Among the designs included within the late Keith Rowley’s e-book Woodturning Projects was an earring stand, certainly one of which I acquired and gave as a present to my spouse Kim. She has used it repeatedly for practically twenty years. After repeated encouragement from Kim, I made one other one for her utilizing Keith’s instance and e-book as a information.
Keith’s design included 4 separate items of wooden: a base, a middle publish, an earring service, and a finial. The finial doubles as a deal with and can be used as a hoop holder. The 4 elements had been joined collectively by turning tenons that match into drilled holes. After making the earring stand utilizing Keith’s methodology, I made a decision to make one out of 1 stable piece of wooden. This allowed the grain to align repeatedly from backside-to-high and eradicated the necessity to be a part of 4 separate turnings. After making a number of earring stands utilizing this methodology, I’ve discovered they’re enjoyable to show and are properly acquired as presents. My modified design requires altering the undertaking’s drilling jig from having a middle pin to having a middle gap.
Prepare the Blank
Start with a seasoned piece of wooden about 3-half of″ (9cm) sq. and 6″ (15cm) lengthy. Straight-grained wooden ensures the finial is not going to be weakened by crossgrain fibers. With the wooden mounted between a drive middle and a cup-and-level ball-bearing tail middle, use a spindle-roughing gouge to take away the corners and switch a cylinder.
On the underside finish of the clean, flip a spigot to suit a scroll chuck. The spigot is about 1/4″ (6mm) lengthy, barely bigger in diameter than the chuck jaws within the closed place, and roughly matches the form of the jaws. My Vicmarc chuck has dovetail jaws, and an identical spigot is shortly turned utilizing a skew with the deal with held low in peeling place. The spigot can be turned with a parting device or a spindle gouge. The inside nook must be crisp and clear.
After securing the spigot within the scroll chuck, convey the tailstock into place and switch sufficient wooden off the tip of the clean to true it up. This would be the backside of the stand and a barely concave reduce ensures the stand will sit on a flat floor with out rocking.
The subsequent step is to create a recess simply massive sufficient for the chuck jaws to increase into, and 1/8″ to three/16″ (3mm to 5mm) deep. To set up the recess’s diameter, I shut the jaws of the chuck and set a pair of dividers to the space from the middle of the chuck to the surface of the jaws. Next, with the lathe operating, I put the fitting leg of the dividers on the middle of the wooden and the left leg on the toolrest and gently press the left leg into the wooden to attain a structure line.
I prefer to take away a lot of the wooden for the recess utilizing a 1/8″ parting device modified for scraping. The modified device places minimal stress on the clean, lowering the potential for getting a catch that may pull the clean out of the chuck jaws. When you assume you will have turned an satisfactory recess, examine the match of the jaws within the recess with the lathe off. A lightweight reduce with a field or pen scraper ranges the floor left by the parting device, and a skew introduced as a scraper cuts the dovetail- formed shoulder to match the chuck jaws.
After sanding the underside of the earring stand to its completed floor, the clean is able to be reversed and mounted on the increasing 4-jaw chuck to show the rest of the earring stand.
The clean ought to run true and the middle mark on the highest of the clean ought to align with the tailstock middle. If the mark and middle don’t align, flip away the middle gap from the earlier chucking by taking gentle shearing cuts with a spindle gouge. The level of a skew establishes a brand new gap that can align with the tail middle. With the tailstock introduced up and tightened, the surface of the clean is shortly trued with a spindle-roughing gouge.
Modified Parting Tool
The tip of a parting device is well modified to transform the device to a scraper. Simply use a bench grinder to take away the higher half of the device tip. Once floor to form, the device could be sharpened by presenting solely the unmodified decrease half to the grinding wheel, as you’ll a typical parting device. The ensuing device cuts endgrain cleaner and exerts much less drive on the wooden than does a typical parting device.
Create the Earring Carrier
To mark the placement of the holes that can maintain the earrings, measure about 1-half of″ (4cm) down from the highest of the clean and draw a structure line. The finial will rise above the earring service, so numerous the wooden on this space must be eliminated. This is shortly finished by peeling with a skew chisel, a large parting device, or a Bedan parting device.
I depart a tenon above the structure line that’s simply over 1″ (25mm) diameter, after which taper the tenon from its close to-1″ diameter all the way down to barely bigger than the diameter of the tail middle. This taper offers clearance for the chuck of the hand drill.
