Ok let's see if I can describe this correctly----

 

#1 is it safe?

#2 is it practical? 

 

Question: Can you round off the corners of a square (say 12x 12 x1") from the tailstock side? I know it can be done along the axis of the bed-- but perpendicular to the axis?

 

I saw ONE video on youtube & he turned it round pretty quickly!!

He was using a carbide cutter, not HSS. Just plunged it in and cut off the corners

 

Project: I was planning on making serving "platters". Normally they are made from a 3" thick piece of wood with the center hollowed out by using a fostner bit. But that seems to me to be an extreme waste of wood. I was planning on making rings using a parting tool or something similar and then gluing them on a 1/2-3/4" thick base. That way I could use the inside of the ring to make smaller "bowls"/rings-- to make serving dishes.

 

So ---- is it safe & is it practical?

 

thks

smitty

My first question would be, how is the square stock mounted to the lathe? Faceplate, Glue Block?

glue block was going to be my choice with brown paper separator. If that fails to separate then bandsaw it 

 

Edited December 31, 20187 yr by smitty10101

Just now, smitty10101 said:

glue block was going to be my choice

 

How would you mount the glue block to the head stock? Chuck?

face plate & screws

Edited December 31, 20187 yr by smitty10101

I think that would work OK. The only thing I can think of that might be a problem is the parting tool width (not thickness). Most parting tools are about 1" wide and as you make the plunge cut the "circle", created on the blank, may have a small enough radius that it binds on the parting tool edges. That may be why the YouTube video showed the guy using a cutter instead of a parting tool. I haven't seen the video so I'm not sure if my thinking is correct.

he used a cutter on the outer edge.

I was planning on making the "rings with the parting tool addressing the wood in the same fashion that you would if you were parting something off normally.  (along the axis of the bed)

 

Might (would)have to be thicker(wider) than just the thickness of the tool

Sounds like that might be OK.

 

Do you still have the video link?

Safest and easiest is to cut the corners off on the band saw.  Cutting them off on the lathe with a plunge cut would let them go flying. For the rings, why not cut them on the scroll saw and glue them to the base and then true them up on the lathe.  When cutting through a board on a face plate there is nothing to hold the ring once you are through and a lot of splintering can occur on the back edge due to lack of support.  A jigsaw using a plunge cut is another method.

 

 

12 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

A jigsaw using a plunge cut is another method.

FWIW/FYI.. that is a progressor blade in that saw... they are designed to do specifically that and to absorb bottoming out...

37 minutes ago, lew said:

Do you still have the video link?

Don't know ---will have to look

 

19 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

For the rings, why not cut them on the scroll saw

 

19 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

A jigsaw using a plunge cut is another method

Blades will bend/wander---VOE.  Had to true them up(the rings)  with a spindle sander.

 

Can also cut them with a router & circle cutter (originally did it that way) but end grain was giving me problems with tear out so I was exploring alternative methods.

Edited December 31, 20187 yr by smitty10101

4 minutes ago, smitty10101 said:

Blades will bend/wander---VOE. 

FWIW/FYI.. that is a progressor blade in that saw... they are designed to do specifically that and to absorb bottoming out...

Edited December 31, 20187 yr by Stick486

1 minute ago, smitty10101 said:

Blades will bend/wander---VOE.  Had to true them up with a spindle sander.

True them on the lathe after gluing them together.

 

2 minutes ago, smitty10101 said:

 

Can also cut them with a router & circle cutter (originally did it that way) but end grain was giving me problems with tear out so I was exploring alternative methods. 

Tear out will be worse on the lathe.  Not so much for the entry cut as the exit.

1 minute ago, Stick486 said:

that is a progressor blade in that saw..

could you ease the back of the blade to eliminate it hitting the wood or would easing the point make the teeth to weak/brittle?

4 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

Tear out will be worse on the lathe.  Not so much for the entry cut as the exit.

??? wouldn't the glue block mitigate that?   ASSUMING that the glue block is at least the same size as rings? 

2 minutes ago, smitty10101 said:

wouldn't the glue block mitigate that

That was my thought

7 minutes ago, smitty10101 said:

could you ease the back of the blade to eliminate it hitting the wood or would easing the point make the teeth to weak/brittle?

not sure what you are asking...

1 minute ago, smitty10101 said:

??? wouldn't the glue block mitigate that?   ASSUMING that the glue block is at least the same size as rings? 

Yes it would but that's a big glue block and will cause problems removing the ring without breaking.

12 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

a big glue block and will cause problems removing the ring without breaking.

true

@smitty10101

 

Here's what you need.  They cut in from both sides.