This Weekend's Project: The Turns

[Robb Ludwig]

First off, how does one refer to the turns? I have a pair of turns, a set, a gaggle...?

Anyhow, I've had this little bow lathe for a while now and I really want to try it out. Two problems with that: I have no bow, and I have no ferrules. From what I've discovered so far, the bow shouldn't be too big a problem. Take a wire hanger, cut a piece, bend it a bit, and I have a crude bow. Since there are no horses about the Motor City to speak of, I'm planning on cotton instead of horsehair. My question is what size and how much? It looks like sewing thread is about the size to use, but any confirmation would be appreciated. Additionally, is beeswax a good idea or not?

I've noticed that Jules Borel and Otto Frei both have bows for around $50. If I can make one that works is there a need to buy one? (Aside from the fact that I really really like buying tools.)

As for ferrules, I'm planning a trip to Home Depot to find a suitable small, probably plastic, pulley wheel. (I don't have any brass large enough yet, nor a three-jaw chuck, to make one from.) A little grub screw and a tap and I'm thinking that should be good to go.

If I manage to get this far, the plan is to make a winding stem, or maybe just small piles of swarf.

Thanks in advance, and all have a nice weekend.

Robb

[RustyMainspring]

When I was in school we used fishing line worked just the same as the horse hair. Just don't use 20 lbs test might be a little big

[Robb Ludwig]

Rusty, thanks for the tip. That's just exactly what I used, but 4 lb. test.

What I ended up doing was taking a nylon nut and drilling it through the center, then across the head perpendicular to and intersecting with the first hole. Then I took a brass wood screw and cut off the head and point. I don't have a screw head file yet (surprisingly expensive) so I used my jewelers saw to cut the slot. That gave me a little brass grub screw.

Then since I can't mount that sized nylon nut in my lathe, I ran a piece of 2mm O-1 rod through the first hole, and secured it by using the grub screw in the second hole. I had also cut off the threads of the nut at this point. Then into a #20 collet in the lathe it all went where I more or less rounded off the corners of the nut's head, and cut a slot in the middle of it to make it a pulley. The grub screw was short enough that I only had to cut nylon to make it pulley-like.

By the way, I hate the mess from turning Nylon--that stuff gets everywhere.

Then for the bow I had an unused graver handle and mounted my bent up coat hanger in that. Then I had to file a slot on the end of the bow to attach the nylon fishing line properly. I was lucky and remembered seeing an illustration in one of my books of how to do it. A little checking and I found it again in "Watch and Clock Making and Repairing" by W.J. Gazeley, F.B.H.I. (I want extra initials.)

So I've been trying to do a bit of turning in the turns. Finally. It's not quite as easy as I thought it would be to translate lathe skills (modest) into using the turns. Instead of trying to make any parts this weekend, I'm just going to play with getting the hang of coordinating bow and graver. I'm not quite making the nice little spiral threads I so enjoy producing on the lathe yet.

Please pardon the crummy pictures. The wife/den mother is off cub scout camping with the kids this weekend and apparently took both the good cameras.

[Robb Ludwig]

Replying to my own thread. Bad form.

But what I learned was that the wing nuts for tightening the runners are NOT supposed to be on the same side as the tool rest. They totally get in the way. At least that's what dawned on me while turning, with the turns. A quick look in de Carle and sure enough, he confirmed they were bass ackwards. That's his term for it. I don't use that kind of language.