Turning project: Architectural columns

I recently accepted a project to turn 3 columns for a house in Seattle that was more than 100-years old.  The surviving column was of red cedar, and measured 5.5” by 5.5” by 60 inches long.  Fortunately, my lathe can turn 24-inches by 66-inches long.

I contacted a local lumber dealer that specializes in red cedar and they agreed to cut some logs to the dimensions I needed…for $175.00. 

 

columns-project

 

I set the timber up on the lathe, located the exact center on both ends and marked the centers.  On one end I screwed on a 4-inch diameter face plate using 8 screws, and used a center punch to mark the other end for a live center. 

Silvia and I mounted the timber on the lathe between the spindle and the tailstock, adjusted the speed to 800 RPM (no vibration) and adjusted the tool rest.

 

columns-project-2

 

Accuracy is critical because I am making a reproduction…so I transferred dimensions (distance and diameters) from the sample (old) column to the timber in increments .  I go for one feature at a time, turning a band,  bead or on ovulo as we go. 

Because Cedar is a soft wood, I had to be very careful not to tear away any of the wood with an aggressive or uncontrolled cut.  Even a sharp gouge left a very rough surface….arrgh!!  So what to do?  The best tool for this occasion was my 1 3/8” Alan Lacer skew.

Red Cedar is a very abrasive wood, which demanded frequent sharpening.  Many many many checks with tape measure, 6-“ rule and calipers allowed me to create 3 reproduction columns in 9-hours. 

Putting them side-by-side, any slight differences are negligible, and when installed 8-feet apart they look identical !!!

 

columns-project-1

 

A demanding, and very satisfying project. 

The customer was happy and I was happy for a difficult job that turned out well, keeping in mind that only one mistake means that the valuable wood was useless….we can’t put the wood back!!!

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive special member offers directly to your email.

Capt. Jack Wayne 

Related Posts

Wood Sources and Preparation
Wood Sources and Preparation
As a beginning woodturner, one of your first anxieties is finding a source of material.  If there is a store nearby that...
Read More
How to fix a wood crack into a feature
How to fix a wood crack into a feature
Has this ever happened to you?  You have an attractive blank you want to turn, and suddenly the inspiration hits….you kn...
Read More
How to choose the right lathe
How to choose the right lathe
Stationary Lathe Choices The Nova/Teknatool DVR XP is a well performing intermediate lathe.  The strong points are its l...
Read More

403 comments

Rachel Gerald

After losing over $600,000.00 to fraudulent stock brokers who operated under the name “fxtradebit,” I found myself drowning in debt. However, I was fortunate enough to come across so reviews about a hack specialist by name jamesmckaywizard at gmail dot com. They played a crucial role in my journey towards recovery and exposing the true nature of the scammers. Initially, I was on the verge of paying the requested transfer fees out of desperation to retrieve my money, but jamesmckaywizard intervened. They revealed that the scammers were impostors and that their company was merely a copycat of a legitimate one. This revelation devastated me, but Century Hackers used their expertise to trace the money back to the accounts and wallets where I had sent it. Their remarkable efforts turned the situation in my favor, for which I am immensely grateful. You can reach them through email jamesmckaywizard at gmail dot com or WhatsApp +31* 657* 446* 248.

Vicki Glam

If you ever need hacking services, look no further. I found myself in a difficult situation after losing almost $510,000 USD in bitcoin. I was distraught and had no hope of survival because i lost my life savings to this schme, I had no chance of recovering my investment. Until i came accrose an article on google about (jamesmckaywizard at gmail.com) A real life recovery expert, everything changed completely after contacting him and explaining my odeal to him and he quickly stepped in and assisted me in recovering 95% of my lost funds. They guarantee their clients and i got the highest level of happiness their services are highly recommended. so i’m putting this here for anyone who require their services too":Email:jamesmckaywizard at gmail dot com or what’sapp +316 (5744) 6248.

Jennifer Hoops

To everyone who has been a victim of cryptocurrency binary investment scams currently going on right now accross the globe. I was a victim of it and I was ashamed of how I lost 807,000 Dirhams to these people pretending to be forex and binary traders. My family almost left me and I was going to lose everything until I came across a review online about jamesmckaywizard online on how he has been helping people in recovering cryptocurrency funds from these scammers. This special group of professional tech team was able to recover my money within 8hours. I’m really glad such a group exists and I’m happily sharing this out there with anyone who needs their service to recover their money. You can contact them at Email:jamesmckaywizard at gmail dot com or what’sapp ++316,,,, 574…. 46248.

Mason Fresco

We can help you solve all HACKING RELATED PROBLEMS

●Hacking of all social media accounts
●Spying on cheating partner
●Retrieving of lost Cryptocurrency
●Data alteration
●Finding of lost phone
●Clearing/paying off of mortgage/loan
●Increasing of credit score
●Bitcoin mining
●Tracking of location
●Hacking of cell phone/other devices
●Block out or track down hackers

Secure yourself now!!!

Contact: cyberhelpdesk88@gmail.com
WhatsApp:‪ +1 (209) 809-0176
Telegram: +1 (209) 809-0176

Crypto Intelligence

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF CRYPTOCURRENCY INVESTMENT FRAUD, FOREX OR NFT SCAM? SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH AN ETHICAL HACKER ASAP TO GET STARTED.

Workmanship fee is to be settled AFTER successful recovery.

Let us show you the art of Ethical Hacking….!

ASOREHACKCORP is a private group of financial regulators, private investigation and funds recovery body. We specialize in cases as regards ETHICAL HACKING, CRYPTOCURRENCY, FAKE INVESTMENT SCHEMES and RECOVERY SCAM. We are also experts in CREDIT REPAIR, we analyze what’s impacting your score.

All software tools needed to execute RECOVERIES from start to finish are available in stock.
Kindly NOTE that the available tools does NOT apply to CREDIT FIX.

Be ALERT to FABRICATED reviews and testimonies on the internet, do not get scammed twice.

Contact our team as soon as you can via the email address below to book a mail meeting with an ethical hacker.
asorehackcorp (@) gmail (.) com

Stay Safe out there !⁷⁷

Leave a comment