Search the Community

This is a re-post on the Celtic Knot Rolling Pin. I am a fan of “Cook Book” style instructions so if I miss any details, please let me know and I will try to flesh them out. In addition, many of these photos/procedures have been refined over time and I will try to point them out by adding extra photos rather than rewriting the entire blog. I thought it best to start with the jigs I used to prepare the turning blanks. Please note that I always over engineer everything and hardly ever see the obvious or the easy way to do something so if you see an easier way- go for it! The first jig is one I made a while back, when I first started thinking about this project. I try to make jigs that have several uses. This one was also used to make the Cheese Knife Handles. Special Diagonal Cutting Jig Sled has 2 movable fences to change the angle of the cut and position of the blank. Toggle clamp holds blank during cutting operation Top view- Bottom View- The long extension is a stop to prevent the jig from being pushed too far. That’s because I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and pushed the jig too far thru the saw. Disassembled Fences- Top of the angle fence Bottom of the angle fence- Bottom of the length stop- Top of the length stop, in place- Partially Assembled Fences- The spacers on the bolts elevate the wing nuts above the rolling pin blank to make adjustments easier. The bright pink tape improves visibility as the blank is aligned to the layout marks on the tape. Notice the single narrow saw kerf. The pin blank is cut with three passes thru the saw; using spacers to offset the pin blank on each pass. Several woodworkers suggested that using a dado blade would allow the cut to be made in one pass. My dado set isn't large enough in diameter to get the height needed to cut the slot. Also, the pattern of the Celtic Knot can be varied by making just two single passes. The spacers create a 3/8" slot at the fish of the third pass.

The second part will concentrate on the layout of the rolling pin blank in preparation for cutting the slots. Create a blank that is 22” long and 2” square. Locate the center of the length (11”) and carry a line around the blank. The ellipses are 11” long and made of three pieces of 1/8” thick material Layout a mark 5 ½” on either side of the centerline and accurately carry the lines around the blank. To assist in laying out the diagonals, use a 3/8” thick spacer gauge, drawing lines on the blank, along BOTH sides of the spacer gauge. It is not necessary to layout both diagonals on each side. However, a check of the second diagonal will indicate if the layout is accurate and crossing in the center of the blank. NOTE: the cut for the diagonal strips falls within the 11” layout lines Rotate the blank 90 degrees and layout the location on the next diagonal cut. Continue rotating and drawing the diagonals until all four sides have been completed. Each diagonal consisted of two drawn lines. One line intersected with the layout line that defined the end of the ellipse. The second diagonal line ends “short” of the ellipse layout line. The location of the end, of this diagonal line, must be carried around the blank. These lines define the location of the saw cuts for the strips that create the ellipse. I have also begun to mark each end of the blank at the exact center of each end. This along with a centering line on the jig have helped reduce positioning errors as the saw kerf widens over time. Accuracy is important when laying out these lines in order to get the ellipses to maintain continuity. This drawing is not to scale. The measurements are what I used to make this rolling pin. The length and diameters were averaged from various baking supply websites for their rolling pins.

Once the blank has the layout lines drawn, it is time to cut the slots for the ellipses. The first step is to set the blade height. When the cut is made, there should be about 3/32" to 1/8” of material left holding the two sides together. This is necessary during the glue up by keeping the pieces aligned. Set the blank on the jig and adjust the angle and the end stop so that the front SHORTER layout line is positioned to the LEFT side of the blade cut. Orientation is when you are standing at the back of the saw looking forward. (These pictures are from the SIDES of the saw). On the latest jig, I drew positioning lines to locate the ends and center of the knot layout as well as the longitudinal center. These really help in positioning the blank. Make sure the length stop is adjusted against the end of the blank Aligning the layout lines to the jig Continue to adjust the angle and the end stop so that the rear LONGER layout line is positioned to the LEFT side of the blade cut. Securely tighten all adjustments. Once these angles/lengths are set, they will not change for all of the remaining cuts. Clamp the blank firmly in the jig. Double check the layout lines. In order to keep the correct orientation of the blank, I labeled the end of the blank nearest me. This end must always be placed against the rear stop for all diagonal cuts. With everything secure, make the first cut. Unclamp the blank. To make the second cut, I made a space strip to reposition the blank without having to change any of the jig setting. My first guess was that this spacer would be 3/8” thick- the same as the width of the finished cut. BUT that was too thick. I guess there is a way to calculate the thickness but trial and error won out. It came out closer to 1/4” (.265”). Later, someone told me that the reason was that I had failed to consider the width of the saw blade and on which side of the layout line the blade was cutting. The second cut is made with the blank position so that the front LONGER layout line is on the RIGHT side of the saw cut. The rear SHORTER layout line is on the RIGHT side of the saw cut. The walnut spacer strip can be seen between the blank and the fence of the jig. The thickness of the spacer strip could be different for each person. So check the setup carefully. Also, Make sure the blank butts up against the end stop before each cut. After the second cut has been made, there may be a thin piece of material left in the slot. I made another spacer- about 1/8”- replaced the first spacer and made a third “clean out” pass. The finished cut should be 3/8” wide and almost through the blank. Completed slot- Checking the slot for the inserts

