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Off Center Turning

J

jimbob91577

Joined
Jan 7, 2006
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Location
Southern Oregon
Does there exist somewhere, a good "How To" guide for off center turning?

I'd like to do some simple spirals for Christmas ornaments this year, and am hoping that learning to turn off center will afford me that skill.

Thanks!
Jim
 
Woodturning Methods by Mike Darlow has a chapter on offcenter turning. However that does not include turning spirals. For that you need Stewart Mortimers book Techniques of Spiral work. You can get an offcenter finial that sort of resembles a spiral if you only look at one side.
 
There was actually a demo from one of the AAW Symposia on www.thewoodworkingchannel.com. It's a basic demo, but it will give you the idea. I think it's entitled the three-sided spiral. I forget who did it. It may not be in the line up today. You might have to keep checking the schedule.

Another book that I thought was quite good was

Multi-Center Woodturning, by Ray Hopper

He has a number of different projects, jigs, and techniques outlined in the book. I don't recall if he does a spiral. The book is not available on Amazon - might be out of print?
 
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jimbob91577 said:
I'd like to do some simple spirals for Christmas ornaments this year, and am hoping that learning to turn off center will afford me that skill.
Click to expand...
Spiral or helix?

A spiral would be something that looks like a clock mainspring or the hairspring on the escapement of a watch (if you are old enough to know what that is). A helix would be a shape like a garage door spring or the spring at the business end of the barrel of a ball-point pen.

I can't imagine turning a spiral on anything short of an ornamental lathe.

Bill
 
Helix

I guess it would be more of a helix shape versus a spiral. The shape I want would resemble a hose wrapped around a slender cone (or a single screw thread wrapped around a cone shape)

I don't know if it is possible to turn one (I could dig out the dremmel tool, but I was hoping that I could just use the lathe), as I can't seem to find anyone who has done one in the gallery forum.

The images that Ken supplied are similar, but not quite what I am looking for, and the guy who turns the spiral (helix) lamps is close too.

Thanks Guys, for your help!
Jim
 
jimbob91577 said:
I guess it would be more of a helix shape versus a spiral. The shape I want would resemble a hose wrapped around a slender cone (or a single screw thread wrapped around a cone shape)
Click to expand...
I would have to go dig into my old CRC handbook to see what the correct name is for such a thing (maybe a spiraling helix?), but I suspect that sooner or later the dang thing is going to start acting like a . . . . . . . . . a spring -- when it gets thin enough! How do you stabilize it or even keep it between centers -- it could get interesting -- definitely a light touch would be needed.

The only problem that I see with the Escoulen chuck is that it would be connected to the small end of the spring which I would think is the wrong end. It seems to me that it would make more sense for the tailstock end to remain fixed at the same point (the apex of the cone) while the base is translated laterally from the center around the circle at the base of the cone. Between centers, it might present a bit of a problem, but if there were a chuck with a ball and socket joint that could also translate laterally -- that would be ideal.

Bill
 
See that is what I don't understand - how do you know how to plan the design out? (aside from experience, someone must have tought you or you tought yourself - what I'm looking for is a reference of some form that I can use to begin to teach myself)

I wouldn't expect the piece to become unstable as the cone shape would still be attached all throughout the piece. Think of a 3" screw with only 1 thread per the 3" length.

Or if I took a cone and dremmel'd a spiral-helix down the shaft of the cone.
 
Barley Twist

I may be wrong, but I think you are referring to a Barley Twist? You see this often on furniture legs, usuually in a closed form, meaning the twist is simply figured on the surface of the stock, or as an open twist, meaning the strands of the twist are carved completely through. I attached a photo with an example of an open twist. (NO...I did not turn these. They were from a catalog unfortunately.) Twists are often referred to by the number of strands they have. Usually double or triple.

Anyway....if that is what you are thinking of, I have only seen directions for these that involves turning the basic shape as a spindle, then hand carving the twists, or using a router mounted on the lathe to carve the shapes, but the lathe is not turned on while you do it. The lathe is just used as a carving bench with the piece mounted between centers. An enterprising person could make up a paired motor system that would advance a track mounted router moving from left to right while the second motor turned the lathe very slowly, but by the time you designed and built that rig I suspect you could have hand carved a herd of them, or bought an ornamental lathe.

I am almost certain I have a book at home describing how these are made, but I won't be back there for a while to look it up. Hopefully the term Barley Twist (if that is actually what you are thinking of) will help you located directions.

