Small woodturning project.

[Retired]

Hi,

This is most unlike me to start and finish a project in about an hour.

How many of you remember the good old poverty days of around 60 years ago when many homes didn't have electricity? In those happy days we learned to make do and mend; a common thing to make was a rag rug; a piece of hessian and old clothes cut into strips to make a rug. All the family used to join in.

Our neighbour friend Carole has just started to make one of these rugs as an hobby and it's progressing well; Carole asked me if I could make a "rug prodder" similar to the one she is using; a friend of Carole's would like to have a go at rug making hence the request. Of course I'll be happy to give it a go but I've not used the lathes much lately and all the benches are full of wainscoting material also its perishing outside.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rag+r ... 20&bih=955

Anyway this afternoon I wandered into the garage. First job was to select a suitable hardwood offcut and make a turning blank from it using the bandsaw. Each end was centred then it was mounted between centres in the Graduate lathe. I enjoyed using the tools and lathe once again intending to make a pair of these prodders but not having the heating on I made a single copy the whole job taking about an hour before I started to really feel cold. The turning was easy but as the prodder took shape delicate finishing cuts were needed at the point end otherwise the prodder would have disappeared over my shoulder. the prodder was gently burnished smooth with a wooden stick and burnt ring decorations were added to finish it off. Not bad for between centres and it saved playing around using a chuck. The major diameters were turned using calipers the rest simply turned by eye. 1" maximum diameter by 3 1/2" long. I'll turn a couple more once I have a decent warmer session in the garage.

I thought I'd add this little project just for a bit of interest as its unusual.

Kind regard, Col.

Rag rug prodders..JPG (145.43 KiB) Viewed 4642 times

[Chop]

Looks good that Colonel, no doubt your friend will be pleased.

I'm on the lookout for a small lathe this year so I may well be picking your brain in the near future. I've a steep learning curve ahead of me.

Thanks for sharing, I always find your posts interesting.

[steviejoiner74]

Nice work! Cheers for sharing col

[wine~o]

Looks good that Colonel, no doubt your friend will be pleased.

I'm on the lookout for a small lathe this year so I may well be picking your brain in the near future. I've a steep learning curve ahead of me.

Thanks for sharing, I always find your posts interesting.

Between Hitch few-bits-from-the-last-few-months-t76214.html

and Col, you should be able to sort a decent lathe for a hobby job..

[Rorschach]

Very nice! Somewhere around here I have one of the proper rag rugging hook/needle thingies. A project for the future is to make a bit one, just gotta find the time.

[nick200]

Looking good as always Col.

I wish that I had more time, money, motivation as I would love to do that kind of work. Must be very satisfying.

[Hitch]

Is yours the front or back one Col? Barely any difference, the back one darkened from age/wear?
You mention the burnt rings, maybe yours is the back one!? MIG/MAG Welding wire is perfect for doing that I have found, virtually an unlimited supply of it for me too

These little projects are great, no big loss if you make a mistake, done and finished in one session, rather than doing a bit, leave it, and coming back all the time. That makes things seem like they take forever to me.

I think a lot of crafts like that have come into fashion as of late. Maybe i'm just noticing it more as I get older.

Chop/Nick, plenty to choose from, mine is an old Record Power. Cost me £30, saved from the scrap yard!
Plenty of good, used bundles about.
The lathe is the cheap bit, once you've bought that, you have it, its all the timber you turn into dust with it thats the expensive bit!
Doesn't have to be

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Chop for your kind comments. Yes Carole was delighted to receive the prodder. I'm the last person to ask advice of regarding lathes because since the age of 15 seeing my first monster lathe in the pit workshops I've been addicted and there is no known cure; I've currently got four lathes but please see below and I'll discuss lathes in more detail.

Thanks sj you are most welcome and I like to share my little projects whenever possible; it's relaxing to write up the stories hopefully encouraging others to have a go.

Thanks wine~o; well said; yes indeed I'm sure Hitch and I can recommend a suitable lathe for Chop and any other member wishing to buy a first lathe; more below.

