The turner's companion /

by Anonymous

Plate 2.

The chucks, upon which the material to be turned, whether of wood, ivory, or metal, is always fixed, next demand our attention. They are of every variety of size and form, and are all screwed upon the mandrel of the lathe. Many are made of brass; others (the most numerous, because the turner can make them for himself), are of wood; but these latter should be used soon after they are made; for if not constructed of very dry, hard wood, any great variation in the weather will cause them to shrink, and thus the screw becomes slightly altered, and will not fit tightly to the neck of the mandrel. To avoid the expense of having many brass chucks, which would be very great, if we procured them of the size and shape requisite for all kinds of work, it is a good plan to have several brass plates made about the size of half-a-crown, [plate 2], A, with a screw in them, to fit upon the mandrel, and four screw-nails with which to fasten them to wooden chucks of any form. Thus, when these chucks are worn out, unscrew the brass plates and screw them on to others. In [plate 2] are the drawings of several chucks, which are useful for various purposes; they are all made of brass, with a screw that fits upon the mandrel. B is a brass plate, about two inches in diameter; from the middle projects a tapering screw, about half an inch long. This is used to hold any thing that is flat, as a stand, or candlestick base, or, with the aid of the back puppet, to support a long piece of wood, while turning down to fit a stronger chuck. For this purpose, bore a hole in the wood, and screw it on to the chuck. C is the same shape, but has five iron points projecting from its surface; upon them the wood must be firmly fixed by hammering it on. It is better to use the back puppet, as the wood is apt to become loosened by a sudden jar, or any unevenness in the surface.

D is universally useful, either for large or small pieces of work. The wood or ivory may be turned to the proper size to fit, on the chuck B, and then driven firmly into the hollow cup with a wooden mallet; or a piece of common wood may be made to fit it tightly, and a hole turned in it to hold the object you intend to turn.

E is called a ring chuck, and is made of box wood. Drill a hole through the centre, and then saw it across in six parts. By its being turned smaller at one end than at the other, this chuck opens at the sawgates; you then drive on to it, with a hammer, a ring of metal, and the wood inserted in the hole will remain immovable.

F is called a square hole chuck, the hole in the middle having several drills and bits to use with it, as in 3, 4, 5, 6. G is called a die chuck: it is the same in shape as the cup chuck, only not so deep, and it has several screws passing through its sides at equal distances, and meeting in the centre, by which the work is held, so that it serves equally for a large or a small object.

H is exactly the same in shape as G; with the addition of an arm, No. 1, the use of which is as follows. If this chuck does not turn the wood round properly, fasten to the latter what is called a carrier, No. 2, the end of which, projecting further than the chuck, rests upon the arm, 1, and causes all to turn together.

These appear to us to be the chucks most universally in use for concentric turning; the ordinary ones the turner may make of wood, and those for ornamental work we shall mention hereafter.

It may, however, be as well to describe the method of making the wood chucks:—Select a piece of close-grained dry wood—box is the best; having taken off the corners and made it tolerably round with a chisel, or a small hatchet, you must then find the centre of the two ends. To do this, lay the piece of wood on a bench; open a pair of compasses to nearly half the diameter of the piece; fix one point of the compasses firmly in the middle, and with the other draw a circle as near the edge of the wood as you can. If you find the circle is not exact, but further from the edge on one side than the other, alter the position of the compasses, till they become right. Bore a hole in the centre, when found, and screw the wood on to the chuck, B. Place your rest facing the work, and cut in the centre of it a hole, the depth and NEARLY the size of the screw on the nose of the mandrel. This done, take the piece of wood off the brass chuck, and fasten it firmly in a vice; then screw into the hole a TAP, which has been made on purpose to fit the screw of the mandrel. This tap cuts a thread as you turn it round in the hole, so that when you unscrew it, you have only to screw the wood to the nose of the mandrel, taking care to make it fit quite close to the shoulder; it must then be turned quite round and smooth with the gouge and chisel, and the face of it also perfectly flat, which is seen by holding against it the flat part of the T square, [plate 1], R. If the square touches all the face of the chuck, it is ready to receive the wood; but if you can in any part see the light between them, take the chisel and smooth it over again. The chuck being ready, cut a piece of wood, we will say for a box, round it with a chisel, take some thin glue, and fasten the wood to the chuck with it. When quite hard and dry, begin to turn the sides even, then cut down the groove to receive the lid, which should be glued on to another chuck. To hollow out the box, turn the rest to the face of the work and use the gouge. When of a sufficient depth, take the callipers, [plate 1], K, push the small ends down the box to the bottom, stretch them out as far as they will, and set the screw, then pull them slowly out, so as to measure the size of the top of the inside of the box; if not exactly the same, turn out a little more of the bottom. Now begin to smooth the outside and hollow out the lid, taking great care to make it fit exactly the groove made in the bottom of the box; for this purpose the callipers must be set, so that the forked end stretches to the width of the circumference of the groove; you will then find that the other end will be exactly the same width, and keep trying them to the inside of the lid, till they enter it very tightly; then try the lid on the bottom, and it will fit. By thus using the callipers, you are saved much trouble in taking the work on and off the lathe, to fit the parts together.

