Quickie Demo on goblets (page 1)

[Curt Fuller]

A few guys have asked how to turn the goblets with the captive rings so I took some pictures while turning one this morning and here's a quickie demo. This is just how I do it, you'll probably see a lot of ways to improve the process. Here goes...

The things you need for this are a piece of wood at least 2x2", a scroll chuck, live tail center, I used a 1/2" bowl gouge, 1" skew, parting tool, 3/4" half round scraper, and some homemade ring tools, masking tape, and sandpaper and finishing stuff. Also, a jacobs chuck and 1" forstner bit make it a little quicker and easier.

I start with a piece of square stock, this happens to be some eucalyptus (a good, dense type wood works best) that's 2" x 2" x 7". I turn it round between centers and turn a slight dovetail 3/8" tenon on one end to hold it in my Talon chuck. After that I mount it tightly in the chuck jaws on the tenon. Then I use the jacobs chuck and forstner bit to rough a hole for the cup. You can hollow the cup with a gouge or scraper but the forstner bit just speeds it up a little.

[Curt Fuller]

The first picture shows the hole bored for the inside of the cup. You can now open up the inside jusing either a bowl gouge or a scraper. This wood wanted to catch with a gouge so I used a 3/4" half round scraper. Take nice easy, light cuts because your working quite a ways out from the chuck and a catch will pull it out of the jaws and launch it. After you're satisfied with the inside of the cup, finish sand it, and put some sanding sealer or friction polish in it so that it's pretty much the finished product. It will be last time you have a chance to work on it on the lathe.

Now turn the ouside of the cup to the thickness you want, down to where the stem begins leaving about 3/4" diameter at the stem. Finish sand the outside of the cup.

[Curt Fuller]

Now you start working on the captive rings. Turn the stem down for about 2 inches below the cup to the diameter that you want the outside of the captive rings to be (1st pic). To turn the rings, first use a parting tool and remove the wood on each side of the ring for about 1/2". Round off the top of the ring and finish sand it (2nd picture). Using a ring tool (3rd picture), cut the ring loose from both sides. My homemade tools are made so that one cuts from the left, the other from the right. The 4th picture shows cutting the ring loose from the stem.

I usually try to make at least 3 rings using the same procedure in case I accidentally break one.

These ring tools are made from a cheap set of 90 degree screwdrivers ground down to work like a scraper and turn 1/4 of the ring.

[Curt Fuller]

This next part is optional but it makes the sanding of the captive rings a lot easier. They never break free very cleanly so they need quite a bit of sanding on the burr left on the inside.

After all your rings are turned, smooth off the section of the stem where they were turned (1st pic) and use a little masking tape to old a piece of 220 grit sandpaper around the "sanding drum" (2nd pic). Hold the rings on the sandpaper with the lathe turning and just kind of roll them around until the insides are nice and smooth. When your done with the sanding, tape them to the bottom, left side of the goblet stem to hold them out of the way while you turn the stem.

[Curt Fuller]

Now we can start turning the stem down. One thing to note, some have asked if I use any kind of a steady rest. I use the paper towel in the cup to support the end but I leave the wood at least 3/4" diameter up to this point so that it still has plenty of strength and doesn't wobble or need any steadying. The paper towel also absorbs the pressure from the tailstock so that it doesn't try to bow the stem as it gets thin.

With the rings held at the bottom you can shape the stem and turn any detail you want. I like to get the stem down to about 3/16" at the base of the cup and then gradually let it get thicker as it works towards the base. Any thinner and they get too fragile. I've used glass goblets for ideas but it's wide open for what kind of detail you can put into the stem.

The thing that you need to try to do with the stem is work from the right (top) to left (bottom) and turn it to the finished dimension you want before moving further down the stem. Also do your sanding as you go. That way the part your working on is always supported by the thick 3/4" unfinished portion of the stem. If you try to go back and add detail to the thin sections even the smallest catch will usually snap the stem off.

After you get aways down the stem, move the rings to the top and tape them out of your way. Then you can finish the stem and turn the base for the goblet. Shape the stem how you like it and then make a parting cut at the bottom of the goblet (3rd pic). When parting the goblet off, make a straight cut about 3/8" into it. Then point your parting tool towards the top of the goblet a little so that the parting cut is concave. That way the goblet will sit on a small rim around the base and not wobble as easy (4th pic). You can remove the little nub with a carving gouge or dremel.

[Curt Fuller]

The last part is interlocking the captive rings. It's one of those things that's so easy but makes people that don't do woodturning wonder how the heck you did that. Just carefully break one of the rings where the grain is perpendicular to the ring, spread it apart just enough to slip it over the other ring, put a small drop of CA or wood glue on the break and hold it tight until the glue sets. Usually you can't ever see the break.

If you still have 3 rings you like you can interlock all 3 or just break the last one off.

You can put whatever finish you like best on it and it's done.

(When I get done with the finish I'll add a pic of the finished Eucalyptus goblet.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Thanks for the tutorial, Curt!

[Travis Stinson]

Great write-up! I can't wait to see the finished photos, it looks like a beauty so far.:cool:

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Great Demo, Curt!

Bruce

[Gary DeWitt]

Thanks for the demo, it's well organized with good photos and easy to follow. Aren't captive rings fun?
Another material you can make the ring tools from is allen wrenches, they're cheap and usually good steel.

[Andy Hoyt]

Well done, Curt. I like it.

[Dennis Peacock]

VERY WELL DONE Curt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

I'll have to print this off so I can use it for reference while at the lathe. ;)

[Myrel Willeford]

Curt you make it look so easy I will have to try it soon.

[George Conklin]

Thanks, Curt. That was great!

It sure would be nice to have these tutorials put on a sticky or something:) .


Edited to add: Um,,, other than the "Woodworkinig Articles and Reviews" forum. Maybe just in the turning forum?

[Ed Scolforo]

Thank you Curt, easy to understand and informative.
Ed

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Super!

Thanks for taking the time Curt! :)

[Keith Burns]

Excellent tutorial Curt. I appreciate the time and effort you put in to this. Thanks:) :)

[Tom Sherman]

Great write up Curt answers a few questions that were nagging at me.

[John Miliunas]

Many, many thanks, Curt!!! Personally, I love tutorials, even for stuff I may have done before. (Let's me know the right way to do things! :o ) This one was spot on, as I have yet to make a larger goblet, much less one with the rings. Great job! :) :cool: