Anyone turn coffee scoops? Tutorial.

[OGYT]

I turn a lot of coffee scoops... each one made to hold one Tablespoon, give or take a little... staple items for a craft show. :D
One Bois d'Arc honey dipper in disguise...

[OGYT]

I once read a tutorial on these, but I don't recall where. It was on a turning website somewhere. (Edit: Phil Manzi had a tutorial on woodturningonline.com. Thanks to Gil Jones for the link, below)
I've got some pics that show how I turn them, that I got together for a friend here, that is a beginning turner.

Pic 1 - Start with a 2x2x6 blank, and round about half of it down to 1-3/4” diameter. Beginning at the right edge, make three marks – at ¼” (to get you away from the dimple made by the tailstock live center), 1-1/8”, and 2”. This gives you a <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "qv9" /><st1:bcv_smarttag>mark 7</st1:bcv_smarttag>/8” either side of the center of what will become the “scoop”. I use a bedan or parting tool to narrow the stock down to near ½” on both sides of the outer marks.

I made a plastic template to get the bowl size correctly round (Pic 3). I cut a 1-3/4” circle out of the plastic, cut the bottom off, and shaped it for my hands.

Pic 2 - Next, round the ball end by cutting from the center mark out, both sides. Take it easy, and check with the plastic template often. When there’s a gap between the template and the ball, it isn’t round yet. Move the template around the end and up to the top… make it round. I leave a little elongation on the left side, for room to make a smooth transition into the handle, later.

Pic 3 - After the ball is round, turn down the handle. I like to make a smooth transition to the handle, so people can see that it’s one piece of wood. Sand it, and put on the finish of your choice. You can embellish the handle any way you want to. I usually just make it look like a handle. Too fat, and it’ll look dumpy… too skinny, and it’ll break easily. I make these to be used. I also make the handles different lengths. Some folks want the scoop to be left in the can… some don’t.

[Gil Jones]

Nice work, Al. Here is a place to see how they make the scoops.
http://www.woodturningonline.com/assets/turning_articles/coffee_scoop/scoop.html

[OGYT]

Pic 4 - When finished, part it off, and sand and finish both ends. Here is the handle with ball end, ready for hollowing out the scoop. It’s just a stick with a ball end.

Pic 5 - This is my scoop chuck, made out of a waste block of Bois d’Arc. It’s hollowed out 7/8” depth, to fit the 1-3/4” ball, lined with thin “foamies” from Wal-Mart which is stuck with double-stick carpet tape. Then some more tape on top of the foam. Notice the rounded notch, upper left, where the handle can sit. I don’t put the handle all the way into the notch, because I think it looks better with a very slight up-turn on the end of the scoop.
I have turned a few scoops to completion by sticking the ball into this chuck, as shown, held in place by the carpet tape. But after launching one across the shop, I began to tape them in place.

Pic 6 - Here, the ball is mounted with the handle at the notch, and the first strip of tape is applied. I use the tailstock to press the ball into the scoop chuck until I finish applying the tape.

[OGYT]

Pic 7 - I put narrow strips of tape on all four quadrants of the ball, and then tape the ends with a wrap around the circumference of the chuck. I hollow at 1800 to 2000 rpm, and the ends of the narrow strips will sling off the chuck, if they’re not fastened down. Taping the ball in place adds about 1 minute to the turning time.

Pic 8 - Next, I drill a hole to depth. I make the ball 1-3/4" diameter, so I want the hole to be 1-5/8" deep. This will leave the bottom 1/8" thick, until it's scraped smooth and sanded. When finished, the bottom will be nearer to 3/32" thick.

Pic 9 - Keep your toolrest positioned so it will keep your hands clear of the spinning handle. A longer toolrest is better, but I’m used to this one. I hollow with a #1 Hunter tool, and finish by taking a couple of very light cuts with a ½” scraper.
I cut the top edge of the scoop down to about ¼” shy of the handle. When finished like this, the scoop will hold just a little over one Tablespoon.
You can make some with the scoop edge cut lower (1/8” shy of the handle) which will make them hold a bit less than one tablespoon.

Pic 10 - Done. Notice the toolrest moved out of the way for sanding, but still protecting from the spinning handle on this side of the lathe.

Pic 11 - Removed from the chuck. All that's left to do is blow the dust out of the grooves, and clean the tape residue off with a little spirits. Then buff, and it's ready to go into the bowl with the others.