Delta 46-765X, 46-745, 46-746 Lathe Tools, HOW to Turn Spindles, Centering the Work

OPERATION

The following directions will give the inexperienced operator a beginning point for common lathe operations. Practice on scrap material before attempting serious work.

LATHE TOOLS

Standard wood turning tools come in several different configurations (Fig. 26). The majority of turnings will require the gouge tool (A) Fig. 26. This round nosed hollow chisel is used for roughing cuts, cove cuts and other operations. The skew chisel (B) is a double-ground flat chisel, with an angled end. This tool is used for smoothing cylinders, for cutting shoulders, beads, vee- grooves, etc. The parting tool (C) is a double-ground chisel, used for cutting-off, or for making straight incisions or sizing cuts to any required diameter. The round nose scraper (D) is used for mostly hollowing work, while the square-end scraper is mainly used for the outside of bowls.

E C A B D A

Fig. 26

HOW TO TURN SPINDLES

Working with any material that is attached to the lathe centers is called a spindle turning. This is the principal type of wood turning (chair and table legs, lamp stems, etc.) The turning of spindles can be done with either a scraping or cutting technique. The cutting technique, by virtue of faster wood removal and a cleaner surface, is the preferred method.

CENTERING THE WORK

Wood stock for any spindle turning should be approximately square, and the ends should be square with the sides. Two common methods of determining the center are shown in Figs. 27 and 28. In Fig. 27, a distance a little more or a little less than one-half the width of the stock is set off from each of the four sides. The small square set off in the center can then be used in marking the true center. The diagonal method, Fig. 28, consists of drawing lines from corner to corner, with the intersection marking the center of the work.

Fig. 27

Fig. 28

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