Shop Stool

Great turnings & end result Kenn. Thats not an easy task you picked. Well done.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

That is one fancy “Shop” stool…. Nice turnings. I like the paint combo.

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

Hi Ken,

Those are almost long enough to need a steady-rest. They look good, though. One thing that really matters when turning longer spindles is to make sure that not only is your skew sharp, but the flat leading up to the edge is, well, flat.

The other thing is when you have a chatter pattern and the skew doesn’t seem to want to take it off, go back over it with a gouge, and then finish with the skew.

Of course, I don’t KNOW if these are the kinds of things you ran into, but, well, from my own experience, I gots my suspicions!

-- Chuck, Pullman, WA

I did use a steady rest and sharp tools matter.

-- Every cloud has a silver lining

What kind of steady rest did you use? I got one of the Oneways with the skate wheels.

It’s pretty good, but my biggest trick was finding that you had to use the gouge to remove chatter patterns—or you could go round and round, (quite literally) and never improve the surface finish.

-- Chuck, Pullman, WA

Great stool Ken now your going to have to chain that one down so it doesn’t grow any more legs. Awesome job on the turnings. I still have not ventured down that road but know that I will be headed there shortly because I just can’t resist.

-- Fred.... Poconos, PA ---- Chairwright in the making ----

Now that’s what I call a shop stool! Great turnings. Thanks for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Great stool Kenn. I would be afraid to leave it in my shop. I might get paint over-spray on if from restoring my tools, or my wife might run into becasue she still hasn’t figured out the when the ball is touching the windsheild she is supposed to stop. It gives me an idea though.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Chuck, I use the Oneway with the skate wheels too. I’ve found if I’m getting some chatter, the wheels loosened up and just need retightened. I know I should be using a skew more than I do, but all of this was turned with spindle gouges – I think they are 3/8” and 1”. I have the smaller one ground to a fingernail profile and the larger one just straight across.

Fred, watch out, once you start turning it is hard to leave but those windsors keep calling me!

Thanks for looking everybody.

-- Every cloud has a silver lining

You must have quite a shop if you use such a splendid stool in it! It’s beautiful! I can’t recall ever sitting down in the shop, but I’m sure I would if I had a stool like that!

-- "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Hi Ken,

I use oval profile skews – these are the BOMB. I actually have two—a big one and a relatively small one. The thing that is interesting is that because they have different system dynamics, one will chatter/flutter at a different combination frequency/wavelength along the length of the leg. Short story long, when you get those chatter marks with one, switch to the other.

I’ve been spending WAY too much time thinking about turning surface finish. Mainly, because when I look in the books, I haven’t found anyone that discusses getting rid of the chatter marks. I’d be happy to have a reference to read.

-- Chuck, Pullman, WA