Money
Maker
Article
NOV/DEC
2003
Volume 46/Issue 6
IN
THIS ISSUE
Project
Articles
•
California Dream Toys
• The Mantel Clock
• Christmas Tree Ornaments
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
Academy Notes
Clean
Cuts - Pt. 3 - All About Router Bits
Service Pointers
MARK
V Saw Guards
Safety Tips
Proper Workshop Lighting
What's
New
When
accuracy counts Incra Rules
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
• National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
ONLINE
CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
• Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
MARK
V INFORMATION
• Find
A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
• Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
•
Links Worth Visiting
•
Free Woodworking
Tips
FEEDBACK
Contacting
Shopsmith
Copyright
2003.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Christmas Tree Ornaments
The Turned Ornaments
These ornaments can be made in a minimal amount of time and each can be
uniquely crafted to an endless variety of designs. Here are three designs
to get you started, along with some suggestions for other styles that
could be equally marketable.
1: Using your Lathe, place a block of wood between centers and turn to a rough cylinder. Any size will do...we started with 2-1/2" to 3" square blanks, about 6" long. You can use solid pieces of domestic or exotic hardwoods...or laminate contrasting pieces of stock together to create more striking designs.
2: For the plugged ornaments shown here, mark the locations for he plug holes around the circumference of your blank cylinder(s). To space the holes accurately, wrap a piece of 3/4" wide masking tape around the cylinder and mark the two ends where they meet with a pencil. Unwrap the taps and stretch it out onto a flat surface. Use a ruler to measure off equal distances around your circumference.
3:
Replace the tape around the cylinder. Set up your MARK V Drill Press into
a “V-Block” configuration by tilting the Worktable to 45-degrees
and using your MARK V Rip Fence. If you're using a conventional drill
press, make a V-Block out of wood for this job (See Fig. 1). Another holding
option is to use a Drill
Press Vise with special “V-Cut” Jaws to hold the cylinders
when boring these 3/4" deep holes around the circumference of your blank
cylinder to accept the contrasting wood plugs.
4: Use a Plug Cutter to cut the plugs from 3/4" thick pieces of contrasting stock. Apply glue around the edges of your plug holes and use a non-marring mallet to tap the plugs into place. Allow the plugs to dry thoroughly before turning. NOTE: If a double inlayed plug is desired, drill a smaller hole through the center of the first plug and glue the appropriate sized contrasting plug (or dowel) into this new hole.
5: Turn the plugged cylinder to the desired shape and sand. Start with 100-grit sandpaper and work your way down to 220-grit to achieve a smooth surface.
6: While your turning is still mounted on the Lathe, apply the finish of your choice. For these ornaments, we used Preserve Oil Finish...but you could also use an ordinary Paste Wax to achieve a satin-like finish.
7: Remove the Ornament from the Lathe and cut off the ends using a small Razor Saw to avoid splintering. lightly touch up the ends with fine sandpaper and apply your finish to these cut ends.
8: Drill a small hole for the Christmas Tree Hook. To add character, I make these hooks out of brass wire coated with brass lacquer (to prevent tarnishing).
Some Additional Thoughts:
· Once the ornaments are turned (prior to finishing) you can add dark accented lines around their circumference by holding a wire coat-hanger against the finished ornament as it turns on the lathe. The friction will “burn” the lines into your stock.
· Instead of inserting round plugs into your Ornaments as accents, try inserting square plugs into “square holes” you create with your Shopsmith MARK V Hollow-Chisel Mortising Attachment.
· Miniature Lathe Chisels or Pen Turning Chisels can be used to create extremely intricate designs around the circumference of your Ornaments.
