Rattle pattern?

[Bonnie Campbell]

Does anyone have a pattern I could get for a captive ring rattle? I 'practiced' making one yesterday, but the 'handle' part broke (was almost done! :() I know from past posts the end 'bulbs' need to be 1 3/4 inch to prevent choking. But nobody mentioned the 'handle' diameter? And are there certain woods to stay away from?

Also, since I'm begging anyway :o.... I could use a pattern for a top or some such (easy for me to accomplish toy) for a 3-4 year old girl. Something easily made with a skew would be nice lol It's about the only chisel I can sharpen correctly.

A very good turkey call customer is due any day and I don't want to leave her older child out.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

[Stephen Hibbs]

for cheap, easy to make tops, I made this tutorial-
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=41132
if you don't have any dowel though, you could just take a branch that's about 2" across or so and 5" long and just shape one out between centers, then part the tip as sharp as possible and sand it better if you need. Friction polish is good for tops since it's easy but polyurethane is more durable.

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thanks Stephen! I do have a loquat branch that'd be just the thing (I think). I'll have to give it a try today :)

[Jonathon Spafford]

http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_projects.html

Here is a site full of turning projects... there is a top tutorial and a rattle tutorial among many others! So check it out!

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thanks Jonathan! I tried getting to that site for two days to get the rattle pattern but couldn't. Thought the site had closed, hence my begging :D

Though I did come up with this rattle this morning (going to try the top this afternoon, I'm sloooooooooow) Any problems anyone can see with it? I made it out of cherry (I think :confused: ) . The 'bulb' ends are 1 3/4 inch and the 'handle' is about an inch. I oiled it with olive oil.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/annieoakley/Crafts/Cherry2ndRattle.jpg

[Jonathon Spafford]

I don't see any problems with it! I personally think it is real cute! Excellent work. Those burn marks really make a plain piece more interesting! May I ask which technique you used to make the captive rings... haven't tried too many myself and haven't always been successful when I've tried. Great work!

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thank you :) I used a skew chisel for the whole thing. Each cut into the rings was a breath holding event lol I did recall reading to cut one side of each ring and then do the opposite. So I just kept slowly doing that until they busted loose.

[Ben Werner]

I like it! the one thing that may hinder its use as a rattle is where does the child hold it? if they hold they end then it will dappen the noise. Also the end may be too large for their hands. The way I always made them (total of 3 or 4) was by thinking of a bonker handle and then shrink it down to a small child's hand size. the bonker part would then be cut into the captive rings. in this way there would be 3 bulbs, one on each end and then one to separate the rings from the handle. like this type of form except I would do 3 rings. then another option you can do is add beads to the stem that the rings rest on. this adds some more noise to the rattle.


http://www.woodturningonline.com/assets/turning_articles/Captive%20Rings/std_P1010103.JPG (http://www.woodturningonline.com/assets/turning_articles/Captive%20Rings/std_P1010103.JPG)

Just my thoughts... A good way to figure it out is have a child just try them and see which type the like most. Overall I do like your rattle, just giving you other options!! I like the burn lines! :D:D

[Bonnie Campbell]

Wow! Now I like your idea. And your ring is so ROUNDED :eek: . Mine does make a good amount of noise when shaken by the ends, and it seems to have enough space that a baby could grasp the center. But I still like your idea better. I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in three rings though :(

I had read somewhere that the captive ring chisels weren't worth buying because of how hard they are to sharpen. Anybody have them on here?

[Ben Werner]

oh I didnt make that one... I found it on that website that you couldnt access. I do have the chisels :D:D a friend gave them to me. Havent had to sharpen them but from the directions you just smooth the top and it sharpens them... I'm not sure though. Yeah... mine are longer than that one so i can fit 3 on. plus the dia of the stem is a lot less then the dia of the ring for even more leeway for noise.
Ben

[Bonnie Campbell]

Well it doesn't sound like you've any problem with the ring chisels Ben. I think I'll look into maybe getting a set then. Was afraid to buy them if people weren't liking them.

By the way, I intended on making a top, I really did. But then I ran across the ball and cup toy and recalled playing with one when little. So I gave it a try. The ball is not perfectly round, but it'll fit in the cup! Some advice I need though... What length and type of string:confused: :o

I used Kentucky coffee wood to make it.... next toy WILL be a top ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/annieoakley/Crafts/CupandBallToy.jpg

[Jonathon Spafford]

I imagine any type of string would work as long is it ain't to thick or thin... like 1/8" thick would be good I'd think. As to what kind... it shouldn't matter. The length: I would probably err on the side of being too long than too short. I think usually I have seen maybe two to two-and-a-half feet of string on 'em.

[Ben Werner]

the way I have made it is with 2 ft of string, leaving the bottom of the handle... and the width of the string was 1/16. nylon. not thread but string.
I like yours! your ball is much rounder than the balls I've ever been able to make...
Ben

[David Walser]

Bonnie,

If you plan on making rattles, consider making the one Nick Cooks describes in his article linked below:

http://www.nickcookwoodturner.com/articles-babyrattle.pdf

One of the reasons Nick quit making captive ring baby rattles is that the rings are prone to breaking and can become a choking hazard.

Nick's website if full of great information. Thanks for an excuse to go there and see what he's added since my last visit.

[Bonnie Campbell]

That is a really good point about the rings breaking. And I do like the hollowed out bean rattler better (well, it was cool to turn my first captive rings lol). Is there a way to hollow them out without a router? Gotta keep it simple for my untrained mechanical ability :o Since I can't seem to drill straight even on a drill press, I'm thinking of getting the chuck for the lathe. Could I drill a hole into a blank and then just glue on a top to cap the hole and turn from there?

Sorry for what are probably obvious stuff. I'm a visual person and not seeing things at times I've a hard time 'picturing' the steps required.

[David Walser]

Bonnie,

Yes, I suppose you could drill a hole in your blank and then glue a plug in to cap it off. So, you don't need a router.

[Jonathon Spafford]

You could just do it all on the lathe: hollow it and than plug it! Shouldn't make a difference... just make sure you hollow it thin enough that the noise isn't dampened, but thick enough that it can't be broken open!

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thank you all for the big help you've been. A lot more ideas floating around in my head now than I had before :)

[David Walser]

One concern with plugging the end is wood movement. If the hollowed-out rattle moves differently than the wooden plug, the glue joint might fail or the rattle might crack. On the small scale of a rattle, this is unlikely to be a problem. I'd use stable wood for the blank and plug.