Threee points steady

[La truciolara]

I once sow the picture of a "three point steady" where the frame was a wooden one, and on it were attached some strings which were holding a very thin and long wooden stem.
Does any one of you has used them?
Do you have a picture of it?
many thanks in advance

[TimberNut]

parts required to make:
mdf board, 4 nails, spring, and waxed string.
can be made in 15 minutes.
refer to (bodgy) drawings.

1. figure out how to attach the MDF to the lathe bed
2. bring tailstock up with live centre in it to mark centre of swing
3. mark 4 points whose diagonals pass through the centre.
4. put nails in the 4 points
5. drill 30-50mm hole on centre of diagonals (with forstner bit or similar)
6. use bandsaw or jigsaw to cut opening from 1 side into centre hole to allow you to slide this over work already held between centres.
(NB if you don't have forstner bit, then do step 6, before 5, and use bandsaw to cut opening for work as well - it doesn't have to be neat, just clear the work).
7. tie string off on nail#1 then thread as follows:
from 1 past piece to #2 then back other side of piece to #1
Then across to #3, past piece again to #4 then back past piece to #3 again.
you could tie off there, but if you then go down to 2 and use extension spring it will have constant tension for each piece you turn and be easy to get on and off as needed.

REAL easy to make in about 10-15 mins and great for steadying very thin long work.
TIP - use WAXED string so it doesn't put burn marks on your piece as it spins.

Hope this isn't too confusing!

[Tornatus]

G'day Claude

Ian's design is similar to a device I saw Jean-Francois Escoulen use when he was visiting our Guild in Canberra last year, and demonstrated the turning of "trembleurs". These were very long, and in some places extremely thin, spindle turnings which he supported in the middle with a "cat's cradle" of thin string, tied within a frame in the sequence Ian describes, although my memory is that he wrapped the string around the pins several times for added strength. Ian's spring is an interesting variation - I can see how it would help keep a constant tension.

Jean-Francois has a website - I haven't checked, but maybe has has some photos of his technique there.

[La truciolara]

Many thanks to all of you. You are great people, so friendly and.... so far away, what a pitty.
Many thanks again

[TimberNut]

Tornatus,

Thanks for the postive comment, but I have to give credit where it is due-

I saw Ernie Newman using this setup at Woodturn 2003 I think it was, and from memory he said he'd seen the idea somewhere, and added the spring as his own addition.

I could be wrong there, but I'll credit Ernie, unless he wants to correct me! He was turning wooden 'flowers' to put in vases, that were about 25-30cms long and the stems were about 2-3mm thick.

very fragile stuff, but with this setup it was a lot easier (as long as you have a steady hand with the skew chisel!)

[Tornatus]

very fragile stuff, but with this setup it was a lot easier (as long as you have a steady hand with the skew chisel!)

You're so right there, Ian - especially when you see someone like Jean-Francois Escoulen use a bedan with the bevel uppermost! He does just about all his exotic "trembleurs" and eccentric multi-axis turnings with various-sized bedans, all held with the bevel up - when we asked him why he used this technique, he just gave a very Gallic shrug and said "When I was a boy, my father gave me a bedan, put me at the lathe, told me to get on with it and went away. I have used it this way ever since." He has very steady hands!

[La truciolara]

You're so right there, Ian - especially when you see someone like Jean-Francois Escoulen use a bedan with the bevel uppermost! ...
And now we have quite a few people doing it the same way, in France and elsewhere in the word. We recognise each other as ex Jean-François' Students. :) (I guess they must be close to several thousands by now).

Little story.
Two weeks ago there was a week-end meeting at Jean Fran&#231;ois’, about 50 visitors and 9 professional woodturners. To lighten the spirit any one could participate to an “egg turning challenge”. The winner… Jean Fran&#231;ois who did it perfectly in 38 seconds. If you’d send paper it with grit 800 you would have ruined it. :)<O:p</O:p