A Big Laminated Turning Question

[Bill Grumbine]

I got a phone call today from a contractor who is looking to have a very large baseball bat turned. It needs to be 6 1/2' long and fit around a support column in a basement. I quoted a ballpark price that I considered to be somewhat on the outlandish side, and he did not even bat an eye, but said write it up and it will probably be accepted.

I have turned some long sticks before, but nothing lamintated like this. I need some segmented advice here. This thing is going to have to fit around a 4" diameter column, and is probably going to be somewhere around 5" at its narrowest and 8" or 9" at the base. Does anyone here have any experience doing anything like this? Not only does it have to come apart in half longways, it is going to have to come apart across the middle, since I can only spin 40" on the Poolewood. I TOLD SWMBO I was going to need that Conover one of these days... ;)

Thanks.

Bill

[Dick Parr]

Wish I could help ya out Bill, but am looking forward to pictures when you are done. It does sound like a challenge.

Wasn't it you that set-up a Jet Mini lathe to extend a project out aways and used the tail stock off the Mini to support one end?

Good luck. Can't wait to see the pictures;)

[Jim Becker]

Bill, talk to Mark Sffiri and see if you can get time on the "demo position" OneWay 24xx at Bucks Community college (I believe it will do about 9'-10' ) or maybe he'll of someone up your way with a similar setup. It sure would beat having to do a join in the middle as well as a split turning lengthwise...

[Greg Savage]

Bill...You shoulda bought my General with the extention bed!

[Steve Clardy]

I did a true spiral staircase a few years back.
Main support was a 2" center pipe.
Fan steps drilled to slide down the pipe.
Made step spacers, on the pipe, between the steps.
I glued up a square box, using thick material.
Made some adaptors to slip into the ends of squares, for the lathe to spin, hold them. I made the boxes 4' long, turned them round, then sawed to length.
Pm me and I can send pics of the lathe adaptors.
Steve

[Doug Thompson]

Bill, This should be a interesting project.

Lengthwise, create each half and run them through a jointer until the joint is perfect. Glue them together with a PAPER JOINT this is done with brown paper and white glue. Turn the bat then split the joint and remove the paper/glue.

Let us know,
Doug

[Adam Howard]

Hi Bill,

If you can find a longer lathe to borrow for a day, it sounds like that would be the best way to go. IMHO, the split in the length would be too easy to see, but the split in half to go around the pole would look more like part of the column's construction.

I'd think one of the biggest challenges would be the difference in diameter up the column. For that, your stock will either have to be 3" thick, or you'll have to taper each piece to get more of a conical shape to start with.

Another idea could be to use 2" thick stacked rings, maybe 8 sided. You'd need 39 rings, 312 pieces. Not too bad, really. Stack them a few at a time. Something like that might be easier than trying to make angled staves with any accuracy. Turn your ball bat on a borrowed or modified lathe, then make a big sled for the bandsaw to bisect the piece into two halves to fit around the column. The pattern would be part of the allure of the finished product.

And, with stacked rings, it would be easy to hide the vertical joint, if you happen to not find a longer lathe to borrow....

Know any welders that could make you a temporary extension bed that could attach to the ways on your lathe? That way, you'd have it for this project and wouldn't have to empty the coffers on that Conover :) (even though this is a great excuse!)

Just some ideas, hope this helps.

[Bill Grumbine]

Thanks for the responses guys. I should have been more specific in my questions I suppose, especially after watching the posting movie Jason posted yesterday! :eek:

Dick, I will be sure to post pics if it ever comes to be. I did turn the mast for my boat between two lathes, but this is going to require a bit more accuracy than that did.

Jim, I know Mark, but I don't know if he will remember me. It is worth giving him a call though. I would love to be able to turn this in one shot. I could line up lathes like I did for the mast, but then I would have to build another floorstand tool rest, etc. And, I would have to deal with some ripples. Of course, a 78" blank is going to be subject to some whip. I wonder if they have a steady?

Greg, I wanted it, but you know how SWMBOs can be...

Steve, thanks for the offer, and I will PM you later on today.

Doug, I've done a number of split turnings in my time, so that part is not the issue. I am more interested in the angles and thicknesses and how to calculate. I should have been more specific in my question.

Adam, one other tool in my "turning" arsenal is a Mini Max sliding table saw, with an 8' slider, so if I can figure the angles, I can cut them fairly easily (he said overconfidently). It should be easy in theory, as long as I can clamp the piece to the slider and still hit the table. There is no way I want to be gluing up over 300 pieces of wood for this! There are reasons I do not do laminated turnings.

Bill

[tod evans]

bill, contact robert s. here`s a link to a ball bat thread....02 tod
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36187&highlight=mirkon

[Steven Wilson]

Didn't the AAW have a contest among local turning groups for building Totem's? That would be the same type of turning. Try giving Mary Lacer ( AAW headquarters) a call and see if she remembers anything. It was a couple of years ago but either our local woodworking guild or local turning group (Minneapolis) worked on a Totem submital.

[Bill Grumbine]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! I have gotten all sorts of information both here and via email. This job is not going to happen until late summer at the earliest, but this will give me what I need to give a good estimate (not to mention figgering out how to make the thing!).

Bill

[Tim Beauregard]

I got a phone call today from a contractor who is looking to have a very large baseball bat turned. It needs to be 6 1/2' long and fit around a support column in a basement. I quoted a ballpark price that I considered to be somewhat on the outlandish side, and he did not even bat an eye, but said write it up and it will probably be accepted...


I got the extended metaphor...Very punny!

Regards,
Tim B.

[Bill Grumbine]

I got the extended metaphor...Very punny!

Regards,
Tim B.

The worst part is, I did not even make a conscious decision to make any puns - not that I wouldn't have, since no one loves a good pun like I do. I think my mind must be on autopilot. :eek:

Bill

[Bryan Cowing]

I made a 12" diam. x 35" L pub column once to fit under an extended kitchen countertop. Glued up 8- 7/8" thick oak staves, made use of melamine 5/8" scraps to fit inside for the ends and turned it on my General lathe. I should have used thicker wood, almost cut through it turning the details. Could you make a temporary tailstock to sit the required distance away and a portable tool rest?