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There are several things to watch for as you rough out the spindle. First of all, watch for ‘whip’. As you decrease the diameter of the spindle, it becomes weaker and tends to vibrate, leaving an uneven cut. At the first sign of vibration, pull the cutter back, then feed into the stock with less pressure. You can also raise the cutter slightly to decrease the tendency of the stock to whip. Secondly, work from large diameter to small to avoid weakening the spindle before you need to. Third, keep the table clean and don’t let sawdust accumulate under the base. The base must rest flat on the table at all times. Finally, don’t press the follower into the template. The template will ‘give’ slightly and you’ll cut deeper than intended.
There are also a few techniques that you’ll find useful. When cutting coves or in between beads, ‘wiggle’ the tip of the cutter back and forth as you feed the cutter into the stock. This will help to cut away the waste quickly while avoiding whip and chatter. When you can, cut ‘uphill’, working form the minor diameters to the major diameters, and ‘drag’ the cutter along the spindle. There is one exception: when cutting “shoulders” cut downhill. These techniques will produce a smoother cut.
For finishing cuts, reposition the cutter, moving it forward 1/16-inch. Speed up the lathe slightly (another 2-3 letters). Follow the template profile carefully, using the same techniques to make your finishing cuts as you used when roughing the spindle. However, feed the cutter with a much lighter touch. (See Figure 6.) When you’re finished, you should have a spindle whose profile matches the template exactly, every succeeding spindle will match your first spindle. (See Figure 7.) Tip -- Don’t break down this duplicator setup until you’ve turned all the spindles you need, it will be hard, if not impossible, to reset the duplicator and template exactly the same. When you’ve made all the spindles you need, remove the duplicator from the lathe. Remount the spindles, one at a time, between the centers. Sand them until smooth. If you wish, apply a finish right on the lathe. |
