Box - Potpourri Box.pdf - plans(1) - gerwazy762

Turned and Pierced Potpourri Box

ood turning, cutting delicate frets with a scroll

saw, and whittling are three of my favorite wood-

working activities. The problem, when I first started

thinking about this project, was how could I incorporate

the three techniques to create a single unique item? After

a good deal of thought I came up with the notion for this

project—a turned box with a pierced lid, with a small

amount of knife work in and around the piercing.

The design draws its inspiration from two of my

friends, one a wood turner and the other a general wood-

worker. However, they both needed a fresh angle to spark

off their talents. Well, to cut a long story short, Gill came

up with this great idea that they combine their talents so

as to halve their workshop expenses and double their

money-making potential. The good news is that they now

make the most beautiful turned and pierced containers,

and they are both scooping up the rewards!

TURNING THE BOX

Though there are any number of ways of turning a small

lidded box of this type and character, the best way is

to use the four-jaw chuck technique. The procedure is

wonderfully simple and direct. Having mounted the wood

in the chuck, you start by turning the wood down to a 4"-

diameter cylinder, and parting off the tailstock end of the

cylinder for the lid. This done, you hollow turn the box

and cut the step on the rim, then take the surface to a

good finish and part off.

The next step is perhaps slightly tricky. You remount

the lid section on the lathe and start by hollowing out the

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lid and cutting the rim to fit the base. Then you remove

the lid from the chuck, turn it over so that the expanding

jaws of the chuck fit the inside of the rim, and finish up

by turning the top of the lid. Don't forget to set the lid

out with the 1/4 " step-off lines to help later when you set

out the design.

around the box.

All that said, if you are keen to change the pierced

design and/or the shape of the lid, you could possibly

use a jeweler's piercing saw or perhaps a fine-blade hand

fretsaw. It needs a bit of thinking about.

SPECIAL TIP: SCROLL SAW LIMITS

If you like the idea of this project but are planning to

change the shape of the turned box, or even change the

placing of the pierced holes, be mindful that the overall

design is more or less governed by the use of the electric

scroll saw. For example: As the saw is unable to cut wood

thicker than about ¼ ", the l i d can't be high and/or

domed. Also, the saw can't be used to fret a pierced design

FRETTING, PIERCING AND

WHITTLING THE LID

When you have made the turned box, with the lid nicely

set out with the 1/4" guidelines, it's time to fret out the

design. Pencil-press transfer the design through to the

wood, bore out round holes with appropriate size bits, drill

small pilot holes through the "windows" of the design, and

fret out the shapes on the scroll saw. Finally, use the point

of the knife to trim back the sharp edges of the piercings.

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1 When you have sanded and smoothed the lid to a

good finish, use the point of the skew chisel to set

the lid out with a series of rings. Space them about

1/4"

apart. The idea is that you can use them as a guide to lay

out the design.

3 It's most important that you use Forstner bits for

the large holes that make up the design. I say this

because they are the only bit types that guarantee perfect-

every-time holes.

2 Shade in the pierced areas so that there is no doubt

about the line of cut. If you are worried about the

pencil smudging, then it's a good idea to give the whole lid

a quick spray with pencil fixative as used by illustrators.

Take two cuts for each end of the little curved shape. Work

from the central pilot hole and down toward the point so

that the point is crisp and sharp.

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USING THE LATHE AND THE

FOUR-JAW CHUCK

Though wood turning is one of the most important wood-

working activities —vital for making just about everything

from chair legs, stair balustrades, and bedposts, to boxes,

candlesticks and bowls—it is also one of the most misun-

derstood of all the woodworking techniques. What hap-

pens with most beginners is that they purchase an "ama-

teur" machine and a set of "starter" tools, and then become

disenchanted when they can't make anything more excit-

ing than small spindles. The problem, of course, is that

small machines tend to wobble and shake, and the

pronged center and the fixed tailstock center that are sup-

plied with most small machines are totally inadequate

and almost useless. As a result, many beginners soon get

disillusioned and decide to give up wood turning. The

pity of it is that the majority of these disillusioned begin-

ners heap blame on themselves. Of course, what these

beginners simply can't know is that turning is the one

area of woodworking where the old adage "a poor work-

man always blames his tools" is a load of bunk! In the

context of wood turning, the boring old adage ought more

rightly read "poor results are nearly always the result of

poor tools." All this adds up to the inescapable fact that

exciting and varied wood turning can only really be

achieved if you have top quality tools and equipment.

So there you go. If you are a beginner looking to get

started, the following pointers will show you the way.

Lathe

In essence, a lathe is a woodworking machine used for

cutting and shaping wood into a round section. The wood

is pivoted and spun between centers and/or held in a

chuck, while at the same time handheld chisels or gouges

are used to make the cuts. Though there are many lathe

types—small ones, large ones, very long ones, some dedi-

cated to making spindles, some dedicated to making

bowls, some with fancy multispeed controls, and so on—

experience tells me that a large traditional lathe, with a

big motor and a heavy cast-iron frame, is by far the best

option. I say this because while a miniature lathe might

well be superb for making small items like lace bobbins,

it can't be used to make larger pieces like bowls and chair

legs. A large lathe, on the other hand, can be used to make

everything from lace bobbins to bedposts. As for the cast-

iron frame of a large lathe, there's no rust, no vibration,

no nothing—it just sits there and does the job! I have a

large old English lathe called a Harrison Jubilee, made

about 1940. It is a wonderful machine.

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HEADSTOCK AND TAILSTOCK

The headstock, the power-driven unit at the left-hand side

of the lathe, carries the bearings in which the spindle

revolves. The spindle has an external screw for chucks

and faceplates and an internal taper for the pronged cen-

ter. The tailstock, the movable unit at the right-hand side

of the lathe, holds a pointed center. The distance between

the headstock and the tailstock can be adjusted by wind-

ing the tailstock center in or out.

Four-Jaw Chuck

The four-jaw chuck is a mechanism used to hold the

workpiece; it is a device that replaces the pronged center

and all manner of other centers. Operated by a chuck key,

the four jaws can be opened and closed in unison in such

a way that they grip square sections. To my way of think-

ing the four-jaw chuck is essential. Okay, so four-jaw

chucks are expensive—mine cost one-quarter the price

of my secondhand lathe—and they do need to be fitted

with a guard. But they grip wood without the need to

turn it down to a round section—a huge time-saver—and

once the wood is in the chuck, you can be confident that

it's going to stay put.

When I said at the beginning that you can make just

about everything you care to imagine on a large lathe, I

should really have added the proviso: but only if you use

a four-jaw chuck. You should see me at my lathe. 1 don't

mess around with pronged centers or faceplates. 1 threw

them away long since. I simply mount everything on the

four-jaw chuck and get straight into the job. As well as

holding square sections without the need for preparation,

the jaws are good for other uses, such as holding rings

and containers, holding a large screw—instead of using

a screw center—and gripping round sections.

TOOL REST

The tool rest, sometimes called T-rest, is the unit that

moves left or right along the bed on which the tools—

meaning the gouges and chisels—are rested. Being mind-

ful that the rest is a fulcrum for the levering action of the

tools, it is essential that it can be swiftly and easily moved

and put in place.

THE BED

The bed is the metal track, rods or rails that link the

headstock to the tailstock, upon which the tool rest slides.

Since it is vital that you are able to swiftly and easily move

the tool rest, it is best to avoid narrow-slot, round-section

bar beds that easily get clogged up with dust and shavings.

FOUR-JAW CHUCK

The advantage of t h e f our-jaw chuck is that you can draw the tailstock center out of the way and approach the workpiece head-on.

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