Walnut Lazy Susan

I actually completed this project several months ago. It is one of the largest turnings I have ever undertaken. My design created a hexagonal blank to avoid end grain on the edges of the piece. The turntable and the base were glued up using 7/8” thick black walnut segments that basically took the shape of a stop sign when completed. I used two of these panels for the turntable and for the base. To get the thickness I needed for both pieces I face glued two panels together staggering the joints of the the panel segments. I now had two panels that created a solid 1 3/4” thick turning blank. The top was 20” in diameter and the base was 17” in diameter. Each blank was hand planed to flatten the glued together surfaces and when dry, trimmed round on the band saw.

I used an 8” face plate on the tail stock of my lathe and a free standing tool rest to do this turning. The biggest problem I had was the excentric weight of the piece when spinning. I was initially difficult to turn a true cylinder because the lathe wobbled a bit. When using the tool rest on the lathe it self the tool rest and lathe wobble together and allow a unifrom cylinder to be turned. Not so with a free standing tool rest. Eventually, both pieces turned true and I shaped the pieces. The top is inset with a 16” diameter piece of my new solid surface counter top (like corian – actually, called Mysteria) that was 1/2’ thick.

The base also had a recess cut into the face to receive the turntable bearing. This allowed the top and bottom to be fastened together hiding the bearing.

The final dimensions are 19” for the top and 16” in diameter for the base and 3” in total height. The finish starts with Bush Oil and then has four coats of WaterLox. It is a very functional piece, as I can now reach the napkins myself:)

-- Bill G - West Springfield, MA