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    The Wood Turner's Handybook: A Practical Manual for Workers at the Lathe: Embracing Information on the Tools, Appliances and Processes Employed in Wood Turning
    The Wood Turner's Handybook: A Practical Manual for Workers at the Lathe: Embracing Information on the Tools, Appliances and Processes Employed in Wood Turning
    The Wood Turner's Handybook: A Practical Manual for Workers at the Lathe: Embracing Information on the Tools, Appliances and Processes Employed in Wood Turning
    Ebook281 pages2 hours

    The Wood Turner's Handybook: A Practical Manual for Workers at the Lathe: Embracing Information on the Tools, Appliances and Processes Employed in Wood Turning

    By Paul N. Hasluck

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    About this ebook

    “The Wood Turner's Handybook” is a comprehensive guide to woodworking, focusing on the use of the lathe. The 'lathe' is a machine for shaping wood, metal, or other material by means of a rotating drive that turns the piece being worked on against changeable cutting tools. Exploring the tools,machinery and and processes involved in wood turning, this classic handbook contains a wealth of information that will be of utility to woodworkers old and new. Paul Nooncree Hasluck (1854 – 1916) was an Australian engineer and editor. He was a master of technical writing and father of the 'do-it-yourself' book, producing many books on subjects including engineering, handicrafts, woodwork, and more. Other notable works by this author include: “Treatise on the Tools Employed in the Art of Turning” (1881), “The Wrath-Jobber's Handy Book” (1887), and “Screw-Threads and Methods of Producing Them” (1887). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOld Hand Books
    Release dateSep 17, 2020
    ISBN9781528766562
    The Wood Turner's Handybook: A Practical Manual for Workers at the Lathe: Embracing Information on the Tools, Appliances and Processes Employed in Wood Turning
    Author

    Paul N. Hasluck

    Paul Hasluck (1854–1931) was an Australian-born writer and engineer, who moved to the United Kingdom before the 1880s. Hasluck was a leading writer of do-it-yourself guides and wrote technical handbooks. Alongside authoring 40 of his own works, Hasluck also edited many texts.

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      Book preview

      The Wood Turner's Handybook - Paul N. Hasluck

      THE

      WOOD TURNER’S

      HANDY BOOK.

      Copyright © 2017 Read Books Ltd.

      This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing

      British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

      HANDYBOOKS FOR HANDICRAFTS.

      A Series of useful Volumes, each comprising about 144 pp., with numerous Illustrations, crown 8vo, cloth, price about 2s.

      THE METAL TURNER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, for Workers at the Foot-Lathe, embracing Information on the Tools, Appliances and Processes employed in Metal Turning. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With upwards of One Hundred Illustrations, 2s. [Now ready.

      THE WOOD TURNER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, for Workers at the Lathe, embracing Information on the Tools, Materials, Appliances and Processes employed in Wood Turning. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With upwards of One Hundred Illustrations. 2s. [Now ready.

      THE WATCH JOBBER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual on Cleaning, Repairing and Adjusting; embracing Information on the Tools, Materials, Appliances and Processes employed in Watchwork. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With upwards of One Hundred Illustrations. [Just ready.

      In preparation, uniform with the above.

      THE PATTERN MAKER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, embracing Information on the Tools, Materials and Appliances employed in Constructing Patterns for Founders. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With about One Hundred Illustrations.

      THE CABINET WORKER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, embracing Information on the Tools, Materials, Appliances and Processes employed in Cabinet Work. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With about One Hundred Illustrations.

      THE MODEL ENGINEER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, embracing Information on the Tools, Materials, Appliances and Processes employed in Constructing Model Steam-Engines. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With about One Hundred Illustrations.

      THE CLOCK JOBBER’S HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, embracing Information on the Tools, Materials, Appliances and Processes employed in Cleaning, Adjusting and Repairing Clocks. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. With about One Hundred Illustrations.

      THE MECHANIC’S WORKSHOP HANDYBOOK: A Practical Manual, embracing Reliable Receipts, Useful Notes, and Miscellaneous Memoranda on Mechanical Manipulation. By PAUL N. HASLUCK. Comprising about Two Hundred Subjects.

      Paul Nooncree Hasluck

      Paul Nooncree Hasluck was born in April 1854, in South Australia. The third son of Lewis Hasluck, of Perth, the family moved to the UK when Hasluck was still young. He subsequently lived in Herne Bay (Kent), before moving to 120 Victoria Street, London, later in life.

