be about an 1/8″ long. Note, you need to grind the bevel on opposite faces of the blade.

The image and diagram show the beveled edges. The joint is open here to try show the bevel. The joint needs to be closed tight when the flux and solder are applied and the joint is soldered together.

Place some of the flux on each bevel. Cut a piece of the ribbon silver solder the same length as the blade is wide and place it in the joint.

Using the propane torch, heat the blade until the silver solder melts and flows. The blade turns red hot at this point.

Allow the joint to cool. The metal has become hardened and brittle by the heat of the soldering, so it needs to be annealed. Back the torch away from the blade and apply heat for a few seconds, allow the blade to cool for about ten seconds, then back the torch away another inch and apply a couple more seconds heat, repeat this four or five times, drawing the torch back each time.

If the blade breaks during use, then have a look at where it broke. If it breaks at the joint, then insufficient flux or heat was applied during the soldering process. If it breaks within a coupe inches of the joint, then the blade was not annealed properly. If it breaks somewhere else, then the problem was not with the soldering of the joint.

Once the blade has cooled the joint needs to be filed smooth. Both sides of the blade and the back edge of the blade need to be filed and the surplus flux and metal removed.

The finished joint. One final note, check the orientation of the blade before you put it on the bandsaw. You may need to twist the blade inside out to get it orientated correctly. It needs to be orientated with the teeth facing toward you and pointing down.

March 24, 2013March 24, 2013

Panther Chainsaw Mill

I have been wanting to get some form of portable mill for a long time now. Portable mills can be divided into two categories, bandsaw mills and chainsaw mills. After much research, I finally settled on a chainsaw mill. My reasons for this were as follows:

Cost. An entry-level chainsaw mill costs a couple hundred dollars (not including the chainsaw), while an entry-level bandsaw mill costs a couple thousand.
Portability. The chainsaw mill is obviously considerably smaller than a bandsaw mill and so has the edge on portability.
Width of cut. Achieving a wider cut with a chainsaw mill is simply a matter of putting on a longer bar, assuming you have the power head to run it. A wider cut with a bandsaw mill starts to mean a much bigger and more expensive mill.
Waste. While the waste due to the kerf of a chainsaw is considerably more than that of a bandsaw, this was not really a major factor for me. I don’t plan on milling a huge amount of wood and I am milling the wood for my personal use, not for resale. Also the vast majority of the wood I will be milling will be reclaimed wood and won’t cost me anything so a little bit wasted due to the thicker kerf is not a big deal.
Ease of use. The bandsaw mill requires a whole lot less effort to use. Again, due to the limited amount of milling I will be doing, breaking a sweat with the chainsaw mill occasionally is not going to be a big deal.

Having decided on a chainsaw mill I needed to decide on which model/brand. Taking into account many of the reasons above I decided to get an Alaskan Chainsaw style mill. I was all set to purchase one of the original Granberg Alaskan Chainsaw Mills when I came across the Panther Chainsaw Mill. Looking through the website and searching for reviews of the mill I liked what I saw and placed my order for the Panther Mill II, along with a 6′ slabbing rail and an auxiliary oiler.

I knew that the mill was made by a small outfit, a guy based here in Florida on the other side of the state. I also read that delivery was not always quickest as the mills were made to order. I was in no hurry so that didn’t bother me. My mill actually took just over a month to arrive. I called about the order two weeks after it was placed and received an apology that he had some health issues. Another call two weeks later and I was told the mill was in production and would be shipped shortly. A couple of days later it arrived. It would have been nice to have received an email about the delay but at the end of the day it wasn’t that big of an issue.

The following are my first impressions of the mill. Actually they are also my first impressions of milling in general. This is a totally new area to me. I have done a lot of research into it, but today was the first time I’ve seen any sort of mill in real life. So bear that in mind while reading, I’m just getting started with this!

Opening the box, I saw the contents had been well packaged and it was obvious from the outset that the mill had been built well and by someone who cared about what he was doing. Just lying in the box it looked rock solid. No buyers remorse at all, I was very pleased with what I saw.

As well as the obligatory warning page, a couple of pages of assembly and use instructions had been included. They were well written and it seemed like I wouldn’t have much problem putting the mill together. It would have been nice to have had a couple more detail shots, but between the pictures and written instructions it was easy enough to figure out.

The first step was to attach the skid bar to the main body and bar clamp/height adjuster. The later came in two halves and each had already been assembled.

