Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-6, страница 33

Before mounting the handle en the lathe, drill a 7/32" diameter hole in the center of the blank. This hole will accept the hardware after turning.

The author parts the walnut handle off the lathe while it is still running. This leaves just a small nib to be removed and smoothed (right) before final finishing.

Mounting on the Lathe

Now that the hole is drilled, mount the wood blank between centers on your lathe. To make sure the hole was centered on my lathe, I drew a small circle, centered around the hole and positioned the rim of my safety drive onto that circle.

Turn whatever form you desire, but leave a bit of wood on the butt

end of the opener so that you can clean up that area after you've finished turning.

Your method and equipment may vary from what's shown in the photos. If you use a spur center, you must deal with the prongs, at least with one end of the wood. It's probably best, then, if you mount the wood with the drilled hole at the

tailstock. It would be helpful if you had a cone center for your tailstock. A cone center allows you to center the hole, which, in turn, centers the stock. Leave a small amount of wood at the headstock, spur-center-end, then cut it off with a small hand saw when you've finished turning.

I parted the walnut handle off the iathe while the lathe was running, and I left only a small nub on the butt end. This I cleaned up with my skew chisel and sanded quickly with a sanding pad in my drill press.

Finishing

I usually apply finish before I attach the metal opener. For the walnut handle, I used several coats of oil. The maple handle received several coats of lacquer. (See page 34 for the stained-ash finish.)

Attach the metal opener to the handle by gently screwing the tang into the hole. It should be a snug fit with the threads cutting into the wood. For a more permanent connection, use a small amount of epoxy.

Appropriate Use of the Project

I happened to have a bottle ol 1BC root beer in my refrigerator. Of course, I'm sure Dan will be enjoying his own brand of brew on his birthday in an appropriately adult fashion. A

Betty Scarpino is a professional woodturner from Indianapolis.

This shapely little project will provide service — and a memory of the maker — for years to come.

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December 2008 Woodworker's Journal