Woodworker's Journal 1983-7-4, страница 4

Shoptalk

Back to the Drawing Board

We were due for a contemporary lamp project and I thought it would be nice if we could lathe turn an elegant lamp base; a "quickie" project that would be fairly easy for both us and the readers.

It seemed like a nice straightforward design on paper so we laminated a stack of two inch thick cherry for a turning blank. I began to have some misgivings when 1 actually saw the turning blank which seemed fearfully large and heavy for our vintage Craftsman lathe.

After chucking this monster, we took a deep breath and hit the switch. Nothing happened. We shut off the switch and checked the outlet and motor which looked o.k., so on went the switch again. This time the motor started smoking. Off with the switch. The comic strip balloons started sprouting over our heads with question marks in them. Also some exclamation points.

We tried cutting down the corners and reducing the mass a bit and with a hand start got the big chunk spinning. But in a couple of seconds, as the R.P.M.'s built up, the lathe bench started doing a horrible Dance Macabre. Off went the switch as it seemed likely that someone or something was about to sustain mortal injury.

Considerable discussion followed during which it was determined that the turning blank was just too much out of balance and could not be turned on our lathe. This was a painful admission as the lamp was scheduled to be photographed three days earlier.

Three of us went back to the drawing boards to figure out another way of gluing up the turning blank. We finally

worked it out and the completed turning was lovely, as the photo on page 28 shows.

The point of this story is that we have to keep constantly aware of the limitations of our reader's equipment. A bigger lathe, with more horsepower would have handled the blank as we originally glued it up but many of our readers would have had a frustrating experience trying to do the same on small lathes. I think we'll hang on to our small lathe for a while.

Reinforcements Have Arrived

Another name has been added to our Masthead. Glenn Firmender has just completed his third year in the School for American Craftsmen at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

While at R.I.T., his work was chosen for exhibit in the Student Honors Shows of 1982 and 1983. Also, at the Finger Lakes Exhibition, he won first prize in the woodworking division for design and craftsmanship. The project was a chest of drawers that can be described simply as beautiful.

Glenn will be responsible for initiating new designs and converting those designs into reality in our shop. He is a very enthusiastic and prolific craftsman and we sure are glad to have his help.

Jim McQuillan

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