turning wood checkers

[tom anderson]

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
I have just finished a wood checker board made from maple and walnut. Now I have always did some woodworking, but have got a turning lathe now. I am wanting to turn my own vintage style wooden checkers. I will attempt to turn them from maple and walnut. I would very much like to know if anyone here has turn anything like checkers and if so any tips and suggestions? I will turn them to 1 1/2" round. But I tried a couple and then sawed them with my bandsaw but not to good of an outcome. I also want to have about 4 groves on the enter side of the checker. If anyone has suggestions I would sure apreaciate it.
thanks
Tom:confused: (new at wood turning!!)

[Bill Bulloch]

You can turn one side on the lathe, then cut it oversized on the band saw. Make yourself a jam chuck and insert the finished side into it. Then you can finish the other side. A couple of tips: cut a small notch on the side of you jam chuck large enough to get a pick or screw driver in, this will help you pry the checker out of the jam chuck when finished turning. You can cut this notch with a chisel. If your jam check is too loose you can use a small piece of two sided tape to hold the checker while turning.

Nice project, post it when finish. We all would like to see it.

[John Keeton]

Tom, I don't know what brand of chuck you use, but I have the Nova chucks and I use the soft jaws all the time to turn both sides of a disk. I have turned lids that are 1/16" thick, completely to sanded finish on both sides. I bandsaw a disk, clamp it in the soft jaws and finish turn the diameter and one face, then flip it and grasp the finished diameter to turn the other face and edge.

[David E Keller]

You could use double stick tape for reversing them after parting them off... I've done that a bunch with small things like earrings and pendants.

[Michael James]

Welcome Tom, from New Mexico. I see this is your 1st post. You will find a wealth of information here, stick around and post some of your work when you can!
Michael

[tom anderson]

thanks everyone. I am new to woodturning, but not to wood working. I have been a songbird and waterfowl carver since 1978. I have always wanted a woodlathe and found a good used one a few months back. then a trip to gulf shores and ended up buying a new small lathe to carry in my fifthwheel. now I have 2 lathes!! but I don't have a chuck, altho I am looking at the nova like John said he had . I am trying to learn which chuck I would need, since I will be turning items like decorative birdhouses, and things like "checkers". I am now turning the bases that I mount my bird carvings on. From reading the posts on here by everyone I am sure to gain alot of knowledge of woodturning. so again, thank you fellows for your quick replies to my post,

Tom

[Roger Chandler]

You can turn one side on the lathe, then cut it oversized on the band saw. Make yourself a jam chuck and insert the finished side into it. Then you can finish the other side. A couple of tips: cut a small notch on the side of you jam chuck large enough to get a pick or screw driver in, this will help you pry the checker out of the jam chuck when finished turning. You can cut this notch with a chisel. If your jam check is too loose you can use a small piece of two sided tape to hold the checker while turning.

Nice project, post it when finish. We all would like to see it.

Bill,
That is an impressive technique you just described..........very ingenious! Have you done checkers before?