I'm back!!!

[Roby]

Hey guys,  a crazy few weeks over here.  But I am back.  Did  you miss me.  I got caught in that particular place where I had 1 week of money but 3 weeks of puzzle making left, and I could not be distracted with forums.  The puzzles are all done now, and I have even done some chores around the house that were put off for a while.

I am getting ready to fire up my late for the first time now.  Any thoughts or advise??  Are there any puzzle concepts I can do with the lathe to get my feet wet?  And no, I probably won't do a remake of the Chinney egg, but perhaps a Hoffman puzzle that I can lathe just to get back in the swing of making puzzles on piece of equipment that I have never used before. 

John, I can't believe that after all these years you have actually talked me into getting a lathe, but now that I have one, I want a bit of advise so I don't look like a bafoon with my next project. 

[Canuck]

Hey nice to see you back!!  Glad to hear your next 'Stickman's' are finished...what a relief that must be!

As far as your lathe goes, just start turning somethin'...if any tool lends itself to your style of puzzle making, this is it. 

P.S.  I've been busy making 'Hex' stock and just yesterday finished my first Stewart Coffin 'Hexsticks'    but that's for another thread 

[Chinnomotto]

Master, Master

We miss you so much,,,,,not really

Wood turning , hey, thats my domain, can I give you suggestions, please, please, pretty please

I always start doing something simple when I start the lathe, like a top

6 tops later, it becomes major distraction from what I was trying to make in the 1st place

The perfect sphere  freehand is the Holy Grail, then there are variations, like sphere lided box

Baseball bats with big nail sticking out to poke you in the eye, is always fun

Then theres beehives with buzzing bees, mushrooms,spinning tops,bowling pins

And ofcourse bowls,zzz, cups and globets,zzzzzzzz, and salt n pepper shakers,more zzzzzzzzzzz

Anyway have a few clonks, when you start  seeing  stars, your next puzzle box will appear

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[Chinnomotto]

Master, Master, Ze ball box, ze ball box!

Yeah, I'm so full of it

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[Roby]

Thanks Guys.  I like John's idea of just playing around with it for a while, and see what accidenatally popps out.

[Roby]

Any hints out there on how to center a log on a lathe, or perhaps how to trim it down so that it won't vibrate so much when first starting off?  Eventually, it will become centered on its own, but it would be nice to get it close to start with.

[Chinnomotto]

Master, Master,,,,GRIN

Woodwork places sells centre finders ,or make your own easily

I'll post a pic, just a 6 x 6 in thin board, nail 2 beads at right angle on the edge

Draw a 45 degree angle in middle, then cut a section off for your pencil to fit this line

Wallah. Otherwise look at the cross section and assume a centre

It'll wobble till you trim it to a smooth cylinder with the big round gouge thingo, praying helps too

Keep your lenght short , like a foot long. Square stock is easier to centre

Then puzzle box,here you come!

Don't forget to take pics, lots of pics

[Canuck]

As Chinny mentioned, using a center finder will help somewhat...you could use the bandsaw to take off some of the 'bulges' that might be making it wobble on the lathe, but you should use a sled with a hold down 

I still can't believe you got a lathe, what make, model, size, etc...pic please  I need proof that you're not just messin' with us! 

[Roby]

It is a craftsman, but I don't know what model.  There are no other markings besides craftsman on it.  It is bigger than I will ever need for puzzleboxes.  I think it can hold a 3' piece of wood.  Came with carving tools, a bowl carving plate, a sanding disk, and mounted on a workbench. 

I started with a 15" chunk of spartled wood log that was fairly straight.   I centered it best I could and put the lathe on its lowest speed setting.  Still it bucked like a bronko, and I know I would not be able to trim it down before it launched at my head.  I am now working with a thinner branch using a straight edge.  Chinney, I will try the spoon chisel to see if that works better for initial bulk removal. 

I have a plan in mind for a project where I free wooden rings out on the shaft, but leave knobs on both ends so that the rings can slide but not come off.  Then the puzzle part is to move a ring through all the others to get to the other side.  It would be cool to make an entire puzzle out of one single piece of wood.

Of course, for every ring I want, I would need to cut two of them so I can turn them perpendicular to eachother and glue them together for strength.  I will also have to cut notches in the shaft and in the rings so that they can lay down flat on a ceratain parts of the shaft, allowing another ring to pass over it ( with notiches I will put in the center of that ring as well).   Perhpas a bit ambitions for my first project, but I thought I would give it a try. 

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[Canuck]

Nice score with the lathe

Now about your puzzle idea, I really would like to comment on it, but as usual, I DON'T HAVE A FRIGGIN' CLUE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?       

Carry on, I'll try to catch up further into the 'Stickman Process'   

[Chinnomotto]

Arhh Soo Master, hey , thats a good name for a pagoda

Like JD I have no idea what you are after, only a Stickman can figure that

But keep going, its a learning process, ideas becomes reality

If you are stuck,do a drawing, maybe ,we can help

Way to go,man,,,The Stickman with a lathe,,,

 Pigs do fly after all, swine flew,,,,,,get it 

[Roby]

I won't bore you with my insane thoughts more than necessary, but put your wedding ring on a pencil and bend it over sideways (parallel with the pencil )so that the pencil lays flat on the table.  You can't.  But now notch each side of the pencil half way so that the top of the ring fits into one groove on the pencil, and the bottom of the ring fits into another on the other side of the pencil. 

You are now closer to  getting the pencil to lay flat, but still not there.  But put a notch in both sides of the ring (don't do this or your wife will be pissed) and fit those notches into the notches on the pencil.  Now you can actaully bend the ring over completely sideways and lay the pencil flat.  The ring is parallel with the pencil.

Now, take a large washer and slide it down the pencil over the ring.  You can't because the ring is still too wide even though it is laying flat.  But cut two notches on the inside of the washer that are the width of the wedding ring, and you can slip it over and then turn the ring back up so that it is perpendicular to the pencil.  Voila - you have moved a washer over a ring that is otherwise too large to fit through its small hole.   I just want to do the same thing with the lathe.

I have sevaral modifications for this in my mind in make it substantially more difficult, but perhaps I will just be confusing again if I explain, but see I am not totally madd.  It can be done.

[DCBluesman]

My scariest moment!  I think I understand what Roby is saying!