Barley Twist

[mick61]

G`day I have seen pics of barley twists with two timbers does anyone know where I would find info on how to do this?(Is it dyed or stained?)
Thanks Mick:D

[joe greiner]

Barley twists are usually made with a single timber, with a spiral cut through the centre. Chap named Stuart Mortimer has a book on the general subject; here's a link with a description:

http://www.stobartdavies.com/pages/BookDescriptions/woodturning/techniquesSpiralWorkDescription.htm

Joe

[Richard Findley]

Hi Mick,

I've done a bit of barley twist work but only in a single timber. As Joe said, Stuart Mortimer is the main man as far as twisting work goes.

The only way I've seen 2 timbers used is on thin work such as goblet stems when a small but long hole is drilled up the centre of the piece and a contrasting timber is inserted in this hole. Turning and "carving " etc carry on as usual from here on.

Good luck:2tsup:,

Richard

[aaron.aafjes]

nice work very impressive.... well done:2tsup:

[scooter]

Wow, very cool Richard :2tsup:

[Toolin Around]

G`day I have seen pics of barley twists with two timbers does anyone know where I would find info on how to do this?(Is it dyed or stained?)
Thanks Mick:D



R U you're talking about a solid center that is wrapped by a helix of timber in a different colour. Or two helix's of different woods, with one inside the other. Or...

[joe greiner]

I suppose you could make two pieces in different timbers, with the hollow centre. Then cut them apart and reassemble into contrasting pairs. Might need a third timber for the ends to avoid a peculiar appearance. Or, it could all be done with stain on a single piece; wouldn't look as good, IMHO.

Joe

[nfld steve]

Hi guys,I was just wondering how difficult it is to do?I've been turning a couple of years now,am getting more confident,but those spiral legs I guess they are look very hard to do!!
Any thoughts on it for a poor old Newfie!!!LOLOL.:D (Thought I'ld join in with some humor,lol,it's healthy.)
Thanks ,Steve

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

There's not much turning in a barley twist beyond rounding the cylinder, I'm afraid.

Basically, you have two choices: 100% machine made (apart from sanding. There's always hand sanding! :rolleyes:) or by hand all the way. Of coures, they're usually done on the lathe, but only 'cos that's the best way of holding the blank. :shrug:

The way I approach it is:rough out the cylinder. unplug the lathe (purely for safety's sake) but leave the blank mounted. Mark out your spirals. Electrical tape works well for this. With a tenon saw. cut the spirals to a constant depth. (How deep depends on final size of spiral) Using a chisel, widen the spiral cuts into a v-shaped groove.

From there on, it's basically more of the same to get the final shape, using chisels, files and strips of sandpaper.

If you're doing "hollow" or "seperated" spirals, instead of using the tenon saw to make the initial cut of the spiral, you can use a drill to bore right through every 1/2" or so, then play "connect the holes."

The methodology is simple enough, but it takes care and patience to do well. I certainly won't be bragging about or posting pix of any of my efforts. :wink:

[mick61]

G`day thanks guys I will chase up the book. Great work richard how long did it take I am also very impressed with the left and right hand. I have done a double I will try and get a pic when I find It.
Mick:D

[joe greiner]

Like Skew says, for what we call "turning," most of the work is carving and sanding. OTOH, a Legacy Mill (see a recent post in Woodturning-Ornamental) would work for more machine-made. Also, Holtzapfel's ornamental lathes (beyond the simpler Rose Engine) had some auxiliary contraptions to function much like the modern Legacy. And again, the Blanchard lathe (another antique) is a rotary duplicator, usually used for such as rifle gunstocks, golf club heads and the like; it could make the separate pieces independently. All three of these tools, old or new, would be very dear, and not advisable for any but the wealthiest of hobby workers, although not quite so bad for the Legacy.

Joe

[mick61]

G`day bit out of my price range thanks Joe. There is a lot of work in the barley`s I dont intend makeing enough to warrant haveing a machine to do them. There is not much challenge in that.
Thanks Mick:D

[nfld steve]

Thanks Skew,and guys!I kind of thought it was done mostly by hand.I saw a picture of someone doing a barley twist in a catalogue,in a chisel section I believe.
The chisel used to do this part,is it a roughing gouge looking type,or similar?
I'm not going to run down and try it out today though,lol.
Today I'm going to get an intarsia pattern enlarged,could make a few shackles from that project to support my turning addiction,lol,and,,going to have another try at a celtic knot pen.I did one yesterday,and used the inserted pieces the same width as my saw blade kerf.Well,the kerf is too wide,lol,so I'm going to try to find another method,or a very thin kerf blade.
Anyway,some day I'm going to try the barley twist,probably over the winter when I get my fall chores finished,firewood,painting the barn,burying a heavy cable to my barn for the big lathe,etc.
Can't wait for the nasty fall/winter weather!!!
Thanks again so much guys,have a Have a great day,Steve

[Richard Findley]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your comments. As some of you noticed, those big pillasters were a lot of hard work: about 35 hours in total:o ! I used Microplane rasps to cut the grooves. These are like cheese graters and remove timber at least twice as fast as a standard rasp! Brilliant tools!:2tsup:

I used a mallet and large (1 1/4") chisel to round the tops over roughly, then the sanding began... lots and lots and lots of sanding, 120, 180 and 240 grits. By the end, everything from the tips of my fingers to my shoulders and down from there ached!:o

Was pleased with the finished result though and I (eventually) got paid for the too- which is always good:2tsup:

Cheers,

Richard