Thanks Rorschach; might I politely suggest you do projects now because I'm sure you will have even less time when you retire; I don't know how I ever did many of the huge projects whilst working flat out in a very stressful job but Bron and I even replaced the entire bungalow and extension roof which we'll never forget; now I'm retired I don't seem to have any time at all to spare; I'm on the computer this morning because its another black hole outside and just started to rain; this is holding up work on the coffered ceiling project. The benches are loaded with wainscoting sections; I'm just fed up of constant soakings and being blown around each time I visit the garage; this climate is dire.

Thanks Nick; time is always a problem. Money too is a problem but once a lathe is bought which can be surprisingly cheap then it's a machine which isn't going to bankrupt needing regular servicing or repairs; for a first lathe I would suggest not touching any lathe with electronics for motor control; electronic control isn't really needed on a wood turning lathe; I run my small DML mostly on the same speed all the time but I have added full VFD (Variable frequency drive) to my Graduate lathe having recently fully rebuilt and upgraded it; adding the VFD was just me enjoying pottering around in the garage but again more of this below. Lathe work is indeed most satisfying and I've never tired of it over the last 50 years.

Thanks Hitch; I'm pleased you chipped in because I've seen your excellent turning projects which are a credit to you and for others to aspire to. Yes the back prodder is the one I turned it being of a slighter darker hardwood with the wire burnt rings added for decoration. I use resistance wire for ring burning There are so many variables when it comes to lathe work; in industry then the type of work is determined by what the company makes but for a home workshop then a lathe is usually pressed into all kinds of work. First choice is metal or woodturning lathe; I have two of each so am well covered for my turning needs. Lets assume a novice wants to buy a first lathe but is unsure whether woodturning will be a passing phase or something to really take to; it's no good going out to buy the most expensive lathe available bristling with electronic controls together with masses of assorted woodturning tools and lathe attachments which can run into many thousands of pounds.

My first woodturning lathe was home made it being extremely basic and I used standard wood chisels to poke the rotating timber with taking lumps out of it but I was mesmerized by the action of the chisel against the timber; it was effortless to reduce a rough blank of square section to round; I was demonstrating the lathe under power to Bron's father and suffered a dig in; the timber ran up my arm smacking me in the chest and under the chin before rattling to a rest in the far corner of our double garage; Bron's father departed very quickly whilst I collected the timber to see what damage I had inflicted upon it; this didn't put me off turning in the least but now I wanted a proper lathe and a few decent lathe tools. With a huge mortgage and all the other expenses of running a home we were always very short of money but one Christmas Bron treated me to a brand new Record Power DML 24" woodturning lathe bought from Tabwell tools in Bakewell; Bron has bought me many such things and I'm blessed with such a wonderful wife. The lathe came with a boxed set of three basic turning tools and I used these a great deal in fact I still have them and use them these twenty odd years later; I'll never part with the DML.

I note you too have a Record lathe Nick and I'm sure you will echo my praise of these lathes. Mine is the old DML made in Sheffield and not China as they are now made? It is a very basic lathe with stepped pulleys for speed changing but the drive is Poly-V and brilliant. Mine is mostly run around middle speed which covers most of the work I do; I don't fuss over speed adjusting the cut to compensate regarding the timber being turned. The DML is mostly of cast iron with twin steel bed bars giving 24" between centres and I think 9" max over the bed which is ample for most small turning projects. Lots of accessories are readily available for the Record lathes. It is a solid bit of kit and a pure pleasure to use; I modified my DML because I don't like any lathe which needs spanner adjusting but for a novice I believe one of these Records cannot be beaten on both price and performance; avoid the lathes sold through stores such as Aldi for around £80 new; buy a second hand cast iron lathe for around the same money; it will outlast the Aldi lathe many times over. Watch YouTube videos on basic lathe work then have a go; hands on will be the quickest way to learn whilst turning any offcuts of timber to hand; dig ins and unwanted deep spirals whilst learning are to be expected and can still catch a professional turner out at times; don't become disheartened by these mistakes because this is the learning curve; practice and practice more; turn timber into firewood and shavings; suddenly progress will be made and this is the point when it all starts to become sheer pleasure. Lots of tools aren't needed just a very basic kit; other tools can be bought as experience is gained and funds become available. A lot of work can be done between centres (spindle turning) so at first no need for chucks or faceplates etc; most of my turning has been done between centres.

