Turning face grain knobs - tricks?

Re: Turning face grain knobs - tricks?

Rodney in Maypearl, TX

>Recently completed a cabinet with 16 cherry knobs, but they were endgrain.

My mantra...max rpm, sharp tool, light cuts, thin CA to stiffen the fibers if necessary. Then there's that wonderful invention... Norton 3X sandpaper. It starts at 60G (and I have some).

Good luck with it.

Re: Turning face grain knobs - tricks?

Richard Allen

>On a face grain knob you should be turning from the small diameter towards the large diameter. Just like the outside of a bowl. If you turn the other way then you are cutting unsupported fibers.

For an end grain knob the opposite direction (large diameter to small diameter) is cutting supported wood.

Good luck

Re: Turning face grain knobs - tricks?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>But, a face grain knob will not work sweet, because it doesn't have enough strength in the right directions. A plane is a tool first, and only art second, even the Lie-Nielsens that come stock with cherry knobs. Unlike pure art, it does have to "hold soup." You should spindle turn it, so I hope you can find another, appropriate piece of cherry.

BTW, Low knob or high knob? You can turn either knob from a piece of 8/4, as the finished diameter is no more than 1 3/4" for bench planes, but a low knob requires a lot less length.

I was worrying about...

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>...the whole weak grain issue. If I could turn the thing worth a bean I'd probably give it a try and just replace it if/when it snaps. I'd always have the original knob to fall back to, anyway. But, it looks like I'll prep a new hunk o' wood, as the best I can do is use a round scraper, and it's still tearing out the endgrain something fierce. Just gotta figure out what to use - I've got enough cherry, but I've also got some mesquite I could use. I'm replacing the knobs and totes on my bench planes (totalling a whopping three, but I'm scouting for one more), and I kind of want to be consistent. But that mesquite turns so nice. Hmm...

FWIW, the 8C's getting a high knob as a replacement-in-kind. The type 11 #5 below got a modified high knob, 'cause my hands are too big for the low knob it had.

Scott

Thanks guys...

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>Looks like it's back to the scrap bin. Had some success with a round scraper, but it's still tearing out too much.

Appreciate the suggestions.

Scott

Re: Thanks guys...

tek

>Do you have a shear scraper? If you do use that to refine the endgrain after you have it roughed out. Have you made any bowls? With the grain running accross the lathe axis, the top of that knob is like the bottom of a very small bowl. The same cuts that work for the outside of a bowl should work on the knob. You can shear scrape with a gouge also.

Tom

Re: Turning face grain knobs - tricks?

Russ Fairfield

>It seems to me that you would benefit with some practice with a sharp spindle gouge for these knobs.