Popular Woodworking 2004-12 № 145, страница 85

Mark the beginning of the cove at the top of the shoulder, the bird-house opening and the perch hole. The marked points are difficult to see, so darken them with a pencil line. The pencil lines are marked with the cylinder turning.

The perch hole and birdhouse opening are best drilled using a V-block and a drill press. Center the V-block under the drill bit and clamp the V-block in position. Put the

marked cylinder in the V-block and rotate it until you find the place for the entry hole. Mark it. Now drop down to the perch hole line and offset the perch hole about V4" one side or the other from the entry hole. This is done so that when a bird is glued to the perch, the bird will not cover the entry hole. Mark the entry hole and drill it with a V4" bit. Drill the perch hole Vs" diameter.

Place the body back in the chuck and turn the shoulder down to 1" diameter. A ³/s" spindle gouge works well for this. Try to get a nice smooth cove. Check the fit with a block that has a 1" hole drilled in it. Leave the area around the opening a little over finished dimension.

Sand the cove down to finished dimension using a Velcro disc and power sanding, or sand by hand. I use a grit sequence of #100, #150, #220 and #320. Frequently use the block to check the fit. It should be slightly loose, perhaps V64". With power sanding, it's easy to sand off too much and get a sloppy fit.

The interior of the body is hollowed out using a small hooked scraper. Use light scraping cuts, stopping frequently to clean out the shavings. Be very careful not to damage the inside of the opening or remove the drill bit hole in the bottom. These must be used to accurately hold the body on the mandrel for finishing the outside. Check the section drawing on page 92 for wall sections and interior shape.

My mandrel is shop-made. Make one using the drawings on page 92. Install the mandrel for the body in the chuck and tighten it securely. Slide the body on the mandrel. The fit must be tight enough to hold the body while the outside is turned to shape. If the fit is too loose, use a ittle masking tape or tissue paper to make the fit tight. But, not too tight or the body may crack when the body is pushed on to the mandrel.

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Popular Woodworking December 2004