Help Please
Richard Gillespie
>I've been asked to turn two replacement spindles for an antique bed. The bed has, sometime in the past, been stained a dark brown and finished with varnish. It is therefore difficult to tell what species of wood was used for the spindles. I have one broken end on one exposed and there isn't enough to tell. The bed is in part made out of pine. The rest may be a hardwood but it's on the light side in weight and color.
The spindles are 12" long and are beaded. The large diameter is just under 1" and the small dia. is 9/16". There are 13 beads in a 10" span. The spindle is light enough that it might be pine, the exposed wood is the right color but doesn't look quite right to be pine. It is a closed pore species definitely not oak or ash.
My question is, will pine turn well enough to duplicate these two spindles or should I use another species? If so, what would be the best one to use to minimize blow out on the bead edges. As you probably know by now, my turning experience is limited.
Thanks in advance
Rick
