The_Woodworker_and_Woodturner_-_October_2019

http://www.getwoodworking.com October 2019 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking 87

2 A year ago, I took delivery of four ash butts and

they are now air dry to about 18% moisture content,

so therefore stable enough to use for the making

of this project. The base is just about the right size

at around 300mm in diameter

3 I start by drilling the hole up through the centre

with a gun drill; this has a hole through the middle

in which compressed air can be used to clear the

shavings as drilling proceeds. This is the quickest

and most efficient way of creating the hole, but

Axminster Tools & Machinery sell a complete

lamp boring system, which works fantastically

9 You can see that this will drill a perfectly centred

hole of about 25mm in depth. It does require a lathe

with at least 1hp and will generate some heat if the

counterbore is blunt

8 The holes in the end are cut with the counterbore

drive. Start by putting the square blank against the

toolrest. When the lathe is turned on the wood cannot

revolve, so switch the lathe on and advance the wood

using the tailstock

7 The next stage is planning where the joints are

going to be, so it’s a matter of laying it out and

working out where the spigots will appear. As I am

only making one of these, I didn’t bother with a rod

or plan

5 Drill halfway through from one side and then turn

the spindle around so you can drill the second half

from the other end. Because of the hole, you cannot

use a normal pronged drive so a counterbore one

is required. The peg fits perfectly into the hole

6 Once you have gone in from both ends you

should have a perfect hole. Even with careful drilling

sometimes the drill just wants to follow the grain so

the two holes won’t meet up. The only option then

is to cut the blank in half and use it for smaller lamps

4 The hollow live centre allows me to drill through
the tailstock of the lathe, thus effectively clearing the
shavings and preventing clogging. You still need to
frequently withdraw the drill in order to clear anything
that has not been blown out with the compressed air

1 May my spalted ash work lamp rest in pieces!
I made it from some dry and half rotten timber,
so I’m amazed it lasted for so many years. Luckily
the IKEA lamp survived the crash with just a few
more dents to the shade