Lamp Pulls

This is a pair of lamp pulls that I turned for a friend of my Dad’s. These are oak, I think, possibly ash. I can’t identify the wood and the pallet factory didn’t stamp the type of wood it was on the bottom of the pallet. But . . . the price was right.

The double-ended pull is about 2.5” long and has a 3/8” threaded nipple running all the way through it. The other one is about 2.25” and the nipple only goes into the wood about 1/2”.

The mandrel was a 3/8” steel rod in a drill chuck with a 3/4” long keyway a little less than 1/8” deep. A short lenght of 1/8” steel rod makes up the difference and grips the blank a lot better than the rod alone. I can remove the tailstock a bit earlier in the turning process. Makes for a bit more creative license. (I need all the creative license I can get.) If you opt to use the steel rod, cut some extras. The pile of sawdust beneath the lathe – it EATS those little metal pins. Like a clothes dryer eats socks.

-- Even if to be nothing more than a bad example, everything serves a purpose.