You must now cut the lid off the chuck, either with the parting tool, or with a saw, and having it firmly placed on the bottom, smooth and finish off the sides so that they look quite even, and as if there was no separation between them. This done, move the rest to the front of the lid, and finish it up the same, taking care not to leave the slightest scratch or unevenness on the surface; then rub the whole of the work well with sand paper, making the lathe turn very rapidly, first one way, then the other, and finish by rubbing it over with a drop of olive oil on a piece of rag, and the shavings of the wood. The great beauty of turning consists in all the parts being exact, shining, well finished off, and not too thick; to attain this latter perfection, experience is necessary, and I should advise constant practice in turning box-wood and holly, till the learner is able to make his boxes fit properly, and also look neat and light. The lid being finished, lay it aside, and saw off the bottom; then turn its own chuck to a proper size to receive it, while you smooth and polish the outer part. It is requisite to be very particular in the manner of chucking work, such as boxes, thimbles, or any thing that has been hollowed out; and remember always to make a chuck to fit INTO THEM, instead of putting THEM into one. It is also better to leave a shoulder that the work can rest against,—you are then sure that it is supported evenly; if not, you may find that the slightest inclination to one side or the other will cause you to turn one side much thinner than the other; and if you are working, we will say the top of a box, it will always look crooked, and if the bottom, it will never stand steady. Should the box feel loose and fall off the chuck before it is finished, a little chalk may be rubbed upon the former, which will give it a firmer hold, and prevent the slipperiness consequent on the friction of two pieces of wood; and sometimes a thin piece of paper inserted between them is useful in the same way; for although the work should fit close and firm on the chuck, if the chuck be too large, so that you have to use force to make them unite, you will most probably split your work all to pieces. Great care also is requisite to get it off the chuck; insert one of the small chisels between it and the shoulder of the chuck, and move it slightly, first on one side, then on the other. Many neat ornaments may be made on boxes with the smaller chisels, such as lines and mouldings; and there are several useful and ornamental tools, called milling tools, (see [plate 5], Nos. 1, 2, 3), which are not expensive, and give much effect to the work. They consist of small wheels, upon which the pattern is cut. Place the rest so that there is space for the wheel to turn between it and the work, push it close up to the wood, hold the handle very firmly with both hands, so that the tool cannot slip, and with a few quick turns of the wheel of the lathe, the pattern will be clearly impressed upon the wood. With these simple tools innumerable beautiful articles may be finished; and though they require neither the application nor talent that can be displayed in performing other ornamental work with the eccentric chuck, cutter, and drill, still they possess two great advantages—cheapness, and facility of management, and are easily procured.

By a little attention and ingenuity, a great variety of elegant and useful articles may be made on the lathe, with the assistance of but a limited collection of tools,—such as thimbles, boxes, cups, rings, stands, small vases, stilettos, pen-handles, pin-cushions, needle-cases, and vinaigrettes.