Making the Celtic Knot Rolling Pin #4: Glue Up and Trimming The Blank- The Final Steps

Before starting this section, I forgot to add to pix into the previous post.

This is the spacer strip used to reposition the blanks for the second cut. The spacer goes between the blank and the fence.

This shows the blank seated against the rear stop and the blank is labeled to assure it is not reversed during the various cutting operations.

I found it easier to glue if I oriented the blank with the diagonal cut facing up. I use an old restaurant cutting board as a gluing work surface and pieces of the cutting board as culls and pads. In this picture, you can see the three strips to be glued into place. They measure 2” x 10 3/4” x 1/8”. Test fit the pieces first to make sure they will seat into the slot.

On my first attempt, I didn’t use enough clamps- using more clamps and culls assured that all of the joints were tight. I probably overdid it with the amount of glue. A liberal coat over all mating surfaces.

Clamped up

After the glue has dried and the clamps removed, the blank is ready for trimming.

I put the blank on my tapering jig and set it for no taper. The jig is used to hold the piece to trim off the excess material. This assures the piece will sit flat for the next diagonal cutting operation.

Trim the blank, rotate and re-clamp

Trim, rotate an trim again.

At this point it is a good idea to “sweeten up” the layout lines, if the trimming operation removed them.

Now it is just a matter of re-mounting the blank on the diagonal cutting jig and repeating the operations for making the second diagonal slot.

The diagonal slots, glue ups and trimming operations are the same for each of the remaining three sides.

Word of caution here- if you have to change the blade height during the trimming operation, be certain to reset it before the diagonal slot cutting operation!

After the four sides are cut, glued and trimmed.

On the lathe, ready to be turned.

The final dimensions on this rolling pin were: 20” long; diameter at the center: 1 9/16”; diameter at the ends : 1 1/4”. I have tried two types of tapers. One started at the center and continued to the ends. The other starts at the ends of the ellipses and continues to the ends. Personal preferences will determine the tapers.

Again, thanks everyone for your encouragement and help in my quest to create this. I really could not have done it without your help!

Any questions, comments and criticisms are always welcome.

Lew