Is this the kind of thing you are referring to?

Dave
 

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David Somers said:
An enterprising person could make up a paired motor system that would advance a track mounted router moving from left to right while the second motor turned the lathe very slowly, but by the time you designed and built that rig I suspect you could have hand carved a herd of them
Click to expand...

Dave,

Isn't that the Legacy Mill deal?

M
 
Those look close, but I guess, now having reflected a little bit further, the shape I am looking for is more of a corkscrew type shape with rounded threads versus sharp threads. (Pardon the image, I did a rough sketch in MSPaint)


I like the Barley Twist idea and will most likely try my hand at one of those...
 

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Mark Mandell said:
Dave,

Isn't that the Legacy Mill deal?

M
Click to expand...
Mark,

I had never heard of a Legacy Mill before this but went out and looked it up. Right on the money. I have a friend at Sequoia Kings Canyon NP who designed and made 2 computer controlled routers just for giggles (he is a radio and electonics technician) and they were similar to the Legacy in looks, with the exception that you could control them all through a computer.

Dave
 
jimbob91577 said:
Those look close, but I guess, now having reflected a little bit further, the shape I am looking for is more of a corkscrew type shape with rounded threads versus sharp threads. (Pardon the image, I did a rough sketch in MSPaint)


I like the Barley Twist idea and will most likely try my hand at one of those...
Click to expand...

The idea would be the same. Still a hand carving operation, perhaps with a router or other power carver to assist you. This might even be simpler to do since you don't have to have the twist be open.

I can get an almost identical pattern any time I lay a Skew Chisel to wood as well!!!! <grin> Hmmmmmm. Maybe I could claim that as a skill ????? Anyone want to pay for me to come demo realllllly coarse "thread chasing" techniques with a skew chisel????


Dave
 
Can you get me a picture...and a simple set of instructions...

I'd be looking for something that starts at 1/2" diameter and tapers to a point with the "twist" being about 1/8" - 3/16" thick....(I'm planning on making thing out of holly or maple and painting the twist blue or red)

I'd be using the technique to make a shape that resembles an Icicle/Candy cane and attach it to an 1-1/2" hollow globe christmas ornament...

Very similar to a lot of the ornaments in the picture gallery...

I wonder if I could turn the globe really really thin and put a light bulb in it that could plug into a string of christmas lights...hum???
 
I think the Legacy would do it (Not sure how close). Another that couple probably do something is the old Sears Router Crafter. Works on the same principle but smaller and less complex (also less costly). In fact, I think Trend now sells or did sell a variation of it.

Paul
 
I think the Legacy would do it (Not sure how close). Another that could probably do something is the old Sears Router Crafter. Works on the same principle but smaller and less complex (also less costly). In fact, I think Trend now sells or did sell a variation of it.

Paul
 
I'd be looking for something that starts at 1/2" diameter and tapers to a point with the "twist" being about 1/8" - 3/16" thick...
Click to expand...

This would not be difficult to carve freehand, using a rotary carving tool or even hand carving tools plus an "80 grit gouge".
Just turn your cone, and while still mounted on the lathe, rough out a spiral with a little sanding drum or a rotary cutter maybe 1/4" or 3/8" diameter for example. Then finish up with a carving knife, files, sandpaper, etc.

Guess what I'm trying to say is you don't need special equipment to do what jimbob wants, just ordinary carving tools.
 
Ken you are absolutly correct - I could do the entire thing with a dremmel tool (rotarty tool), I was just hoping that there was a way to do this without using a carving tool of some sort...
 
David Somers said:
I can get an almost identical pattern any time I lay a Skew Chisel to wood as well!!!! <grin> Hmmmmmm. Maybe I could claim that as a skill ????? Anyone want to pay for me to come demo realllllly coarse "thread chasing" techniques with a skew chisel????
Click to expand...


It took me a couple of days, but I finally got it... Ha Ha, the joke is on me...!
Thanks for your help guys...
 
A true spiral

jimbob91577 said:
It took me a couple of days, but I finally got it... Ha Ha, the joke is on me...!
Thanks for your help guys...
Click to expand...

JIMBOB,

The legacy can only make grooves around a piece of wood.
You can see a true spiral. At this website---my4spiral.com---
The animation is how it was created, but, machinery is how it was done.
There has been no books on this subject.

Lampman
 
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