WORK HOLDING METHODS
In order to turn you need to be able to hold your work on the lathe.
The most straight forward way is to use a chuck and Phil told us all about shop bought chucks the other month.
Work holding is one of the 3 main elements of woodturning:
1 Sharpening
- Turning techniques
- Work holding
Work holding as it applies to us is the way we safely and accurately position the work piece on the lathe so that we can turn it.
When we prepare to turn anything we should think about the entire process so that we know how we are going to hold the piece for each operation.
Whether it be reverse chucking a bowl to finish the bottom or rechecking a box lid to finish the inside.
If we don’t prepare ourselves then we might find we have no way to hols the piece in order to finish it!!!
There are many ways of holding our work pieces and it’s well worth learning a few trick of the trade.
Most work holding fall into three categories: the 3 S’s
Squeezing, Sticking, Screwing, Sucking
(not my alliteration but Kurt Hertzog in the Woodturning Mag)
So Squeezing, Sticking, Screwing and Sucking
The 1st S – SQUEEZING
Between Centres: Arguably the most secure of all work holding methods.
You have the headstock providing the power and the tailstock providing the squeeze, keeping the piece connected to the drive.
Marking Centres
2 & 4 Spur drives – give a good hold – problems: can lead to splits and also can tear the fibres and spin – particularly on wet wood.
Morse taper – Cleaning
Self ejecting tailstock
Other drives
Steb Centres – Spring loaded point so you can disengage the teeth without removing the point.
Given better grip than the spur drive and will not split the wood.
If you were at the Joe Laird demo the other week you would have seen Joe jamming the wood between the chuck and the tail stock – yes it works but not the safest method!
As well as Squeezing between centres we also squeeze by holding on a chuck of some description.
First of all there are the home made chucks
Wood Jaws – use of Wood plates
Cole Jaws
Longworth chuck – www.woodworkersguide.com
Off Centre Chuck
Doughnut Chuck
Mandrels
Pin Chuck
Collet Chuck
Jacobs Cuck
Jam Chuck – one of the most useful methods of work holding particularly if you are making boxes –
The 2nd S – SCREWING
Faceplates – on Chuck – direct onto spindle
Natural Edge Bowls – Seating with use of Forstner bits
Screw Chuck – bought – one way, – Axminster!!
Home made !! – ok for small items (draw handles
Use of Spacers
Eccentric Chuck
The 3rd S – Sticking
Hot melt glue Glue blocks ( not end grain) Sticky Chuck
Paper joints with Titebond
Double sided tape
Pendant jig
The 4th S – Sucking
The Vacuum Chuck
Other devices & Jigs:
Carvers Jig
Drilling on the Lathe – Joe Laird’s Jig
Centre Steady