Joyner pendant jig problem

[Dave Kartzman]

Good evening...

I purchased the Joyner pendant jig a while ago and am now starting to try to make pendants.... I watched Capt. Eddie's videos and yoyospin's as well. I am able to turn simple pendants without any issues. However, I am having a consistant problem when I try to do some of the off-axis embellishments. While the pendant is spinning, and I am trying to turn some arcs in the pendant, the pendant seems to move a little (I assume because of the centripetal force). Before trying to turn off-axis, I attach the pendant to the waste block with the double sided tape, and push my tailstock and a wood block up against it for 5-10 minutes before trying to turn the arcs (when I press the wood block onto the pendant, the mandrel is in the 0 position - symmetric - Then before doing the off-axis turning, I move the mandrel to one of the other positions).

I would appreciate any suggestions anyone can offer on how to get the piece from moving once I go off-axis.

Thanks in advance.

Dave

[Thom Sturgill]

When I first started turning, I tried using double sided tape and the tape I bought as ''turner's tape" performed very poorly. Since then I tried carpet tape - the kind with the mesh in it - and it has worked better.
I made a few pendants using a home-brew eccentric 'chuck' and more than one went flying when I turned off center. I think I will try hot glue next time.

[Dan Masshardt]

I can't really help you either. You should consider emailing Ruth Niles who sells them.

I've been turning off center pendants using just a face plate and double stick duct take from Walmart. No problems.

[Dave Kartzman]

Thank you both for your responses.

Thom, I was at Home Depot when you posted your response, so the timing was quite advantageous. I picked up some carpet tape that had small mesh in it. I will try it tomorrow and see if I have better luck.

Dan, those pendants are beautiful... Love the woods...

Dave

[Dwight Rutherford]

Would slowing the lathe speed down help?

[BILL DONAHUE]

I would recommend the February, 2011 issue of Woodturning Design and the article "Pendants; A Family Project." (full disclosure - I wrote it) It sounds like you may need either sharper tools or better tape.

[Jon Lanier]

I use golfclub makers grip two-sided grip tape. Never had a problem losing a pendant. I agree with Bill.... make sure your tools are sharp.

[Dan Masshardt]

I would recommend the February, 2011 issue of Woodturning Design and the article "Pendants; A Family Project." (full disclosure - I wrote it) It sounds like you may need either sharper tools or better tape.

Bill - is there I way to find it without ordering a back issue?

[Brian Brown]

Dave,

Be careful with the carpet tape. I started using carpet tape with my pendants and other taped turnings, because I had some on hand, and thought $25 per roll for wood turners tape was ridiculous. The carpet tape adheres really well. Too well. When I removed my wood piece from the mandrel a few pendants broke, or the tape pulled chunks of wood off the pendant. Wood turners tape can do the same. but I have not had as much problem with it. My solution to the lower adhesion tape coming loose, was to sand the taped surface to finished, and then cleaning it with acetone to remomve the sandoing dust. This made for much better adhesion. A little dust on the surface almost guarantees a problem. I still have the occasional failure, but things work better now. As for getting the turning off the chuck/mandrel without breaking it, heat is your friend. Heat the metal parts, and it will soften the tape adhesive. Very few adhesives or glues stand up to heat well. When the piece comes off, just wash the goo off with acetone or mineral spirits. Good luck.

[Dave Kartzman]

Thanks for all of the advice. With respect to making sure I turn with sharp tools, I learned early on about the 'impact' of turning with sharp tools. When I was trying to add the grooves while turning off-axis, I had just sharpened my detail gouge... The problem was that the pendant had moved while it was spinning. Dwight's point about the speed of the lathe might have had something to do with it. The lathe was spinning at 700rpm, which I think is still an acceptable speed. Dust could have also been an issue.

This morning I used the carpet tape (pressing a wood block against the pendant with the tailstock for about 5 minutes). I was then able to turn the back smooth without issue. I was also able to remove the pendant from the waste block. I centered the pendant and again, placed a block of wood against the pendant with the tailstock. I was able to successfully turn the front the pendant. it's not very elaborate, but it is a start...

I will keep experimenting, and appreciate greatly the assistance you have all provided.

Dave

[Robert Henrickson]

Dwight's point about the speed of the lathe might have had something to do with it. The lathe was spinning at 700rpm, which I think is still an acceptable speed.

In my limited experiments with offset turning small thin pieces on a homemade chuck which was considerably larger/heavier/wider-faced than the Joyner, I found that 'higher' than 'lower' speeds seemed to give better results, so my results may not be terribly relevant. I can't remember offhand what speeds I tried with roughly 2" pieces. I used double-sided carpet tape, which does definitely hold, but released before destroying the turning. The notes on the Niles site suggest starting slow and seeing when vibration sets in.

[Dan Masshardt]

Dave - what material is that pendant? Looks a little different than the spectra ply / color wood.

Glad you are having some success.

[Alan Zenreich]

For my use, I find turners tape much much better than any of the carpet tapes I have tried. The key is light cuts. Keep visualizing that your work is only being held on by tape, so go gently, and you should be fine. When I demo pendant making, I show keeping the tailstock pressing against the wood when turning the perimeter to round (or else you risk pushing the blank laterally on the tape) and putting pressure from the tools, towards the headstock, pressing the work into the tape.

[Tom Boley]

My first post on SMC, but coincidentally, I just spent yesterday afternoon and this afternoon experimenting with that jig, which I got from Ruth Niles. It sounds as though you are making it work but wanted to offer another suggestion. I turned both the front and back on that jig but found that when I turn the front, I need to keep most of the center portion nice and flat so it will adhere to the tape when I turn it over. I can taper the edge a bit but the center has to be flat. On the first one I didn't do that way, I had trouble keeping it on the jig, but solved that problem by putting two more layers of the double-faced tape on top of the first layer so it was thick enough to sort of "wrap" around the curve and keep it tight enough to turn with pretty light cuts. It looks like this is going to be fun.

[Dave Kartzman]

Thanks for the responses... Turning pendants is going to be fun. Saturday, my wife and I went over to a bead show, and she learned how to make necklaces and use beading. They turned out really nice. Of course, she claimed both of the them...lol.

Dan, The pendant is made from dymondwood. There are so many color variations, and they are a pleasure to turn. I use them to make stoppers frequently and the customers really like them. One of the really nice aspects of dymondwood is that it is so hard, that the threads remain intact. When i show clients that they can unscrew the Ruth Niles stoppers, wash and dry them, and then screw them back on, they are generally very impressed.

Tom, I am right with you with respect to turning the back absolutely straight. Watching Capt. Eddies and yoyospin's videos taught me that right off the bat.

At the national AAW symposium, I saw a wonderful presentation on turning pendants by Alan (above) and his wife. It was a great presentation and it helped me get inspired to start turning the pendants. (I wish I had the skillset at this point to do the embellishments that Alan and his wife have done on their samples. They are absolutely beautiful!)


I'm really looking forward to further experimentation with making pendants.

Dave