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

506 comments

non2580

https://abet168.makeweb.co/

https://abet888.makeweb.co/

https://abet789.makeweb.co/

https://abet555.makeweb.co/

https://abet123.makeweb.co/

https://abet777.makeweb.co/

https://abet456.makeweb.co/

https://abet999.makeweb.co/

https://abet222.makeweb.co/

https://github.com/ErickSumargo/Dads/issues/98

https://github.com/turingaicloud/quickstart/issues/10

https://github.com/kvspb/nginx-auth-ldap/issues/259

https://github.com/Kr1s77/FgSurfing/issues/2

https://github.com/selfteaching/the-craft-of-selfteaching/issues/1221

https://github.com/chxj1992/kline/issues/112

https://github.com/boost-ext/te/issues/47

https://github.com/GoesToEleven/GolangTraining/issues/81

https://github.com/stawel/ht301_hacklib/issues/17

https://github.com/mirror/dd-wrt/issues/459

piw

https://abet168.makeweb.co/

https://abet888.makeweb.co/

https://abet789.makeweb.co/

https://abet555.makeweb.co/

https://abet123.makeweb.co/

https://abet777.makeweb.co/

https://abet456.makeweb.co/

https://abet999.makeweb.co/

https://abet222.makeweb.co/

https://github.com/ErickSumargo/Dads/issues/98

https://github.com/turingaicloud/quickstart/issues/10

https://github.com/kvspb/nginx-auth-ldap/issues/259

https://github.com/Kr1s77/FgSurfing/issues/2

https://github.com/selfteaching/the-craft-of-selfteaching/issues/1221

https://github.com/chxj1992/kline/issues/112

https://github.com/boost-ext/te/issues/47

https://github.com/GoesToEleven/GolangTraining/issues/81

https://github.com/stawel/ht301_hacklib/issues/17

https://github.com/mirror/dd-wrt/issues/45

Dr. Ayo Christopher

I am Dr. Ayo Christopher, I am a Great traditional Herbal Medicine Doctor. I specialize in treating any kind of diseases and infections using Herbs Medicine. I have the Herbal Cure for Diabetes, Virginal infection, Genital, Gonorrhea, warts virus infections, Leukemia, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Menopause, Hepatitis A B C and HIV and other deadly infections. I have treated more than 20 patients that have Herpes (HSV 2) and all of them were cured. My herbal medicine is 100% safe, there are no side effects and You will start seeing clear results as early as 7 days.

If you have been taking conventional medicines for that Herpes infection and you are still having those re-occuring outbreaks, why don’t you try Herbal Medicines and see it get cured in weeks. For more information, send me an Email: ridvid8@gmail.com Telegram: @wafri01

Website
https://ridvid8.wixsite.com/dr-ayo-herbs-home

piw

https://abet168.makeweb.co/

https://abet888.makeweb.co/

https://abet789.makeweb.co/

https://abet555.makeweb.co/

https://abet123.makeweb.co/

https://abet777.makeweb.co/

https://abet456.makeweb.co/

https://abet999.makeweb.co/

https://abet222.makeweb.co/

https://github.com/ErickSumargo/Dads/issues/98

https://github.com/turingaicloud/quickstart/issues/10

https://github.com/kvspb/nginx-auth-ldap/issues/259

https://github.com/Kr1s77/FgSurfing/issues/2

https://github.com/selfteaching/the-craft-of-selfteaching/issues/1221

https://github.com/chxj1992/kline/issues/112

https://github.com/boost-ext/te/issues/47

https://github.com/GoesToEleven/GolangTraining/issues/81

https://github.com/stawel/ht301_hacklib/issues/17

https://github.com/mirror/dd-wrt/issues/459

non2580

https://abet168.makeweb.co/

https://abet888.makeweb.co/

https://abet789.makeweb.co/

https://abet555.makeweb.co/

https://abet123.makeweb.co/

https://abet777.makeweb.co/

https://abet456.makeweb.co/

https://abet999.makeweb.co/

https://abet222.makeweb.co/

https://github.com/ErickSumargo/Dads/issues/98

https://github.com/turingaicloud/quickstart/issues/10

https://github.com/kvspb/nginx-auth-ldap/issues/259

https://github.com/Kr1s77/FgSurfing/issues/2

https://github.com/selfteaching/the-craft-of-selfteaching/issues/1221

https://github.com/chxj1992/kline/issues/112

https://github.com/boost-ext/te/issues/47

https://github.com/GoesToEleven/GolangTraining/issues/81

https://github.com/stawel/ht301_hacklib/issues/17

https://github.com/mirror/dd-wrt/issues/459

Leave a comment