Next I needed to attach the push bar to the main body.

Finally I could loosen the bar clamps and slide the chainsaw into place.

Here are a couple of detail shots of the bar clamps at the tip of the bar and near the power head.

Two big bolts, one on each side of the main body, allow for the height adjustment. I initially set the assembly for an 8/4 cut.

A couple of technical specifications. I am a running a Stihl MS066 power head with a 32″ bar. I got it used on eBay from a guy in Canada. The mill is the Panther Mill II 42″, so I have the option of putting a longer bar on the chainsaw at some point in the future. The chain is a regular chain, not a ripping chain. I may be mistaken, but I did read that all a ripping chain does is provide a smoother cut. I’m not sure if it puts less stress on the chainsaw. As a lot of the wood I’ll be milling will end up on the lathe, I’m not really concerned about getting as smooth a cut as possible.

Now that it was fully assembled and all the bolts double checked it was time to head outside and put it to the test. I had been saving a log of maple for this occasion, it had probably been in my shop for about four to six months. The first step was to screw the slabbing rail to the log. This was going to provide a level and straight platform to register the first cut from.

Here are some action shots of the first cut in progress. I got a bit caught up in the moment and totally forgot to put my hearing protection on! Just left the headphones lying off to the side, my bad. Unfortunately I also miscalculated by about a quarter-inch the depth of the screws fixing the slabbing rail to the log. This after specifically reading in the instructions to watch out for this. Lesson learned. The chain was dulled by the brief contact with the screws as I realized my mistake and definitely made the cut a lot more work than it needed to be.

In spite of my rookie mistakes, the cut came out really well, and removing the slabbing rail revealed a smooth surface in the spalted maple. Here in Florida the challenge is often how to get the wood not to spalt!

Having removed the slabbing rail, the smooth freshly cut surface now provides a platform to register the next cut from. All subsequent cuts are now registered from the previous cut. I did realize to that I needed to adjust the height before the second cut as the depth had increased due to the slabbing rail not being used. Here are some action shots of the second cut.

The instructions had warned of a big grin after cutting your first slab. They were right!

All in all I’m really pleased with my purchase. I plan on using it to mill wood but for my woodturning, platters, bowl blanks, hollow form blanks and wall hangings, as well as my woodworking goal of making natural edge slab tables. I think it will work very well for what I intend to use it for.

September 13, 2010

Cutting a round log on the bandsaw

I love the smell of cedar in my workshop!

A friend gave me a couple of freshly cut cedar logs recently. The logs were fairly small diameter, about 5″ and the pith was offset quite a bit to one side. I cut the logs into 2′ lengths using my chainsaw, but did not want to split the logs using my chainsaw. I knew I would get cleaner, more accurate cuts with my bandsaw and would waste far less of the wood. I needed a safe way to cut the round logs on the bandsaw.

This is the simple jig I put together. Two pieces of scrap plywood with a couple of supporting triangular brackets.

The log is then screwed to the jig at the front and back of the jig. I made sure that the screws went into waste wood.

Set the bandsaw fence making sure that you will not be cutting through the screws! Because the log is screwed to the jig, it will prevent the log rotating while it is being cut.

Once a flat surface is established, cutting the log into spindle stock is fairly straightforward.

The end results. A bunch of 2″ to 2 1/2″ spindle stock with some beautiful color. Ready for the end grain to be sealed and then stacked and stickered to dry.

September 2, 2010

Bowl depth gauge

Ever made a lampshade out of a bowl? I’ll never admit to it, but I’ve heard of people hollowing right through the bottom of a bowl 😉

I recently turned a bowl and the bottom was a lot thinner than I liked and getting dangerously close to becoming a lampshade. So I decided to make myself a better bowl depth gauge. Something more accurate than my current method of holding my gouge at the center of the bowl, eyeballing along the rim of the bowl and then bringing the gouge up and out of the bowl to eyeball how deep I was with my hollowing. I wanted something that would be accurate, but would still be quick and easy to use.

A visit to the plumbing section of Home Depot and I returned with a couple two foot sections of 3/4″ PVC, two tee sections, a 90 degree elbow and a cap. The wooden morse taper I turned and the rifle laser was purchased off Ebay.

I cut one of the PVC pipes in half and then cut an 8″ section off the other. (The length of the 8″ section was determined by the swing of my lathe, half of 16″. I cut the other pieces to 12″ as with the current tools that I have I’m unlikely to be turning a hollow form any deeper than that.)

