http://www.getwoodworking.com August 2019 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking 63
to drill a hole 25mm in diameter and 50mm
deep in one end ready for the spigot that will
join the column to the base. It’s better to drill
it now because you can guarantee that the
hole will be 100% in the centre.
Fit the Forstner bit in the Jacobs chuck and
mount it in the headstock. Find the centres on
either end of the paduak, and mount it between
the bit and the tailstock. Now hold the paduak
while you turn the lathe on; remember to use a
low speed of around 400rpm as drilling in this
way at a high speed can be very dangerous.
Gently wind the tailstock in; back the tailstock
off every few turns to clear the debris.
After drilling, the best way to mount the
workpiece on the lathe is via a jam chuck.
This is one of my favourite chucks because it’s
home-made and doesn’t cost anything. All you
have to do is fix a scrap piece of wood onto it
and turn a spigot about 30mm long. If you taper
the spigot from 24mm to 26mm, it’ll sit neatly
into the hole on the column and turn without
any problems as long as you’re not heavy-handed
with the spindle roughing gouge.
As you turn the taper, check it with a straight
edge to make sure that it’s straight; it may need
a little tweaking to get it right. The final turning
is the 10mm spigot on the thin end, which is for
the drip tray.
Again, when sanding a long taper or cylinder,
I like to use abrasive wrapped around a cork
block. Moving the block slowly up and down the
workpiece soon flattens the surface; lift the block
occasionally to remove the dust on the abrasive.
Work through the different grades of paper and
finish on 400 grit before stopping the lathe and
rubbing the abrasive up and down the grain to
eliminate any sanding marks. Give the column
a good coat of sealer and when it’s dry rub back
with ‘0000’ wire wool.The shorter, bottom section of the column is
also held on a jam chuck, so drill the spigot hole
on a pillar drill and then mount the workpiece on
a 25mm spigot.
This piece is only a simple taper, and a 9mm
gouge will soon turn it into shape; use a steel
rule to check that it’s flat, and then continue
to sand and seal it.
The wenge rings between the two halves of
the column, and between the column and the
drip tray, are also turned with a jam chuck. The
larger ring has a 25mm hole drilled through it,
while the smaller ring has a 10mm hole. The
pieces are faced up both sides and turned to
the finished thicknesses and diameters. The
smaller ring at the top of the column has a
10mm hole through it. This can also be turned
on a jam chuck and parted off when finished.12 Drilling the column: run the lathe on a low speed
and wind the tailstock in slowly
11 Glue the top and bottom rings to the base and
clamp them on10 With the upper base ring mounted on the jam
chuck, drill a 25mm hole right through
FOR BEGINNERS
When using hot glue to mount workpieces
such as the wenge discs in these candlesticks,
start by fitting a piece of scrap wood on a
faceplate or screw chuck and facing it up,
using a steel rule to make sure that it’s flat.
I then tend to apply one ring of glue on
the scrap wood; there is no point in covering
the whole thing. Stick the workpiece to the
scrap wood, and then bring the tailstock up to
clamp it in place; the glue will set in seconds,
remember, so you won’t have any time to
waste. To remove the workpiece you’ll need
to give it a sharp blow with a rubber hammer;
any glue left on the disc can then be picked
off easily14 Hold the lower part of the column on a spigot
chuck; turn the taper with a 9mm gouge13 The quickest way to flatten the surface is with
abrasive wrapped round a cork block15 Jam the ring onto a jam chuck, face both sides,
and then turn the taper
17 ... but the small ring is mounted on a jam chuck
and supported with the tailstock16 The spigot is turned between centres...