Reeding detail..JPG (154.96 KiB) Viewed 4516 times

Plate shelf.JPG (188.26 KiB) Viewed 4516 times

Turned table and lamp..JPG (158.72 KiB) Viewed 4516 times

I admire such decorative work you produce Hitch but I'm more on the utility side turning items such as table legs and lamps etc. My DML has earned its keep over the years; We have friends (?) who are always bragging at how much their furniture has cost this being Titchmarsh & Goodwin and I certainly would never knock this furniture because it is so desirable. I sent off for a T&G oak furniture catalogue and many years ago one of their coffee tables cost in the region of £700 which brought tears to my eyes. At the time I could buy offcuts of hardwood from a local timber yard this being mostly Meranti and I used to come away with a car load for around £20 the offcuts in all sizes and shapes but there was always some very useful lengths of thick section. I had an old industrial grade saw bench so could convert timber in our garage. I also had a 9" cast iron surface planer but this was not a thicknesser; however I bought an attachment which was a very basic cast iron plate which was adjustable for height and although this was a pain to use taking a great amount of energy I could reduce boards to a common thickness.

http://www.titchmarsh-goodwin.co.uk/pro ... e-table-2/

I set about making sketches of a leg of one of the tables in the catalogue adding dimensions which looked near. In the garage I used offcuts and turned four legs; made rails/stiles and also top boards. A plywood off cut was used for the lower surface. Mortice & tenon joints were used throughout. I didn't exactly copy the original legs but the ones I turned were fair enough to fool anyone that they were factory produced. The table was assembled; stained and varnished. To this day the ex friends still don't know if our tables are T&G? I've since used the lathes to turn all manner of useful items. Fitted wardrobes with some nice fancy reeded columns; these were turned in 24" lengths on the DML and the reeding carried out on my then homemade moulding machine the reeds being cut one by one on a sled indexed by a gear. A pair of bedside tables and lamps from offcuts; small spindles added to a plate shelf of my design in the kitchen and lots of small items such as the prodder shown in this thread. When it comes to lathes I love spending time on them.

Record power DML 24.jpg (245.84 KiB) Viewed 4516 times

Fully restored Graduate..JPG (237.55 KiB) Viewed 4516 times

My DML is still very much original apart from adding quick adjusting handles but I always dreamed of owning the Rolls Royce of woodturning lathes this to me being the Union Graduate. I had dared to touch a brand new Graduate many years ago whilst visiting John Boddy's and drooled over it but at around £3,000 then I could dream on. I now own a Graduate bought from an Academy in very poor condition with worn out headstock bearings and a few missing parts but it came with lots of face plates and a box of top quality tools including a multi-chuck; it had been rejected by a previous buyer so I had a chance of it for £500 inclusive; A friend and I drove over and I grabbed it on sight; I didn't care what condition it was in because I'm very capable of restoring machinery. We stripped the heavy Graduate and it was sitting looking very sorry for itself in our garage. It was subjected to a full and comprehensive rebuild but I took the rebuild much further; I added an inverter rated top quality Brook 1.1Kw 3 phase motor which I connected in Delta; I bought a new Huanyang VFD and added this giving lots of motor control like forward/reverse and full variable speed; I could have restored the Graduate to original specification but I love to potter around trying out new things in the garage so decided to go to town on the Graduate. What I now have is a truly wonderful woodturning lathe in the Graduate it being pure heaven to play with; I still love to use the DML and if this isn't enough I also own a small Clarke metal turning lathe and a much larger floor standing extremely rare Lorch Schmidt metal lathe which I've subjected recently to a full restoration. A session on any of the lathes is always delightful and many times has been involved in saving a lot of money making the lathe earn its keep. A novice to a woodturning lathe would be better to practice on a small power lathe and not on one such as my Graduate fitted with a VFD; the 1.1Kw motor on my Graduate is quite powerful but in the event of an overload situation it could become very dangerous indeed because the VFD under overload will boost the motor power by around 50% and could really cause serious personal injury; I'm very much at home on big machinery but I'm always aware of the dangers such machinery impose so never ever mess around or take chances.