I found it easier to glue if I oriented the blank with the diagonal cut facing up. I use an old restaurant cutting board as a gluing work surface and pieces of the cutting board as culls and pads. In this picture, you can see the three strips to be glued into place. They measure 2” x 10 3/4” x 1/8”. Test fit the pieces first to make sure they will seat into the slot. (I now have a thick piece of Corian countertop for the gluing surface) On my first attempt, I didn’t use enough clamps- using more clamps and culls assured that all of the joints were tight. I probably overdid it with the amount of glue. A liberal coat over all mating surfaces. Clamped up After the glue has dried and the clamps removed, the blank is ready for trimming. I used to use a special table saw jig for this but found it was easier and quicker to trim off the excess insert length on the bandsaw just free handing it. Trim both ends and the side. At this point it is a good idea to “sweeten up” the layout lines, if the trimming operation removed them. Now it is just a matter of re-mounting the blank on the diagonal cutting jig and repeating the operations for making the second diagonal slot. The diagonal slots, glue ups and trimming operations are the same for each of the remaining three sides. On the lathe, ready to be turned. The final dimensions on this rolling pin were: 20” long; diameter at the center: 1 9/16”; diameter at the ends : 1 1/4”. I have tried two types of tapers. One started at the center and continued to the ends. The other starts at the ends of the ellipses and continues to the ends. Personal preferences will determine the tapers. After the blank is turned round, the layout lines for the taper can be drawn on the blank. To aid in getting it symmetrical, I started with an arc template. My turning skills leave a lot to be desired and there was too much variation from one pin to the next in diameter and symmetry. I considered purchasing a lathe duplicator but finances dictated this calls for another jig! Most of the hardware is standard off the shelf stuff- ¼” x 20 threaded stock, wing nuts, T-nuts, deck screws. The only thing “special” was the ¼” tool steel- which I purchased from a local machinist for 25 cents and then ground a rounded tip. This shape worked better than a point because it left the wood with a smoother surface. The base of the jig mounts onto the lathe bed. The back edge of the jig has the “reverse” arc of the rolling pin. The cutting portion of the jig sits on the MDF bottom and the bolt follows the arc to create the shape. The long bolt can be adjusted to position the cutter depth.

In Part #1, I mentioned that the pattern of the Celtic knot can be varied by how much wood is removed during the creation of the slots. Typically, I plow out a 3/8" wide slot and fill it with three inserts. That technique results in a pattern of knots that overlap- If the slot is cut, leaving a center slice of wood intact, and then placing an insert on each side; the pattern displays diamonds at the cross-over- Another subtle change in the pattern can be achieved by the sequence of the cuts related to the sides. I number each side of the blank during the layout procedure. Then when cutting the slots, I cut sides with the sequence 1, 3, 2, 4. Cutting the sides in a 1, 2, 3, 4 makes a slightly different pattern. So, that's how it's done! Once sanded, and the ends trimmed, a liberal application of mineral oil and they are ready to use.

We are having our annual woodturner's club picnic this Saturday. I didn't go to the last one because I was fairly new to turning, they want each turner that attends the picnic to bring a turning for the spouses' raffle, and I didn't have enough confidence in my skills to bring something. The wives, spouses, or others get a raffle ticket whose sole purpose is to determine the order in which they get to pick out a turning and take it home. No money exchanges hands, all just for fun. These are the items I made for this year's picnic, which, BTW, I got asked to organize. Not having attended last year's picnic, and being a new member of the club, I am a little nervous about organizing this year's picnic, but we will see how things turn out. Anyway, these are my items, all turned from poplar procured by our club president, and finished with three coats of 2 pound cut garnet shellac and 2 coats of spray lacquer. A mortar and pestle, and two styles of rolling pins. Thanks for looking.

