What Would You Turn With These. ?

[William Young]

Not use them for firewood . . I already know that one 😛

Seems like when we get into turning there is always someone that wants to give free wood.
A friend at the coffee shop gave me these sixteen spindles this morning and asked if they would be of any use to me.

He has had them for many years . There is a price sticker on every one of $2.24. Bet they would cost more than that now..
They are all hard maple. The areas where I marked one with a felt marker is 1.5" at the biggest part and 1/2" at the smallest part. Between the marks on each end where the threaded hole ends , there will be 12 inches salvageable after the ends are cut off.
Pens are not an option because of lack of show grain. If they were birds eye maple then that is what I would use them for.
Any suggestions ? . If so any links to tutorials on what could be made with pieces like this or pictures of things you have made within those dimensions would be helpfull.
Something that would be natural wood finished . I am not at all into painting.
W.Y.

 

[Jack Savona]

Magic wands for Harry Potter fans?

Jack Savona

 

[William Young]

That was funny Jack 😀 but does anyone know the regulation size for a conductors wand? May be an idea after all.
W.Y.

 

[dkulze]

Those are perfect for spurtels. A spurtel is an Irish stirring stick. Just lop mount them up, turn the center 12" into a dowell with some decorations at each end, and part the spindle off at the threaded part. There you have it. $5 at any given crafts fair and nice gifts to friends for their kitchen. Amazingly useful for stirring lemonade, stew, hot cider, etc.

Dietrich

 

[Dr_dewey]

hollow wood spurttles

now willie is an expert on spurttles, but hollow, that would allow the food to stick inside and make a bad stink.

skiny lamp posts.

 

[Jack Savona]

Seriously,...

William, I didn't mean to be funny. John Jordan had a post on woodcentral.com (I didn't know if a click through is within protocol) on July 16th about the slew of "Harry Potter' wands he crafted on-site when the new Harry Potter book was introed last week. He sold a bundle, customizing them at the bookstore on his mini lathe. If you do a search on their site for 'Harry Potter' you'll see some of his creations and he'll describe the practical morse taper he uses while turning.

Another idea: honey dippers.

Jack Savona

 

[Elizabeth Woodturner]

Furniture knobs, handles, light pulls, lamp finials, small boxes, bowling pins, barrels, balls, beads, egg cup, batons, galley rail spindels. miniature chair legs, coat toggles, game board pieces.........need I continue!!!!!

 

[William Young]

Dietrick;
I just finished making ten more scottish porridge stirring spurtles as shown below. I have made dozens of them in the last month and for some strange reason people keep buying them and sending them off to friends as gifts.
Unfortunately the spindles are a little too small in a few places and not enough useable wood to make them a full length 13" and as thick as shown in this site
http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/Shopping/spurtle.htm
But I just may try a slightly modified one a little shorter and thinner and see how it turns out.

Dewey. They are not hollow all the way through . Just the ends. And it would be difficult to drill holes from one end to the other for a lamp cord because they are only 1/2" diameter at two points. Perhaps you missed where I pointed that out..

Jack.I will follow up on your second post .

Thanks all.
W.Y.

 

[William Young]

Elizabeth Turner.
I just noticed your reply.
Thanks for all your suggestions.
That link on the spurtles did not come up (at least on my computer ) . Just in case there is a typo in it , here it is again.
http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/Shopping/spurtle.htm
And if it still isn't live, a copy and paste into the address bar brings it up.
W.Y.

 

[oldgriz]

You could also do some honey dippers, those don't have to be long and might be a good selling item with your spurtles...

 

[Ron Sardo]

Dietrick;
I just finished making ten more scottish porridge stirring spurtles as shown below.

These remind me of night sticks

 

[john lucas]

William I've made 2 conductors batons. they are usually somewhere around 12 inches and the ball portion varies greatly. There is a website somewhere that gives you a better idea. The conductors I made them for have very personal feelings about length and balance and even percieved flex in the tip. I say percieved because I find it hard to believe someone sitting more than 5 feet from the conductor can see any flex in the tip. Mine started out at 1/4" and tapered to less than 1/8 at the tip. I made them with the tip just inserted into the handle until the conductor could feel them. He liked the first one but I had to make the second handle a little smaller to change the balance point.

 

[William Young]

Thanks Tom.
I am going to look fo a site that shows honey dippers dimensions etc because I have never made them before.

Jack;
I did a search on the Harry Potter wands and I can now see that you were not kidding about that as I had first suspected. I had no idea that could be such a popular item but I found there are all kinds of them being made and they are going for anywhere from $6.00 to over $80.00 .

Ron;
You are so right about them looking like miniarure night sticks which are called *Billy Sticks* by the police in England. I have had several comments about that from people that have bought them or from ones that I have given them to. They make a good conversation piece besides what they are actually intended for. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that they have been so well accepted.
I personally can't imagine stirring porridge with a stick but as long as they want them, I'll keep making them .

Thanks to all who contributed to my inquiry on the spindles.
W.Y.

 

[Dr_dewey]

dippers

here is a sample of some with a inch ruler at top, Willie you should be able to scale these to match your needs with the stock in hand. If you require help converting the sizes - just post.

 

[William Young]

Thanks Ray.
W.Y.

 

[John Taylor]

Fan Pulls

William,
Try quartering them into fan pulls and add some chain.

John Taylor