Woodworker's Journal winter-2009, страница 24

For fluted spirals, you can also use a rasp to remove wood and shape the bottom of the cut.

As with most woodworking endeavors, sanding is one of the final steps before finishing. Strips of sanding belts can be folded and used for this purpose.

as well, if possible. Work through the grits down to 220 or so, both under power and stationary. Keep at it to get all saw marks and torn grain. With care, the result will be a good, even barley twist. A little practice, and it will become a quick job.

Once you get the idea, keep experimenting. There are no end of variations on the spiral concept: open, fluted, multiple starts, you name it. Balusters and newels, furniture or small craft items can all be spiralled. If you would like a graduate course in the process, try Stuart Mortimer's book on the subject: Techniques of Spiral Work.

After a sufficient quantity of stock has been pared away, switch to a sweep or concave chisel. Invert it and continue to remove wood. It begins to shape the rounded upper edge of the spiral.

circuit of the turning for each diameter of length it travels.

Carving Away the Waste

I use several very sharp carvers' chisels to pare the waste quickly from the spiral cut's edges. You can even rest the chisel on the tool rest and rotate the turning carefully by hand to speed removal. I use a flat chisel to "break the cut open," and then switch to a sweep (concave) chisel. I invert this chisel to achieve the rounded shoulders of the barley twist. For fluted (concave) spirals you can also use rasps to remove waste. Be careful to make your chisel cuts emerge from the wood's grain

rather than digging into it. The latter mistake will cause torn grain and possibly even flake off a section of the spiral. (Hint: any major "oops" here can usually be fixed with cyanoacrylate glue).

Sanding to Final Shape

If your lathe will run at low speeds, you can sand the spiral under power. Start with 80-grit or so to remove chisel marks, but be careful not to oversand and ruin your form. (Remember that extra dimension you left? Here's where it disappears.) Roll or fold your paper (old belt material works well) and allow the abrasive to follow the spiral under power. Reverse the lathe

Once the spiral or twist has been incised with the dovetail saw, break the cut open with a flat chisel. The author uses a variety of carving chisels and gouges to pare the waste from the twist.

24 How to Turn a Single Barley Twist