POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 531 Begin by roughing out the body of the rolling pin, slightly oversize. Next, mount
the blank in a scroll chunk and install a Jacobs chunk in the tailstock.
2 Drill a^7 / 16 " hole approximately^1 / 4 " deep into the end of the blank. I use a short
spade bit for this operation.(^5) / 16 " x 6"
Carriage bolt
(^5) / 8 " x 1 / 4 "
Counterbore
(^7) / 16 " x 1 / 4 "
Counterbore
1" to 1 1 / 8 "
Max diameter
2-1/4" Dia.
4"4"
"
(^5) / 16 " through hole (^5) / 16 " hole, 2" deep
2
1
Lesson in Centering Holes
You don’t need advanced turning
skills to make a rolling pin, but you
may learn a valuable lesson: how to
center a turning on a drilled hole.
If you’re new to turning, you
might think that’s easy. You just
turn a part, such as the handle, then
drill a hole all the way through it.
But that’s not the turner’s way.
A turner aims for precisely cen-
tered holes (in this case, to make a
handle that doesn’t wobble). Here’s
how it’s done. You turn the parts to
rough size fi rst, then drill the holes
on the lathe—not a drill press.
Then you insert conical centers
in both holes and turn the part to
completion. That’s how the holes
end up being perfectly centered.
You’ll need three accessories to
make perfectly centered holes: a
scroll chuck, a Jacobs chuck and a
live center with a large, conical tip.
Many types of these items are avail-
able in wood-turning catalogs.
Make the Body
Start by making the body of the
rolling pin. You’ll need a chunk of
wood that’s 10" to 12" long and at
least 2^1 / 2 " square. Turn it into a
rough cylinder (Image 1).
Mount one end of the body
into the jaws of a scroll chuck
and install a Jacobs chuck in your
tailstock. Put a^7 / 16 " dia. bit in the
chuck (I use a spade bit and cut
(^7) / 16 " Spade bit
Scroll chuck
Jacobs chuckJ