Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Finials ARGH!!!
Joel Hunnicutt
>Those of you that turn finials for lidded pieces, do you drawn them prior to turning? I turned 5 finials for a piece before I got one to look good with the piece. I had an idea in my head of the finial I wanted, but every one I turned was the wrong shape, diameter, ect. I admit that I am a bit ham-handed with small spindles, but 5 is a bit much.
Save them !
Fred in NC
>They might fit another piece.
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Doug Trembath
>Be of good cheer, Joel, and just keep at it. Most of my best pieces sport finial tops, and let me assure you that I still struggle sometimes with getting the shape, proportion, and size appropriate to the turning. I cheat many times by turning them backward, in other words I will shape the tenon that fits into the mouth of the vessel on the end of the blank, then reverse mount the vessel between centers using the top as a drive center. This way the proper sizing and such are much easier to guage. I shape the bulk of the top in this manner, then remove the vessel, and finish turn most of the remainder of the finial top. To complete the top, I part it off from it's mounting, then using the waste left over for a jam chuck, turn a mortise that will accept the tenon that fits into the mouth of the vessel, (much like turning a box lid). I reverse the top and press it into the mortise, then gently complete the very top of the finial. Clear as mud, huh? I find that having the vessel in the lathe helps me envision the proper shape and proportion of the finial top, but often am still unhappy with the final look of the top. That's when I just put another finial blank in, and do it again, hoping to get it right this time.
In other words, just keep at it until you get one that "works".
Doug Trembath
Studio in the Woods
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Rob Ceraso
>I usually fold a piece of paper in half then draw the half profile at the fold and cut it out. This way I have the size and shape that I can refine if I don't like it. And when I do come up with something I like, I can transfer it exactly to the wood using the calipers at key points.
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Dick Hines
>I only use finials on Christmas ornaments butI never throw one awa. It may fit the next ornament. Same them
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Joel Hunnicutt
>I understood what you were saying. Very good idea.
That is exactly the problem. A shape that looks OK on the lathe, doesn't necessarily match the finished piece.. Thanks.
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Paul Porter in Phoenix, AZ
>Don't fret, I have a box full of finials that weren't right for intended piece. And every now and then I find one that's right a piece I am turning.
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Jennifer@Indy.USA
>Amen Joel,
My finails look like I whittled them!
:(
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Joel Hunnicutt
>I think a lot of us (me very much so), when we were first learning to turn, enjoyed faceplate turning so much that we kind of skipped over most of spindle turning. That really comes back to bite me when I try to turn those really delicate spindles like I see in Cindy Droza's work.
Re: Save them !
RonZ
>Exactly. If you make lots of items requiring finials, always save them. I do a lot with pink ivory and ebony so I have several ebony ones on hand.
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
RonZ
>For better or worse, Cindy does a lot of scraping and not much cutting. At least her video from the AAW Symposium projected that. If that works for you, fine.
If you think your [Jenifer and/or Joel] finials look bad as far as quality is concerned, then go back and re-learn basic cuts. You should also invest skew skils. One thing I learned from Eli Avisera was to invest time in the skew, it pays off. At the very least get your rough shape via the spindle gouge and then clean up with the skew.
I'm no expert but I just started teaching a woodturning course at a local woodworking school and I liked the oohs and ahhs I got when I showed them a knife handle I turned from tulipwood but was not yet sanded. It was easily ready for 220 grit.
Need Finial Design Tutorial
Al Kapocius, Metro Greendale
>Anybody available to forthwith put forth an article or tutorial on finial design? What little I've tried looks mighty crude. My efforts look like too much geegaws and overstated furbelows.
I'm kinda looking for something that says one third of this to the square root of the length or whatever. Any volunteers?
Al Kapocius
The Good, Bad & Ugly
John McAtee
>Joel, I usually tend to do one of two things, depending on my level of patience du jour: One approach (i.e. the Good) is to use a drawing program, either Freehand or Illustrator and sketch out the finial to scale using bezier curves, which allows you to easily change the size and shape. Another approach (i.e., too often the Bad) is to "wing it" on the lathe. I end up with some number of unused finials this way, some of which turn out to be useful later. A variation of the latter occurs when I get so wrapped up in the finial that I forget about the piece it's supposed to top (i.e., the Ugly :-)
Re: Finials ARGH!!!
Doug Trembath
>They don't always look good using this system, either, Joel. Something about turning your head to allow you to view it as if it were standing up doesn't always work. I think it must be gravitic forces which impact either the brain or cause the corneas to deflect, or something. Once I get a really good one finished, I strut around like a bantam rooster!
Doug Trembath
Studio in the Woods
