A colleague of mine is getting ready to go on maternity leave. The baby shower is fast approaching. I need inspiration for a gift.
I was thinking about a round picture frame where I could turn the frame on the lathe. Does anyone have some nice examples of this? I've been searching, but it seems difficult to get "wood" and "picture frame" and "round" all into the same search. I bought a 4" diameter frame as a source of glass.
If the picture frame idea doesn't work out, any other ideas?
Don't have any photos but I made picture frames one Christmas. I took a 5x7 piece of glass. Made a frame of solid wood larger than that. Mounted it on the lathe and turned a round opening as big as I could. In a few of them I turned 2 circles off center so you could place 2 smaller photos in the same frame.
I tried a Google search using "youtube woodturning picture frame" and got a few hits, but the videos were not very helpful. So I say, Go for it, wing and a prayer!
Here are my first thoughts on chucking methods. Use a screw chuck to true up a disk and turn it to the final thickness of the frame. You can reverse the disk on the screw chuck in order to flatten both faces.
Mount the flattened disk on the screw chuck with the face that will be visible facing the tailstock. Shape the profile that you desire, paying particular attention to the inside diameter of the frame where the wood will contact the glass. Do the final sanding.
Reverse the disk so that the back side faces the tailstock. Turn the recess for the glass, photo, etc., but do not extend this recess too far in toward the center or your frame will pop off. Sand the exposed face, which is the back of the frame.
Part it off: With the disk in the same orientation, very carefully widen the recess and deepen it if necessary until the frame pops off the center part of the disk.
And that's it. Hopefully there will be minimal tearout or splintering where the frame separates from the center of the disk so that a bit of hand sanding will be all that's required.
Here's a better way to part it off that is a bit more involved but which is less risky: When you are ready to reverse the disk and form the recess for the glass, mount the disk on a backing plate (MDF or plywood disk perhaps attached to a faceplate). Use shop-made hold downs to hold the frame/disk onto the backing plate. This approach lets you cut out the center of the disk without having your frame go flying, and it allows you to tweak the inside diameter of the frame if desirable. Also, you can sand the inside diameter while the frame is still on the lathe.
Hint: make a carefully thought out drawing of the cross section of the frame. Put in the dimensions for the diameter and depth of the recess, and so forth. By doing this, you will not be playing it by ear so much when you get to the lathe.
Yep, the rattle is a good suggestion. I've never done captive rings before, but I watched a couple of videos and I think it is well within my capability. Only potential problem is adopting a new technique on a project with a deadline.
I usually give turned boxes for baby girls. Mom can keep diaper pins, pacifier or something in one at first, the kid can keep bugs or pretty stones later, then eventually perhaps jewelry or some keepsake.
These have been well received. I don't have pictures of all of them but here is one, cocobolo and ebony.
Doc, those ar food suggestions. The only thing I might change is to use a hot melt glue chuck to finish off the back of the frame once you pull the tailstock away. It's easy to do and removing the hot melt is easy. A little denatured alcohol makes the hot melt shrivel up.
Thanks for the suggestion of a rattle. It gave me the impetus to try a new technique, I hadn't ventured into captive rings. Here are 2 of 3 (first one not worth posting).
I used my new homemade captive ring tool. It was made from an old screwdriver.
They are not going to win any awards. I mostly make bowls, and my bead technique definitely needs practice. The first one went to my colleague, she seemed to appreciate it.
Once again, thanks to all. That's why I like this forum!
