Seeking a solution to an ongoing task

[Neil Bosdet]

I'm going to try to explain what I need to do. I'm turning rolling pins with tapering ends. I turn them as small as possible, lets say 1/2" on the ends. Sand and wax the piece, remove from the lathe, chop off the sacrificial, chunky ends. I'm left with 1/2" blunt ends that I sand with ROS and hand sand. I've tried using a pneumatic drum sander, disc sander and belt sanders as well. I'd like to speed up this step by finding an appropriate tool or a better method. My turning and finishing go well but the hand finishing the ends has got to improve. I imagine a large pencil sharpener (very large) or a burr grinder that is hollow that I could insert my piece to rough the end to basic shape. I don't mind finishing a bit by hand if necessary but I'd like to figure out a better way to shape the ends to a nice rounded tip. I've tried searching various things but so far I've been stumped. Any ideas? Photo is a finished example.

[Myk Rian]

Maybe turn a shaped cup, and put pumice in it. Spin the cup on the ends.

[Jamie Buxton]

Lee Valley sells tenon cutters that are a bit like big pencil sharpeners. They don't have one that produces your desired shape. However, the knives in them are removable, so you should be able to grind the knife to your shape. http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...180,42288&ap=1 and http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...180,42288&ap=1

[Dick Brown]

I have done things like this with my 1/2" cordless drill on slow speed and my disk sander. Don't even have to tighten the chuck. Just put a little masking tape on it to tight fit the round hole in the chuck. Put a glove on your other hand and steady it while shaping on the sander. Last, hold a piece of very fine ( 320 or 400 grit ) in your gloved hand and finish it off, switch ends and do it again.

[Keith Westfall]

Make a tapered jam chuck that the end fits into, and then place the other end of the pin on your tail stock and then set up your steady rest to hold it, remove your tail stock and turn the end down and sand as well. I've taped it into the jam chuck with either black tape pulled tight or even masking tape, which will hold it enough to finish the end. Then turn it around and do the other end. Shaping and sanding are then pretty easy to do.

I also put a wrap of tape for the wheels of the steady rest to run on if I'm afraid it will mark.

[Neil Bosdet]

Thanks for your suggestions. I was considering something similar to Keith's idea. Maybe I'll play with that a bit and I might try Dick's drill idea too. The LV Tenon Cutter idea is great but a little freaky. Will consider some more. Myk's suggestion is the one I was trying to figure out. I don't think the pumice idea would work well. Slow too.

Cheers,

[david herbert]

From Japan Woodworkers. Navigation: Home > Woodworking Tools > Planes > Other Plane Tools > Set of 3 Doming Planes - Price: $35.00 This Set of Doming Planes will apply a nicely shaped dome to the end of a dowel. Thus giving your work an attractive, professional finish. The convex shaped blade is secured in a hard maple body. The cut is easily made by inserting the dowel into the guide and then rotating the tool. The cut stops automatically when the domed surface has been formed. The blade cuts the end grain of the dowel from the outside into the center. Assuring a clean, chip free cut. Set of three includes sizes for ½˝, ¾˝ and 1˝ diameter dowels.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Neil
How about a MOP Sander. Check out this You Tube. Tom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViFzlabVinM

[johnny means]

When I need turnings to have rounded ends, I find that I can turn the ends down to about an 8th" diameter. This leaves almost no need for shaping. I know this would make a lot of fellows skittish, but I've never had anything fly off the lathe. Just have to make sure everything is well balanced and use a delicate touch.

[Carl Beckett]

I was thinking along the lines of what Myk suggested (have wanted to do this same operation). But instead of pumice I was wondering if sandpaper could be formed and glued into the inside of the cup ...