Record lathes come in assorted bed lengths right up to 48" between centres which is more than enough for a home workshop. Once a decent lathe is bought it will be your friend for life affording much pleasure whilst at times paying for itself as in my furniture making; offcuts of timber can be had free of charge or for little money; the items I turn are from offcuts but no one would know unless I told them.

If I can be of help at all Chop please drop me a PM and this applies to other forum members interested in buying a lathe. I think I might have said I love lathes?

I'm sure its getting darker as I type; hardly encouraging me to get off my backside?

Kind regards, Col.

[joinerjohn]

Excellent little project there Col. Is there nothing you can't turn your hand to? (no pun intended) If this is what I have to look forward to in retirement, all I can say is,, roll on.

[cotswold builders]

Colonel, I remember making the rugs when we were kids, we used a tool with a hook on it, got free hessian grain sack bags from the farm, cut up strips of material for making the rugs.

This was the era when the nappies were boiled in a large pan on the aga, pulled out with a copper stick and stuck in the mangle.
If you was cheeky, you got a good belting with the stick.

This was done on the Monday, on the Tuesday the old lady made rabbit stew in the same pan.

Heating was paraffin heaters.

Holes in your trousers was patched with Copydex.

Holes in your shoes was cardboard inserts.

We did have snake belts.

Kids have it to easy now.

[joinerjohn]

Heating was paraffin heaters.

Holes in your trousers was patched with Copydex.

Holes in your shoes was cardboard inserts.

We did have snake belts

Would have been sheer luxury to us

Heating were two sticks rubber together..

Trouser were summat we dreamed off

Shoes?? We ad ter put soot on our feet and tie a bit o string round our toes to look like laces.

We ad ter avoid snakes coz we ad no shoes.

You ad it easy.

[camallison]

Those mats were known as Proggimats up here in the North-East in my youth and well before.

Colin

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks jj; I was taught to use my head and hands as an apprentice and it has remained with me; if it can be made at home then I think I can make it whatever it is? Bron and I planned for retirement years ago never having flash cars or holidays away from home but now the planning is paying off; we can enjoy ourselves in our respective hobbies; we still don't have holidays away from home because we don't feel the need to being content at home. Retirement can be joyful with planning but can also be a killer for those who simply live for work then suddenly being thrust into retirement with nothing else in their life or any hobby; they quickly die of sheer boredom? Plan ahead for retirement jj and you will enjoy it.

Thanks cb; you brought the memories flooding back to my childhood poverty days. Yes in those days proper nappies were used non of these modern things going to landfill. Cast iron ranges were common the coal fire heating the side oven. We had what we called a "set pot" this was a large cast iron deep bowl set into brickwork with a fireplace beneath allowing nappies and washing to be boiled. My father was a coal miner so we had a coal fire in the main living room but no heating at all in other rooms even mid winter. Gas lighting. candles; Peggy tubs; Possers; rubbing boards and as you rightly say a huge old mangle. Clothes were handed down and full of patches; socks were more darned than original sock and were uncomfortable; shoes were always worn out both on sole and on toes through playing out. Short trousers were the norm for boys. Snake belts; these were very common indeed and I remember them well. Bread and dripping to put hairs on my chest? "Compo" for colds. DDT to kill bugs; flit guns. Legs and feet as transport even for adults. Walk to school couldn't afford bus fare. Couldn't afford school meals so go hungry.