Happy Birthday America!!! Thunderstorms slowly moving thru our area right now. The annual fireworks display may be postponed. @Gerald posted a nice looking platter he is currently making- He has had several questions and comment about the process and the wood grain. @HandyDan added a nice image of one of his turnings to help explain what is meant by "feathering"- @Smallpatch finished up the teapots he has been creating- Final comments are in his post- @Steve Krumanaker is perfecting his ability to add decorations to his turnings. He is learning "Chip Carving". Looks to me as if he has got the process pretty well mastered- His post shows his progress- I thought of Steve when I happened across a site that creates custom rolling pins. Steve has a neat shop built laser engraver. The folks at http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/06/new-laser-engraved-rolling-pins-by-valek-imprint-elaborate-designs-on-baked-goods/ make some neat designs on rolling pins- These could make some really fancy cookies! Mike Peace has a 2 part video for making brush lids for finishing jars. Part 2 is linked from his YouTube page- This reminded me of @Steve Krumanaker's honey jars. The Woodturning OnLine newsletter came this week. Their featured project is one by Carl Jacobson. His video shows a Yin Yang turned platter. The "New and Hot" sections, of the newsletter, has some interesting items as well. The entire newsletter is at- http://www.woodturningonline.com/index.php Woodworker's Journal posted a YouTube video by Ernie Conover on turning small hollow vessels. Nice explanations and demonstration- I had the chance to play a little, this week. Started a little turning blank for the August demo. I forget where I read about this trick, maybe Mike Peace or Rick Turns, about using TiteBond glue as a sealer. I sealed up the turning blanks after I cut them from the logs and none have cracked. I sealed this rough blank turning the same way hoping it will be fine until I need it. Safe turning

Been a busy week in the shop but not too much wood turning. A friend asked if I would show/sell some stuff at his church's event. Seems they are looking for some vendors to attract folks to the event. I have never done anything like this but if it helps his church, I'm game. My biggest problem- as with most hobby woodworkers- is fairly pricing my stuff. Anyway, I've made some small (5 x 7) laminated cheese board. Have some bottle stoppers and of course the old standby- rolling pins. I needed to make some more rolling pin wall holders so that's where I'm at now. Lots of neat stuff for Turners arrived this week- so @Cliff- listen up!!! First, I've read from several sources, that Woodturning Design magazine will cease to exist. The parent company, All American Crafts, declared bankruptcy a week or so ago. I checked their site and it is still up, but if you were thinking of subscribing, maybe you should hold off a bit. Next, David Reed Smith posted a really neat project on turning earrings. As with all his post, he goes into great detail on making jigs and the turning process. Here's the link to the complete article- http://www.davidreedsmith.com/Articles/Earrings/Earrings.html If you have some younger children around, or you're just a big kid yourself, Tim Yoder shows us how to turn a "String Top Toy"- Easy Wood Tools has added another super tool to their turning arsenal. The Easy Parting Tool. This is sure to be a welcome addition to any turners collection of go to tools. Although I haven't personally had an opportunity to try this particular tool, I have used and own some of their other turning tools and they are second to none! Check it out here-Â http://www.easywoodtools.com/easy-parting-tool-products-page/ If you plan on turning acrylics (or dense wood), here's another option, instead of the micro mesh pads. A three part polishing system that seems to be receiving pretty good reviews. Dr. Kirk's Micro Magic Polishing Wax 3 Piece Set. Safe Turning!

