This isn't going to work

[Andrew Derhammer]

Hollowform, go in from the branch side. Leave the branches overhanging

[Tom Keen]

That look just a like a black spruce burl my father brought back from Alaska. Interesting wood..but kinda dry and dusty to turn..

bl spruce bowl.jpg

[Curt Fuller]

Greg,
I'm not sure, but I think the spindle on my Oliver #159 is perforated by the spindle lock, and therefor might not hold a vacuum, but its something to check out. How is the vacuum chuck mounted to the spindle end? I assume it doesn't rotate, but I admit I haven't looked seriously yet.

Hal, Oneway makes the whole schabang in a vacuum setup that will fit the 1 1/8 x 8 spindle on our Oliver lathes (the only true lathe ).

[Hal Taft]

Curt,
I'll be checking that out, thanks. I see from your lathe bio that your 159 has something attached to the spindle lock plunger. Mine is drilled and threaded but I can't find any authoritative answer to what should be in that hole. What's going on with yours?

[Richard Madison]

Hal,
Your foam insulation idea could actually work. But I won't continue, because everyone else probably has a better idea.

[Curt Fuller]

Curt,
I'll be checking that out, thanks. I see from your lathe bio that your 159 has something attached to the spindle lock plunger. Mine is drilled and threaded but I can't find any authoritative answer to what should be in that hole. What's going on with yours?

Mine has a small knob but I'm not sure if it's original or something that was put on later. It's had it since I've owned it. I keep a short length of pipe over it though so I don't accidentally lay an arm on it or something while the lathe is running.

[Hal Taft]

Richard,
don't be shy, I'm looking for unusual solutions here, and maybe lowtech ones that don't require major equipment purchase, since I'm basically in the construction industry, and you might guess what my paychecks are looking like, now and in the near future. I've also found that there are seldom single best solutions to problems, just different approaches. I'd be glad to hear anything you'd like to contribute.

[Richard Madison]

OK Hal,

Low tech and inexpensive often works for me. You said you wanted to keep the existing surface (assume on side opposite the branch). Glue up a square blank from ordinary framing lumber about 4" larger than the diameter of the "lump" and a couple or three inches deeper than distance from back of "lump" to the branches. Center and screw to a faceplate. Leave it square. Turn a "bowl" into the blank of size that the lump will fit into with some space around it. Leave a knob at the bottom of the "bowl", maybe 1" dia. and 1/2" high for backside of lump to sit on. Drill four holes thru sides of the bowl. Cover lump tightly with plastic wrap, place in bowl against that knob and secure in place with point of tailstock. Need to apply some pressure with tailstock. Now you see where we are headed. Squirt "Great Stuff" or equivalent expanding foam into the four holes in sides of bowl. Work rapidly to try to balance pressure of expanding foam around the piece. You should now have a near perfect, form fitting jam chuck for the lump.

Forgot to mention, drill four holes in the corners of the original square blank. Now you can make a "doughnut" of whatever size needed, also with four bolt holes. Half inch OSB is cheap and works. Good to sand edges of the hole and pad them to avoid marring the workpiece. Hold the lump in place with one hand, slide tailstock back, hang doughnut on tailstock point, bring tailstock back and apply a little pressure. Bolt the doughnut to the original blank, and you are ready to rock and roll.

Also forgot to mention covering your lathe bed with suitable protective material before squirting the expanding foam. Suggest that you make a trial run with a substitute "lump" before doing the good one.

Lots of words, but no big deal really. Just a simple way to make a jam chuck that will conform to the shape of your "lump". Recall, it is your idea, not mine. But I may use it some day.

[Rasmus Petersen]

i have a piece just like that one !! mine is a pice of fruit tree (mirabelle) in danish so im' very interested in what you end up making from this...

[Hal Taft]

I decided to try the method I first thought of, bedding the hunk in spray foam, and had a little learning curve. I set up a ply faced faceplate, and wrapped some scrap laminate around it as a dam. I covered the burl in some very light painter's plastic, oriented it the way that looked best, and filled the area under the burl with foam. The next day I discovered that the large volume of foam sealed the inside and kept it from curing, so I had to sort-of redo it. Looks a little like a cake. Tomorrow we'll see if the foam is rigid enough to properly back up the burl. And, yes I have someting like a donut to retain it, I'll have pictures if it works. Wish me luck !

[Richard Madison]

Very cool. Good luck.

[Rasmus Petersen]

brilliant!!!!!!! i am so looking forward to seeing how this ends up..

[curtis rosche]

put the face plate on the side that has no lump, the side that has the original tree shape. then turn the outside, make space for a chuck, flip it around and do the inside

[Hal Taft]

The concept was sound, but the foam didn't have the rigidity to resist the shock of the chisel. When the scraper hit the off-center high point, things started to go south. So I stripped off the foam and am working on the next plan, no pictures yet, maybe tomorrow. Any electrical gurus out there know if I can lower the speed (800RPM min) on this lathe with a reostat without harming my motor? I actually tried it briefly and it works, I just don't know if it will burn out my motor. Not a good thing.




















































S

[Richard Madison]

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Just need stiffer foam, and less of it between the "lump" and the container that holds the foam. Looks like you did not have a container, Hal. I would not have expected unsupported foam to work.