Turning Furniture Knobs

[Doug Ketellapper]

I am currently working on a small furniture project (not sure what to call it), and I've decided it needs wooden knobs on the four small drawers. I've not seen anything that I really like in the wood I want to use locally, so I've thought of turning my own. I am a strict beginner turner. I've done a few one-off vase type things on my Jet Mini lathe, but I've never attempted to do more than one item the same. (I really need to make some of those pen kits I have). My plan was to make a mounting jig using a threaded insert on the blank and a bolt on the jig. The threaded insert was how I was planning to attach it to the drawer anyway. My biggest concern is making these the same shape and size, though any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Jim Becker]

Doug, I think you will find that after you turn 2-3 of the same knob, you'll very quickly get into a goove and have the vast majority of your knobs turn out abut the same. Minor variances don't matter in this application as unless two knobs are very, very close to each other, viewers are not going to see minor differences. Get the diameter and length as close to the same as possible and all will be well.

[Andy Hoyt]

If you need four, plan on making eight.

I'd chuck a long blank in my scroll chuck and grab it with the tail stock.

Lay them all out, part in as needed. Make identical cuts for each knob in succession.

Seeing them all side by side should help towards making pieces match.

Do the final parting off one at a time.

Go slow and easy and avoid any whipping action.

[Chris Barton]

Go slow and easy and avoid any whipping action.

Is this turning suggestions or personal advice?

[Andy Hoyt]

Is this turning suggestions or personal advice?

For me, it's the former.

For you (who had the notion)......

[John Hart]

I have to echo what Jim Becker says....that the human eye can not pick up variances in the curves from one object to the next unless they are side-by-side. One thing you can do to make sure that your steps and beads are all the same widths is to drive nails in a board at distances that mark each transistion point. Then use your nail board as a scoring template to mark your spinning cylinder as a starting point.:)

[Doug Ketellapper]

Thanks for the tips. That nail board is a good idea that I haven't seen elsewhere.