Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Centering Jig

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Montfort, Wi.
    Posts
    799

    Centering Jig

    I'm doing a demo on pendant making using the Joyner Jig from Ruth Niles. There's a lot of good information on Ruth's site and some good videos but I haven't seen a jig to recenter a blank once off the jig. I'm wondering if I missed a video that had one or maybe someone here has made one up. Thanks for your help one way or the other.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Kapolei Hawaii
    Posts
    3,236
    Recenter the pendant after you turn one side?
    Need a bit more info. Are you using double sticky tape to hold the item? Assuming that, what I do is pull it off, turn it around, loosely hold the blank with your tailcenter. With the tool rest close to the blank, use the other side (flutes on the rest) of you smallest gouge to center the blank as you turn the lathe by hand. Clamp down with the tailstock. I guess you could use any small round tool, but the flutes on the rest makes the tool stay put.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Montfort, Wi.
    Posts
    799
    Thank you Kyle for your response. I do use double stick tape. In a you tube video the presenter commented he usually misses getting it lined up correctly when remounting and was thinking of a jig to assist. The one he did for the you tube video was perfect and he said he got lucky. He never did show a jig so maybe his luck is holding up.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Cookeville TN
    Posts
    338
    Getting things back on perfectly is nearly impossible. Getting things back on really close is doable. I made a jig for my tailstock that is a wooden morse taper with a 4" long steel pin glue in. I ground a point on the end of the steel dowel. Now I can bring this up to the piece being positions and get it really close. I use this most often to move things offcenter a certain amount. If I can place a mark on the piece then I can use my jig to get it really close. If I have to mark on the goodside of a piece I use a soft lead artist pencil like HB so the mark is easily removed with alcohol after the piece is mounted.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Montfort, Wi.
    Posts
    799
    Quote Originally Posted by JohnC Lucas View Post
    Getting things back on perfectly is nearly impossible. Getting things back on really close is doable. I made a jig for my tailstock that is a wooden morse taper with a 4" long steel pin glue in. I ground a point on the end of the steel dowel. Now I can bring this up to the piece being positions and get it really close. I use this most often to move things offcenter a certain amount. If I can place a mark on the piece then I can use my jig to get it really close. If I have to mark on the goodside of a piece I use a soft lead artist pencil like HB so the mark is easily removed with alcohol after the piece is mounted.
    That certainly would help. Thanks.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Carterville, Illinois
    Posts
    390
    Don't know if this would work or not, but it "should". Once the face of the pendant is turned, remove it from the jig and place it in a scroll chuck, holding it lightly so as to not mar the edges. The back of the pendant would need to be facing the tailstock. Then put the jig in the tailstock with double stick tape on the face. Bring up the tailstock to stick the pendant to the jig. Of course, to get perfect centering the tailstock and headstock spindles would need to be perfectly centered. This is similar to a method using a special tailstock adapter for centering a bowl when finishing the bottom of the bowl.
    The hurrier I goes, the behinder I gets.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Cookeville TN
    Posts
    338
    Can't remember if the Joyner jig has a hole in the center. I built a home made version and without going to the shop can't remember if mine has a hole either. I do a lot of off center turning and use faceplates or wasteblocks that have a center hole. If I can make a mark on the back of the turning them it's very easy to align this mark for gluing using a drill bit through the hole. Place it in the waste block and align the center of the drill bit on the mark on your turning. Then just push the two together. Works whether you are using double sided tape, CA glue, or hotmelt glue. I will go out to the shop and check my homemade jig in a few minutes. If I didn't put a hole in the center I will now because it's siimply too useful.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •