Turning Chesspieces

[mickelmaster]

Hello all, I already have a thread for this in general woodworking because im also going to make a board but was recommended to put one in here too because im having some troubles with turning as im new at it. So far ive done my kings and queens and almost completed my first bishop, this is my year 12 final job, I chose to do it to learn more about turning. Anyways heres a pic of my first pieces.

[Rum Pig]

Looking good so far

Were did you get your design from?
What timber are you using?

[Ed Reiss]

MM...for the limited experience you've had in turning, the pieces done so far are looking good. Luck with the rest of 'em & post a pic of the finished board. Good job

[Texian]

Looking good there Michael. By the time you finish the set you will have learned a lot. Looking forward to seeing the whole set. Wish I had started turning at your age.

[jefferson]

Michael,

I found that book I was telling you about. Mike Darlow, Turning Chessmen. If you want a loan of it, send me a PM with your address. There is a lot of good stuff in there on shapes etc.

Jeff

[mickelmaster]

Thanks all for your comments, Thank-you once again Jeff, I dont think ill borrow that book as ive already started and because im doing them at school it could get wrecked but thanks for the genorosity, much apprecianted, for wood im using Kwila and Victorian Ash for the pieces and for the board, Jarrah and Tasmanian Oak. The plans I got off a site somewhere, sorry dont know where. Update, today I stuffed up my first piece, it had a small chip out of a bead at the base when I was making a bishop so I turned it into a pawn. Now I cant show you pics of them because theyre at school and I have to use them as templates to make the other pieces. Once again thanks for all the comments, have a good one.

[Ad de Crom]

Michael, look damn good for your first try. Much better than my first turning.
Getting used to handle tools is a matter of time, as it is with everything you're doing the first time.
Great job, keep em coming.
Ad

[tea lady]

Good job. Must get back to mine. Might make it fir this father's day. I started with the pawns. Now I have 12 differant pawns. I'lll just tell Dad his eyes are going.

[mickelmaster]

Well finished my second bishop today so heres a picture of it, will post the other pictures when i get all 4 of them done. It has a few chips and the part at the bottom where it tapers towards the bead is on too much of an angle but otherwise its good

[mickelmaster]

i was just wondering if theres a way to reduce chipping in general, i need the tools sharpened because they are quite blunt, could that be the cause?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

If you mean tear-out, then "Yes. yes and yes." For actual chipping, it's only "Yes."

Blunt tools can pry out small chips, where a sharp tool wouldn't... Much like cutting paper with sharp & blunt knives.

If you see a small crack in the blank, you can seal it with a touch of CA glue, wait a few minutes and then continue turning. You can also glue small pieces back in this way, with care. But the best solution is to use sharp tools at all times and only use such repairs when absolutely necessary.

PS: Yes.

[mickelmaster]

Thank you, now to getting the teacher to sharpen the tools is another story...

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Ah, yes. School lathes...

Ideally there'd be a sharpening station set up right next to the lathe, as when turning our harder Aussie woods the chisels may need to be sharpened every 5 to 15 mins of turning or so. Waiting for someone else to do the sharpening would be... frustrating.

However, schools being schools, I wouldn't hold my breath over it.

You're doing well so far; a chess set can be a challenge even to an accomplished turner.

[mickelmaster]

Wow every 5 to 15 minutes! Ive been using these tools for about 5 or so hours now (all up) and they started out fairly blunt, im finding it quite simple really, just gotta take my time which unfortunately I dont have much of. now with the vic ash when i sand it on the lathe it still feels quite rough, should i slow it down and go to maybe 800 if the teacher has some? Because at the moment i have to go from 180 to 240 to 400 and thats it still at a speed of 2000. thanks very much guys your being very helpful

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

5 hours!? [shudder]

Yep, every 5 to 15 mins. Give or take, depending on the character of the wood. It makes sense, if you think about it.

Let's say your chessmen are 20mm diameter. So the chisel is cutting a bit over 60mm every revolution (well... 20 x pi, but 60's close enough) At 2000RPM that's 120 metres every minute. 5 to 15 minutes might sound quick, but the tool has cut a LOT of wood in that time. Way more than any hand-tool.

When sanding, you want to slow the speed down, at least halve it. I'd use a 320 grit after the 240, if you have some. After the 400, if you want/need to go finer then you're better off to use 600 before the 800.

Skipping grits makes sanding more of a chore than it needs to be... you should use the 180 grit to remove all the tooling marks (and, alas, tearout) so that when you move on to the 240 grit, all it has to do is remove the sanding marks left by the 180.

The 320's job is just to remove the sanding marks left by the 240. And so on.

If you try to use 400 to remove marks left by 240, you'll be there for three times as long... and sanding's a boring enough a job as it is.

Actually, I say use the 180 grit to remove the tear-out, etc, but in really bad cases you sometimes have to start even lower. On the other hand, when your tools are nice & sharp and you've got good technique you can often start sanding at 240 grit.

If, when you say it's "still rough" after sanding, is it because of tear-out? If so, then you need to spend longer with the 180 grit, until it's all gone. (Which can play havoc with the shape, and ruin the "crispness" of the lines.) Really, you need sharper tools... they 'd give a better finish from the word go. But sandpaper covers a multitude of sins and many of us turners rely on it.