Finials

[bellyup]

G'day All,
I would like to get better at finials, I've looked on the web for instruction vidoes but came up a blank. Does anyone have any ideas or links?
Thanks guys,
Bruce.

[Ed Reiss]

Hey Bellyup...check out Cindy Drozda's DVD's. Everything you ever wanted to know about finials and more

[bellyup]

Thanks Ed,
Beautiful stuff- that lady sure knows her way around the lathe!! Could be just what I'm looking for.

[jefferson]

Bruce,

another option for you would be to get an invite from the Griffith turners - Ken W. is doing a demo there next Friday evening. That would be a 4 hour or more drive for you, but it would be worth it. Assuming it's OK with them!

I don't recall what exactly Ken is up to but he can turn a lace bobbin or a finial in no time flat.

I've got the Cindy Drozda DVDs and they are quite good. PM me and I post 'em up.

She does things a little differently to Ken W - she doesn't use tail-stock support for as long as Ken.

Ken also uses mini-chisels (Cindy doesn't) that have some very severe grinds on the wings of the spindle gouges. Ken had a special tool rest and live centre made up so he could get his hands closer to support the spindle.

(Ken, if you're on line, please post a pic of the Spirit Temple to show the crew what you do!)

One other thing - if you are intending to use tail-stock support, the trick I'm told is to make sure the head and tailstocks align. If they don't, you'll have to hold solely at the headstock end (in any number of ways).

(I go out to the shed and take a pic of my set-up which is very close to Ken W's and post back soon).

[bellyup]

G'day Jeff,
Would love to see Ken in action but alas Griffith would be a 14+ hour round trip .
Thanks for the kind offer of the DVDs, that would be great! PM on the way.
Bruce.

[jefferson]

Bruce,

here are the pics. The tool rest is for a leftie! Plenty of room for hands supporting the wood with this set-up and particularly the long tail stock support.

Note also the mini-chisel and the flute. Ken's are even more aggressive.

The boxes are all Ken W's. I hope you can see all the fine details.

Attachment 116923

Attachment 116924

Attachment 116925

Attachment 116926

Attachment 116927

Attachment 116928

Good luck with your finials. Not ready here to try them just yet.

[bellyup]

Thanks Jeff,
What jaws are you using on your chuck?
Bruce.

[jefferson]

Bruce, I think they are the 35mm Vicmarc pin jaws (the ones with two screws for each jaw). Chuck is a Vicmarc VM 100.

Check out Jim Carroll's site, think they'll be listed somewhere. The jaws weren't too dear from memory.

[kps]

Jeff,
can you make suggestions on timber that is suited to finials [strength & elegance]. Some of the designs leave little support to the structure given their length. A WIP sequence would be great if anyone had the time.
cheers, kps

[jefferson]

KPS,

you are talking to the wrong woodturner, so sorry.

I am called the Little Grasshopper for good reason!

I have been given so much help, encouragement and lessons from the Masters that not all of it has sunk in just yet.

But I do recall Ken W. telling me that the sapwood from any of our out-back timbers (gidgee etc) is great for practice. You should be looking for dense, slowing growing woods. They hold the detail so much better. And they bend.....

Talk with Tea Lady too, she's turned 50 more finials than I have. (I've done two bad ones).

As I said previously, I haven't tackled finials just yet. But I am ready to go.....

We must convince WWW to putting out a DVD (or three). IMHO, he turns better than most, if not all, but especially with finials and fine detail.

And, as Neil has already mentioned, he's a top fellow - up to his neck at least.

After that..... well, you get the gist.

This is a bad time for Ken W. - he's very busy Oct-Nov - so he may not reply.

Hopefully some of the others on the Board will chip in and give better advice.

[KenW]

I don't need to reply, the little grasshoper is doing just fine.
Wood for finials, Mulga, Gidgee, Dead Finish, Kanooka, Ebony, etc. Any hard straight grained wood will work. I have worked with Cindy D, we make similar finals but in different ways.
As Jeff has said, I use tailstock support almost to the the finish. Cindy turns without tailstock support, she has to be much more careful with the tools than me.

[tea lady]

Oh! Finials.

I turned mine without tail stock support cos my lathe is very out of wack. I used spotted gum for mine, as I had it there, and I kinda thought that it might take me a while to get to the stage where I was pushing the material more than my skills. I chose straight grained pieces. Was fine down to quite thin diameters. I guess for more detailed woofles you might want the desert timbers.

I rounded the blanks first between centers, then gripped them in pin jaws.

Here is some finials I turned earlier. (I recommend turning lots, as you get the hang of them much better. The last ones I turned in 9 minutes including finishing, and they got quite thin and nicely shaped. {If I don't say so myself. } ) (And just for some gratuitous showing off, here is the box they all went on. )

[jefferson]

Tea Lady,

you are setting a cracking pace for we novices on the Forum......

So, a challenge for you and the others - turn a delicate finial with those little discs either side of the bead.

[tea lady]

Tea Lady,

you are setting a cracking pace for we novices on the Forum......

So, a challenge for you and the others - turn a delicate finial with those little discs either side of the bead.

So, finial challenge this month is it.

[ElizaLeahy]

I had little success getting really fine finials until Ken kindly sent me some samples of timber - and I can tell you the timber makes all the difference.

Listen to him, get the timbers on his list!

Also patience. Don't rush it, if it takes an hour to turn a tiny finial the first time then that is how long it takes. Ken can do it quickly because he has been doing it for a long time.