      Hasluck was the secretary of the ‘Institution of Sanitary Engineers’ – an organisation dedicated to promoting knowledge of, and development in the field of urban sanitation. Hasluck was also the editor of several magazines and volumes over his lifetime, including Work Handbooks and Building World. He was an eminently knowledgeable and talented engineer, and wrote many practical books. These included such titles as; Lathe-Work: A Practical Treatise on the Tools employed in the Art of Turning (1881), The Watch-Jobber’s Handy Book (1887), Screw-Threads, and Methods of Producing Them (1887), and an eight volume series on The Automobile as well as a staggering eighteen volumes of Mechanics Manuals.

      In his personal life, Hasluck married in 1883, to ‘Florence’ – and the two enjoyed a happy marriage, though his wife unfortunately died young, in 1916. Hasluck himself died on 7th May, 1931, aged seventy-seven.

      Woodworking

      Woodworking is the process of making items from wood. Along with stone, mud and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. There are incredibly early examples of woodwork, evidenced in Mousterian stone tools used by Neanderthal man, which demonstrate our affinity with the wooden medium. In fact, the very development of civilisation is linked to the advancement of increasingly greater degrees of skill in working with these materials.

      Examples of Bronze Age wood-carving include tree trunks worked into coffins from northern Germany and Denmark and wooden folding-chairs. The site of Fellbach-Schmieden in Germany has provided fine examples of wooden animal statues from the Iron Age. Woodworking is depicted in many ancient Egyptian drawings, and a considerable amount of ancient Egyptian furniture (such as stools, chairs, tables, beds, chests) has been preserved in tombs. The inner coffins found in the tombs were also made of wood. The metal used by the Egyptians for woodworking tools was originally copper and eventually, after 2000 BC, bronze - as ironworking was unknown until much later. Historically, woodworkers relied upon the woods native to their region, until transportation and trade innovations made more exotic woods available to the craftsman.

      Today, often as a contemporary artistic and ‘craft’ medium, wood is used both in traditional and modern styles; an excellent material for delicate as well as forceful artworks. Wood is used in forms of sculpture, trade, and decoration including chip carving, wood burning, and marquetry, offering a fascination, beauty, and complexity in the grain that often shows even when the medium is painted. It is in some ways easier to shape than harder substances, but an artist or craftsman must develop specific skills to carve it properly. ‘Wood carving’ is really an entire genre itself, and involves cutting wood generally with a knife in one hand, or a chisel by two hands - or, with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet. The phrase may also refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracery.

      The making of sculpture in wood has been extremely widely practiced but survives much less well than the other main materials such as stone and bronze, as it is vulnerable to decay, insect damage, and fire. It therefore forms an important hidden element in the arts and crafts history of many cultures. Outdoor wood sculptures do not last long in most parts of the world, so we have little idea how the totem pole tradition developed. Many of the most important sculptures of China and Japan in particular are in wood, and the great majority of African sculptures and that of Oceania also use this medium. There are various forms of carving which can be utilised; ‘chip carving’ (a style of carving in which knives or chisels are used to remove small chips of the material), ‘relief carving’ (where figures are carved in a flat panel of wood), ‘Scandinavian flat-plane’ (where figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife - and rarely rounded or sanded afterwards) and ‘whittling’ (simply carving shapes using just a knife). Each of these techniques will need slightly varying tools, but broadly speaking, a specialised ‘carving knife’ is essential, alongside a ‘gouge’ (a tool with a curved cutting edge used in a variety of forms and sizes for carving hollows, rounds and sweeping curves), a ‘chisel’ and a ‘coping saw’ (a small saw, used to cut off chunks of wood at once).

      Wood turning is another common form of woodworking, used to create wooden objects on a lathe. Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it. There are two distinct methods of turning wood: ‘spindle turning’ and ‘bowl’ or ‘faceplate turning’. Their key difference is in the orientation of the wood grain, relative to the axis of the lathe. This variation in orientation changes the tools and techniques used. In spindle turning, the grain runs lengthways along the lathe bed, as if a log was mounted in the lathe. Grain is thus always perpendicular to the direction of rotation under the tool. In bowl turning, the grain runs at right angles to the axis, as if a plank were mounted across the chuck. When a bowl blank rotates, the angle that the grain makes with the cutting tool continually changes between the easy cuts of lengthways and downwards across the grain to two places per rotation where the tool is cutting across the grain and even upwards across it. This varying grain angle limits some of the tools that may be used and requires additional skill in order to cope with it.

