I hate when this happens!

[myxpykalix]

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[don]

Did you break the tool also?
This piece for a client or just learning?

[myxpykalix]

Just experimenting. I think a couple of things i learned from this is my spirals are too long. This one was 31 inches. Also my center support was a smaller dowel. I think what i need to do is make my dowels just a hair smaller than the size of the hole in the center. I think it will help with the chatter that the rings encounter when i cut thru the center. The bit didn't break it's just where i shut it down.
On to the next one....

[myxpykalix]

Another thing i realized is when you are cutting thru the material to the center DO NOT use a upcut or downcut spiral bit but a straight bit. Playing back it in my mind i recall seeing the material being pulled up and that had to be due to the spirals on the bit.

[servant74]

I have seen people use a turning support when turning thin items like spindles for chair backs on a regular lathe. I wonder if that would help when doing 'delicate' carvings.

[myxpykalix]

That was what my playskool skate was for. One thing i learned from this experiment was that you need to have a dowel in the center thick enough to fill the empty space in the middle. What i had was a thin dowel that didn't do a good job of support.

[jhicks]

Jack, not sure how well you can expect Poplar to hold up in these circumstances even with added dowel diameter and supports. I would think a test in Cherry or Maple would net better results in machining and in the final piece. Even if you do get it in Poplar, I would think it would be a very weak piece.

Best of luck

[myxpykalix]

Actually Jerry it worked pretty good. I increased the thickness and turned down a dowel to fit snugly in the hole to keep the spirals from vibrating after i cut thru and it seems pretty sturdy. I have done some in cherry and oak and they do seem stronger but this does seem ok.

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