Depending on the laser sight you get some adaptions may be needed to one of the PVC tee pieces. In my case the diameter of my laser sight was slightly greater than the internal diameter of the tee piece.

I mounted the tee piece in the pin jaws of my chuck using a 60 degree live center to help mount it true.

Then, with the lathe speed slowed down, I drilled it out with a Forstner bit that matched the diameter of the laser.

A nice snug fit.

I turned a tenon on the wooden morse taper that matched the internal diameter of the PVC pipe and then I pieced all the parts together.

Here is the depth gauge mounted on the lathe. The wooden morse taper is inserted in the tail stock. It is not necessary to jam it into the tail stock.

Side note: With a self ejecting tail stock it is not considered a good idea to use a wooden morse taper. Click here to read a discussion on this subject.

So, throwing caution to the winds, I mount my bowl depth gauge in the tail stock. Once everything is adjusted and the laser is shining on the tip of the cap, a couple of drops of CA glue can be applied to each of the PVC joints. Don’t glue the laser into the tee piece though, at some point you will need to take it out and change the batteries 🙂 The laser sight I got has a switch to turn the laser on and off, a lot more convenient than the lasers you get from stationary stores which require you to constantly depress a button for the laser to be visible.

I’m still trying to get a good shot of the laser on the outside of the bowl. When I do I’ll update this post with a picture of the depth gauge in action.

August 30, 2010

Turning a wooden morse taper

For the technically inclined a Morse Taper #2 has a angle of 1° 25′ 50″, as gleaned from the fountain of knowledge, Wikipedia. For the less technically inclined, myself included, turning a wooden morse taper is a quick and easy project that can be done with some simple measurements.

The first step is to mount a piece of hardwood between centers, or as I have done, in a chuck with a live center at the tailstock for support. True the piece and turn it roughly to size.

Take one of your centers and transfer two marks to the piece indicating the two sides of the taper.

Set a pair of calipers to the diameter of the morse taper upper end, and using a parting tool, part into the piece until the calipers slip over the parting cut. Repeat the procedure for the lower end of the morse taper.

Make a relief cut to the tailstock side that is smaller in diameter than the lower end of the morse taper.

Turn a straight line from the larger diameter to the smaller diameter. You’ll need to sneak up on this slowly and check the line often with a straight edge. I cut up one of those plastic discount coupons to use as a straight edge.

With the piece still held in the chuck, remove the live center from the tailstock and slide the tailstock forward to check the fit of your taper. Rotate the headstock by hand while the piece is in the tailstock to identify the high spots to be turned down. Once the fit is good, round off the end of the piece.

Remove the chuck and insert the new morse taper into the headstock. You can now shape and true up the area that will be used to mount a work piece to. Wooden morse tapers are useful for holding small turnings. They can simply be glued to the morse taper. Bear in mind that there are limitations to the size of a turning as a wooden morse taper is nowhere near as strong as a metal dead center!!

Why did I need to turn a morse taper? Stay tuned 🙂

August 23, 2010

Log Processing Platform

For the longest of time I’ve been working on the ground when processing my logs with a chainsaw. I had a wooden pallet and I would position the logs on it and then cut them. It worked OK. Often I had trouble securing the logs so they didn’t move while I was cutting them, especially when they were still round. However with the use of wedges and such I normally could work around that and get the job done. And each time the job was done my back was killing me!

So I started looking for ideas as to how I could raise the logs to a more comfortable working high and hold them securely while cutting them. Finally I saw a solution in the June 2010 edition of the American Woodturner, the AAW journal.

The log processing platform was in the “Tips” section of the journal and I’m really pleased with the one I built. It holds the logs secure and steady, has plenty of room for the chainsaw to travel after the cut is complete so the chain doesn’t end up buried in the the dirt, and it raises the logs to a comfortable working height, which my back is really pleased about!

I built mine from pressure treated pine. It took about ten minutes to cut the timber to size, cut some 45 degree angles on the uprights, and then I shot it together using a framing gun and some galvanized nails. The four tall upright pieces are 32″, the two shorter upright pieces are 26″. The gap between the tall pieces is 7″ and the other gap is 4″.

Processing logs with my chainsaw is a far more enjoyable experience. Quicker, safer and less stress on my back. My thanks to the reader who submitted this tip to the AAW Journal.

Category: Tools, jigs and accessories