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View Full Version : Yesterday - Feb 5th, and new tool



ElizaLeahy
6th February 2009, 07:38 AM
Yesterday I turned two sticks with two matching bud vases - which of course I'm calling hair stick holders! No, I'm not obsessed. Ok, maybe a little.

No photos yet because I turned until dark, and it's too early to take photos this morning.

But I wanted to tell you that I also bought a pair of callipers yesterday from Carba Tec (and Gem threw up in their show room!) and they are so useful! I managed to get the sticks much narrower with them simply by having them. Thinking "they need to be this narrow" and having a good way to measure them somehow translated to making it possible. Or maybe it's the practice I've been doing.

Another thing that worried me was that I was never sure where the hole was in the bud vases and was afraid to make the neck too thin in case I broke through. With the callipers I measured the width of the drill bit, made it a bit bigger, and now I can do more graceful necks without worry.

Only thing - first vase I drilled too deep, when I cut the it off the lathe the hole is just showing at the bottom... the second I didn't drill deep enough!

Still practicing!

:doh:

hughie
6th February 2009, 08:33 AM
Another thing that worried me was that I was never sure where the hole was in the bud vases and was afraid to make the neck too thin in case I broke through. With the callipers I measured the width of the drill bit, made it a bit bigger, and now I can do more graceful necks without worry.

Only thing - first vase I drilled too deep, when I cut the it off the lathe the hole is just showing at the bottom... the second I didn't drill deep enough!


Hi Eliza,
Get your self a pencil or piece of dowel of similar size and use it for a simple depth gauge. Lay it against the work piece prior to drilling and determine the dept , transfer that to the drill bit. Mark it off on the drill bit using anything ie tape, texta, or a white out pen etc, then drill to the mark :2tsup:
You can buy some real fancy depth gauges but this will just a good job as any of them

robutacion
6th February 2009, 05:22 PM
Yeah, I agree with Hughie, a bit of tape around the drill bit does wonders...!:;

Are you not convinced yet Eliza, that the lathe was the smallest part of the addiction investment...??? :o:D

Don't worry about the hole on the vase base, you can always "plug" it. Indeed, if you even see someone else's turnings with nice round coloured discs on the base, trying to look like a added feature to the piece, really it is...!, after a "hole" has been made by accident. Some discs are really large, aren't they...!:o:doh:

It happens to the best of us...!:q

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

Skew ChiDAMN!!
6th February 2009, 06:49 PM
Get your self a pencil or piece of dowel of similar size and use it for a simple depth gauge. Lay it against the work piece prior to drilling and determine the dept , transfer that to the drill bit. Mark it off on the drill bit using anything ie tape, texta, or a white out pen etc, then drill to the mark :2tsup:

A minor, but simple, improvement to this idea is to drill a hole through the middle of a small slat of wood (say, 1cm x 3cm x 10cm) so that you can poke the dowel through. The dowel should be a force fit - not so tight it takes a lot of effort to move, but not so loose it falls out or moves by itself accidentally.

You simply hold the slat across the opening of whatever you're turning and push the dowel through 'til it bottoms out in the hole.

The advantage is that you can use this to mark your drill-bit or whatever, then put it aside for a while and still have a "record" of your depth. eg. when parting off you can lay it along the outside of your piece and know exactly where the hole ends without needing to measure it again. :)