Once the blank has the layout lines drawn, it is time to cut the slots for the ellipses. The first step is to set the blade height. When the cut is made, there should be about 1/16" to 1/8†of material left holding the two sides together. By not cutting through the blank it keeps the pieces aligned during the glue up stage Set the blank on the jig and adjust the angle and the end stop so that the front SHORTER layout line is positioned to the LEFT side of the blade cut. Orientation is when you are standing at the back of the saw looking forward. (These pictures are from the SIDES of the saw). Front of cut located Continue to adjust the angle and the end stop so that the rear LONGER layout line is positioned to the LEFT side of the blade cut. Securely tighten all adjustments. Once these angles/lengths are set, they will not change for all of the remaining cuts. Clamp the blank firmly in the jig. Double check the layout lines. In order to keep the correct orientation of the blank, I labeled the end of the blank nearest me. With everything secure, make the first cut. In the front Out of the rear Unclamp the blank. To make the second cut, I made a space strip to reposition the blank without having to change any of the jig setting. My first guess was that this spacer would be 3/8†thick- the same as the width of the finished cut. BUT that was too thick. I guess there is a way to calculate the thickness but trial and error won out. It came out closer to 1/4†(.265â€). The second cut, to widen the slot, is made with the blank position so that the front LONGER layout line is on the RIGHT side of the saw cut. The rear SHORTER layout line is on the RIGHT side of the saw cut. The walnut spacer strip can be seen between the blank and the fence of the jig. The thickness of the spacer strip could be different for each person. So check the setup carefully. Also, Make sure the blank butts up against the end stop before each cut. Complete the second cut After the second cut has been made, there may be a thin piece of material left in the slot. I made another spacer- about 1/8â€- substituted it for the original spacer and made a third “clean out†pass. The finished cut should be 3/8†wide and almost through the blank. Part 4 will cover the first glue up and trim of the first set of inserts.

This second part will concentrate on the layout of the rolling pin blank in preparation for cutting the slots. Create a blank that is 22†long and 2†square. Locate the center of the length (11â€) and carry a line around the blank. The ellipses are 11†long and made of three pieces of 1/8†thick material. Layout a mark 5 ½†on either side of the center line and accurately carry the lines around the blank. To assist in laying out the diagonals, use a 3/8†thick spacer gauge, drawing lines on the blank, along BOTH sides of the spacer gauge. It is not necessary to layout both diagonals on each side. However, a check of the second diagonal will indicate if the layout is accurate and crossing in the center of the blank. NOTE: the cut for the diagonal strips falls within the 11†layout lines Checking the diagonals for centered layout Next, layout a second line around the blank. This is done on each end. The second line defines the "inside" of the diagonal slot area. Rotate the blank 90 degrees and layout the location on the next diagonal cut. Continue rotating and drawing the diagonals until all four sides have been completed. Each diagonal consisted of two drawn lines. One line intersected with the layout line that defined the end of the ellipse. The second diagonal line ends “short†of the ellipse layout line. These lines define the location of the saw cuts for the strips that create the ellipse. Accuracy is important when laying out these lines in order to get the ellipses to maintain matching ellipse ends. This drawing is not to scale. The measurements are what I used to make this rolling pin. The length and diameters were averaged from various baking supply web sites for their rolling pins. Part 3 will explain cutting the slot for the inserts.

I am a fan of “Cook Book†style instructions so if I miss any details, please let me know and I will try to flesh them out. I thought it best to start with the jigs I used to prepare the turning blanks. Please note that I always over engineer everything and hardly ever see the obvious or the easy way to do something so if you see an easier way- go for it! The first jig is one I made a while back, when I first started thinking about this project. I try to make jigs that have several uses. This one was also used to make the Cheese Knife Handles project. It could be used for any diagonal blank cut. Special Diagonal Cutting Jig Note: The two wing nuts on the left of center are raised with wooden standoffs. This was a change made after some of the images were taken. The raised wing nuts allow for easier adjustments of the angled fence Sled has 2 movable fences to change the angle of the cut and position of the blank Originally jig slid over the rip fence. Later modified to ride in miter slot for accurate repetitive cuts. Disassembled Fences Toggle clamp holds blank during cutting operation Trim Jig During the blank assembly, it is necessary to trim waste material before proceeding to the next step. This simple jig holds the blank for those cuts. Although I used this method for trimming, I soon learned that it was faster to use the band saw. The trimming process will be addressed in another part. In Part 2, we will cover the process of laying out the rolling pin blank.

I hope I am not jumping the gun on this, and stealing the wind from the sails of Lew, but I am so excited, Lew is re-posting his complete Rolling Pin Tutorial! You may have noticed Lew's images are taking command of the Photo Gallery line at the top of our site, that is because he is going to make available the images in the gallery, and in the topics that layout the construction of these rolling pins. So sit tight folks, it's coming it's coming! And thank you so much Lew for undertaking this huge effort!