I once came downstairs in the middle of the night and the floor moved under my feet; it was awash with cockroaches; no hot water unless heated in pan or kettle; tin bath in front of the fire; outside toilet; lead pipes and lead paint. rag rugs. I've spent many hours on pit tips collecting coal with my father during winter carting it home in sacks even during my early teens. In those days we lacked money but otherwise everyone was more happy than they are these days? Burglars were very rare and if caught were punished and shamed; unmarried mothers were shunned bringing disrespect upon the whole family. If we didn't earn it we didn't get it. It was a totally different world 60 years ago. Bron and I turned a TV program off the other night when we saw and heard an obese guy state he was receiving benefits totalling £2,000 per month? These days this is regarded as poverty? Having spent a lifetime grafting I would like such an amount each month? Still it appears to me the more money people have these days the more unhappy they are? Let the guy have £2,000 per month I don't envy him in the least because he is a prisoner in his own ody. I was brought up to make use of everything and not to make any waste and I still live by this; I find it difficult to discard a bit of abrasive paper or tiny off cut of timber; not tight at all just not wasteful; I love making things of use out of offcuts; hobbies don't have to be related to cost. The world now is a much poorer place; look at all the wars still raging; long faces everywhere mass murders being shown most days on TV; greed and selfishness rules? More and more child abuse; people who used to be trusted and looked up to now ending up in court for assorted reasons. Let me live the rest of my days out in the company of my lovely Bron in our own little world away from all the badness; we no longer fit in being generous and kind to others?

For years I did paper rounds; getting up and then knocking up the newsagent at 5am in order to open the shop and mark the papers for the rounds; I did a round each day before school and had a couple of rounds at weekends in all weather. Potato picking when in season; everything I earned going into the family funds. I'm rambling as usual but I'm waiting for daylight; 10:13am and its still too dark to see what I'm doing if I wander into the bedroom to resume work on the coffered ceiling; switching on the light casts shadows; I could do so much more if the weather permitted? My projects should be pleasure not punishment.

Thanks Colin; Proggimats sounds like a religion?

Everyone is different; money; time and space effect most of us. Having been so short of money for so long now I have plenty of money I find it's not needed because I enjoy myself more making things from scratch using junk or offcuts rather than simply throwing money at something taking the easy option. Time; well I'm retired but still very short of useful time; I'm sitting here when if the weather was better I would be extremely busy putting in 14 hour days which I always do during mild weather and enjoying it. Space; we have a large garage and three unused rooms also large gardens; I could build on easy enough for additional garaging or workshop but then the bungalow and gardens are already rather too large just for the two of us and take up a lot of time in warm weather on maintenance.

Hobbies don't need to cost a lot; many hobbies can be done in limited space with few tools or equipment whilst affording a lot of pleasure and enjoyment. I can wander into the garage and do a bit of tidying up or oiling and adjusting my machines giving me pleasure; doing simple things can be so rewarding at a personal level; I'm not happy sitting around so time I did something? I'm a dinosaur brought up with old standards in the old way and I don't ever want to change. Money doesn't bring happiness.

Kind regards, Col.

[ayjay]

Hi,

Money doesn't bring happiness.

No, but it can get you the type of misery you prefer.

I am not buying a lathe, I've got no room for one, I am not buying a lathe, I've got no room for one, I am not buying a lathe, I've got no room for one, - that ought to do it.

I remember rag rugs, we had a couple at home when I was a kid.

My mother handmade a couple of rugs, and a complete stair runner, from old woolly jumpers.

I used to come home from the pub sometimes and partly roll out the stair runner (while it was still a work in progress) the unrolled bit made a pillow and the rest was soft and warm to sleep on if I couldn't make it up the stairs.

@CB - I still use Copydex to patch the knees on my work trousers.

.........and out in the garden somewhere I still have the old tin bath that we used in front of the fire once a week. (My pond fish go in it when I'm cleaning it up).