Looking for someone to do lathe work

gstoch

New User
greg
Looking for a local woodworker to do some lathe work (Sanford, NC area).

We have one of the historic houses in town, we've been restoring/refurbishing it for close to a decade so far, and are looking to replicate some of the original details.

We need someone who can replicate the corner protectors we have in some of our other rooms. Essentially making some finials about six inches long, which we can attach to dowels, as was original.
IMG_20230321_192122845.jpg
 

gstoch

New User
greg
Okay, can we discuss what it would take to duplicate what I have (remove, trace, and replace), and if you can provide a range-of-motion price estimate (understood you might not be able to quote exactly without seeing the actual piece).

I'd like to get 10 pieces as near to identical as reasonably possible, using heart pine (I have pieces of old 2-by material that's clear of nails that could be used). Each finial is apx four inches long.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Wild guess, about $10-15 each with you supplying material.

I actually need one in my hand.

I would recommend a three piece glue up with paper on two sides of the corner piece. So it can be turned then the corner piece popped out without damaging the main piece.
 

gstoch

New User
greg
Okay, thank you for the info. Certainly appreciate it; will need to plan for this expenditure, assuming I go the route of exact matches versus architectural salvage which probably would not match the others in my house.
 

gstoch

New User
greg
Okay, thanks. I'd like to move forward on this. Where are you located, and how can we begin to move forward on this. I can remove one of the existing finials for you to use as a template.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
You can see the top end is a little inconstant. It took me until now to realize what I should have done to make sure they were the same. Greg is ok with them and we are not going to make them over but I learned something too late. Better next time.
 

iclark

Ivan
User
Mike,
Care to share what you learned so that we can all benefit?
I suspect that it could be useful for restoring old furniture/casegoods and chairs as well.
Great work, by the way.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Mike,
Care to share what you learned so that we can all benefit?
I suspect that it could be useful for restoring old furniture/casegoods and chairs as well.
Great work, by the way.
Thanks,

I marked the length but that was quickly cut away. I kept trying to think of a way to make the final tip more consistent. Then it occurred to me tonight. A set of dividers set to the length from the very bottom round would give me the missing point. Then a small bow caliper to get the final diameter at that point would make the tops all the same. I kept using the cutout from my first attempt as a story stick. But it was not definitive enough as the working piece curved downward.
 

ssmith

New User
Scott
I would recommend a three piece glue up with paper on two sides of the corner piece. So it can be turned then the corner piece popped out without damaging the main piece.

Mike - if I understand what you did correctly, you make the blank by gluing up three pieces of stock, with one 90 degree section (looking end-on) separated from the others with paper. Then turn it, and finally remove the sacrificial piece so it fits the corner.

How'd you secure the sacrificial piece, including the paper, to the rest of the stock? Glue? Wondering because it would need to be strong enough to hold up during turning, but easy to separate when done.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
That was the first thought and I have done that before. The glue only needs to be a drop at each end or you can use hot melt then heat to remove.

In this case the wood they brought was not enough for the whole job so I used some 2x2 Southern yellow pine that I had.

I made the turning from solid stock and left the ends square for 3/4 inch or so. Then I set the table saw to take out exactly the 1/4 corner.

That saved me the time from cutting and gluing the antique stock.

60A896CB-4EBC-4E51-83CB-7FEBDE375631.jpeg
 
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bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Nice strategy about leaving the ends square. I just did that for a little 1/2 finial and it sure makes things easier with predictable results.
 

gstoch

New User
greg
As the owner of the historic house in Sanford, NC in which these finials will be installed, I am extremely pleased with the results. These will make the corners of the walls look "as was," with the handcrafted nature of the turnings mated with similarly cut, quarter/three-quarter, dowels between them. After they are installed, I would challenge anyone to identify by looking at them which are original and which are the ones Mike made.
 

gstoch

New User
greg
Here they are installed, Mike. They look great, and thanks much for your help on this. I was able to build a jig to cut a quarter out of a dowel, but had no hope of replicating the finials on my own.

They match the originals from 99 years ago, and your support is helping us get the house ready for it's 100th birthday next year.
 

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