Uniformly arranging the holes across the rim of the earring service produces knowledgeable-wanting stand. It is feasible to realize a uniform structure with some calculations and the lathe’s indexing wheel (assuming it has one), however I’ve designed a steel drill jig that makes this step easy and correct. To use the jig, I slide the tailstock away and maintain the drill jig over the finial publish, then rotate the spindle by hand whereas making use of average stress on the jig. This will burnish a lightweight line that transfers the diameter of the middle gap of the drill jig onto the tapered publish and identifies how a lot materials must be eliminated to precisely match—and completely middle—the jig over the finial publish. Using the burnish mark as a information, I exploit a large parting device to scale back the decrease part of the publish over which the drill jig will match.
Drill the Holes for the Earrings
While I carry out this subsequent job with an electrical hand drill and the clean on the lathe, additionally it is potential to take away the chuck from the lathe and use a drill press. I take away the tailstock, slide the drill jig over the publish, and briefly safe it in place with masking tape. With a 3/32″ (2mm) bit, drill a gap about half of″ (13mm) into the wooden.
I press an indexing pin into this primary gap and proceed drilling the remaining holes. The indexing pin is well shifted to a different gap when it will get in the best way.
After all of the holes are drilled, I draw a line across the outdoors of the drill jig. This line marks the approximate outdoors diameter of the earring service.
Shape Earring Carrier and Center Post
With the tailstock introduced up for help, cut back the higher space of the clean to the diameter of the earring service structure line.
Turning from massive to small diameter, take cautious shearing cuts with a 3/8″ (10cm) spindle gouge and start shaping the highest facet of the earring service, aiming for a barely concave floor.
Define the world that can change into the middle publish by lowering the diameter of the spindle between the bottom and the underside facet of the service to about 1″. The waste is shortly eliminated utilizing peeling cuts with a 3/8″ Bedan parting device.
After eradicating the waste materials from the middle publish, I shift my consideration to the underside of the service. There are two necessary tolerances that must be thought of for many earring wires to hold freely with out binding on the earring service: the service must be no thicker than 1/8″ close to the sting the place the holes are drilled, and the middle of the holes must be not more than 3/16″ from the surface fringe of the service.
After defining the tolerances close to the surface fringe of the service, I focus my efforts on the bottom and the transition between the bottom and the middle publish.
Then I transfer to remaining shaping of the middle publish.
Clean out the Holes and Sand
Prior to finishing the finial however after the remainder of the piece has been turned, it’s typically needed to scrub the frayed wooden fibers hiding within the 3/32″ earring holes. This is finest finished with a 3/32″ drill bit secured in a hand-held drill chuck or a small deal with. I merely insert the bit into the holes and twist the chuck or deal with by hand.
Lower the lathe velocity to attenuate warmth construct-up from friction whereas sanding. You will wish to protect the high-quality particulars you will have labored exhausting to create by sanding fastidiously. To keep away from eradicating crisp corners on the high of coves, roll the abrasive right into a coil or wrap it over (not round!) your finger to suit the curvature of the cove. Use the sting of the abrasive to sand into tight corners.
Shape the Finial
The finial is meant to be extra practical than aesthetic, because it serves as each a deal with for lifting the earring stand and as a hoop holder. The finial shouldn’t be so small in diameter that it’s fragile, or pointy on the high so it’s awkward to select up. Use gentle shearing cuts with a 1/4″ or 3/8″ spindle gouge to refine the finial. Sand the finial whereas there may be nonetheless help from the tail middle. Finally, separate the highest of the finial from the waste close to the tailstock and gently sand the highest finish.
Apply a Finish
For a end, I like to make use of a penetrating oil equivalent to Waterlox Original. I apply the primary coat utilizing a clear rag with the lathe stopped, working the end into the pores of the wooden. Successive coats are most effectively utilized whereas the earring stand is secured within the chuck, however the stand could be eliminated simply, then re-chucked if want-be. I apply end to the underside final, after the undertaking is faraway from the chuck.
The earring stand is a helpful merchandise and a undertaking that gives good alternatives to apply high-quality element turning strategies. The undertaking additionally affords the possibility to use primary spindle cuts to realize a delightful design. I hope you take pleasure in making them as a lot as I’ve.
All photographs by Scott Finlayson.
Kip Christensen is a professor of expertise and engineering schooling who teaches wooden prototyping, furnishings design, and manufacturing at Brigham Young University. He has a specific curiosity in woodturning schooling and has authored a number of articles and DVDs on the topic. His earring drilling jig is on the market by contacting Kip.
