spindle advice

[John Kali]

My uncle gave me his old lathe a while back, and it has collected dust in the back corner of my shop. Now I am about to start a project that requires a few spindles of exact diameters. They must be 1.05" outside diameter x 12" long. What tools do I need to accomplish this, and what tips do you all have for me? I have zero experience with turning, so this is all totally new to me. Keep in mind, Im not looking for a complete set of tools right now, and my budget is $100. I only need to turn these spindles right now and will buy more tools in the future as my skill grows.

Thanks in advance, John K

[Jim Underwood]

Make your pattern to exact size first. It needs length and diameter dimensions on the major and minor diameters, and transitions. Then you need a spindle roughing gouge to bring to round. After that, you'll need some outside calipers and a parting tool to set major and minor diameters, and make tenons (if any). Finally you'll need a spindle gouge to make coves and beads. Unless you want to risk it all and use the dreaded skew. A little hands on from a local turner would NOT go amiss. I used a scraper on my first spindles, and it took a LOT of sanding to remove most of the tearout. Never did get it all out.

I'm sure there are youtube vids out there that will give you a basic "how to" on spindle turning.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

John, my advice is to farm this job out. Then, find a local turning club and ask for help in learning to turn. It will take you forever to turn those spindles to those specs.
my 2 cents worth and worth every penny of it. Max

[Thom Sturgill]

Make yourself a gauge out of hard metal with half a circle with the diameter that you need. Sharpen it to use as a scraper. Rough the cylinder slightly oversize and use the gauge as a scraper with the lathe off. If your lathe has a spindle lock use it to lock the spindle and scrape the length, unlock, rotate part of a turn and repeat.

If you cannot get it accurate enough, farm the job out and find a club for some training. Most hobbist wood turning is not done to that type of precision.

[phil harold]

Well I am not one to say buy a set of tools but
you will need a roughing gouge, parting tool and a skew
here is a set of six decent tools that will let your skills grow
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LXWM1007.html
for 90 bucks it will get you started

practice makes perfect cut some 2x4 into 2x2s and and practice, practice


since it sounds like your spindles are really dowels you could build a jig up with a router to accurately make the 1.05"

if all else fails, farm it out

nothing ventured nothing gained

[John Kali]

Yes, I guess they are actually dowels. The 1.05" isnt persay a requirement, I guess the actual finished size will be a hair less. What im doing is making a dowel that fits into an aluminum tube which has an ID of 1.05". I need it to be a snug fit with no play, but not so tight that its really difficult to pull out.

[Jon Prouty]

Yes, I guess they are actually dowels. The 1.05" isnt persay a requirement, I guess the actual finished size will be a hair less. What im doing is making a dowel that fits into an aluminum tube which has an ID of 1.05". I need it to be a snug fit with no play, but not so tight that its really difficult to pull out.

Agree with previous poster about doing this on a router table. Turning a 12" long spindle with a consistent diameter the whole length is not an easy task.

JP

[Paul Williams]

Buy the dowels at one of the big box stores. Look for 1" dowels that are slightly oversized. Sand them down to fit the tubes.

[James Combs]

Buy the dowels at one of the big box stores. Look for 1" dowels that are slightly oversized. Sand them down to fit the tubes.

+1 what Paul said. Our local Lowe's has ~1" dowels in Poplar and Oak. Now if you really want to turn something besides dowels do as already been suggested and find a turning club or someone who can show you the ropes.

[John Kali]

Interesting thought with the pre-made dowel. This is going to be holding 250-350lbs of weight and Im not sure wood alone will take it. I was going to epoxy a steel rod in the middle of the dowel before I put it on the lathe. Perhaps a store bought dowel with a layer of carbon fiber would be better.

[Peter Elliott]

McFeelys Hickory dowels. 1" and above .. be careful if you turn your own, you'll prob loose 1/2 of them due to twist and warping unless you have some good straight grain wood.