      The origin of woodturning dates to around 1300 BC when the Egyptians first developed a two-person lathe. One person would turn the wood with a rope while the other used a sharp tool to cut shapes in the wood. The Romans improved the Egyptian design with the addition of a turning bow. Early bow lathes were also developed and used in Germany, France and Britain. In the Middle Ages a pedal replaced hand-operated turning, freeing both the craftsman’s hands to hold the woodturning tools. The pedal was usually connected to a pole, often a straight-grained sapling. The system today is called the ‘spring pole’ lathe. Alternatively, a two-person lathe, called a ‘great lathe’, allowed a piece to turn continuously (like today’s power lathes). A master would cut the wood while an apprentice turned the crank.

      As an interesting aside, the term ‘bodger’ stems from pole lathe turners who used to make chair legs and spindles. A bodger would typically purchase all the trees on a plot of land, set up camp on the plot, and then fell the trees and turn the wood. The spindles and legs that were produced were sold in bulk, for pence per dozen. The bodger’s job was considered unfinished because he only made component parts. The term now describes a person who leaves a job unfinished, or does it badly. This could not be more different from perceptions of modern carpentry; a highly skilled trade in which work involves the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges and concrete framework. The word ‘carpenter’ is the English rendering of the Old French word carpentier (later, charpentier) which is derived from the Latin carpentrius; ‘(maker) of a carriage.’ Carpenters traditionally worked with natural wood and did the rougher work such as framing, but today many other materials are also used and sometimes the finer trades of cabinet-making and furniture building are considered carpentry.

      As is evident from this brief historical and practical overview of woodwork, it is an incredibly varied and exciting genre of arts and crafts; an ancient tradition still relevant in the modern day. Woodworkers range from hobbyists, individuals operating from the home environment, to artisan professionals with specialist workshops, and eventually large-scale factory operations. We hope the reader is inspired by this book to create some woodwork of their own.

      Just published waistcoat-pocket size, price is., post free.

      SCREW THREADS:

      AND METHODS OF PRODUCING THEM.

      WITH

      NUMEROUS TABLES AND COMPLETE DIRECTIONS

      FOR USING

      SCREW-CUTTING LATHES.

      By PAUL N. HASLUCK,

      Author of Lathe-Work, The Metal Turner’s Handybook, &c.

      WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS.

      THE

      WOOD TURNER’S

      HANDYBOOK.

      A Practical Manual

      FOR

      WORKERS AT THE LATHE:

      EMBRACING INFORMATION ON THE TOOLS, APPLIANCES AND

      PROCESSES EMPLOYED IN WOOD TURNING.

      BY

      PAUL N. HASLUCK, A.I.M.E.

      AUTHOR OF LATHE-WORK, THE METAL TURNER’S HANDYBOOK, ETC.

      WITH UPWARDS OF ONE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS.

      PREFACE.

      THIS hand-book forms the second of a Series of HANDY-BOOKS FOR HANDICRAFTS. Some of the matter and illustrations may be identified as having been taken from various technical periodicals to which they were originally contributed by me. A few of the items originated from other sources, but have been re-written for publication in this hand-book.

      The lathe, which is claimed to be the creator of mechanism, is a machine in which all mechanics should be interested. A knowledge of the art of turning finds useful application in all the mechanical arts. Not only is a large proportion of the community employed in these arts, but individuals interest themselves in their practice, as affording pleasurable and profitable recreation. Turnery occupies many workmen, and has special claims on amateurs. If this handybook tends to promote this fascinating and useful art my object will be attained.

      THE METAL TURNER’S HANDYBOOK, which forms a companion volume, I would recommend to the notice of those who are interested in that branch of the Art of Turning.

      P. N. HASLUCK.

      LONDON,

      February, 1887.

      CONTENTS.

      I. W OOD -T URNERS ’ L ATHES

      Twelve Illustrations.

      II. H AND -T OOLS USED FOR T URNING W OOD

      Eight Illustrations.

      III. R OUNDING T OOLS AND M ACHINES

      Five Illustrations.

      IV. F ITTING UP A L ATHE

      Two Illustrations.

      V. C HUCKS

      Seven Illustrations.

      VI. T URNING THE C YLINDER AND B ALL - FEET

      Thirteen Illustrations.

      VII. T URNING B ALUSTERS AND C LOTHES -P EGS

      Twelve Illustrations.

      VIII. F ISHING -R OD , D RAUGHTSMEN , S PITTOON AND M USIC S TOOL

      Seven Illustrations.

      IX. L ADY ’ S C OMPANION , P IN -C USHION AND C HESSMEN

      Nine Illustrations.

      X. T ABLE , C HAIR AND T OWEL -R AIL

      Eight Illustrations.

      XI. E GG -C UPS , T IMER AND W ATCH -S TAND

      Ten Illustrations.

      XII. S PHERES AND S PIRALS

      Five Illustrations.

      XIII. C OPYING L ATHES

      Four Illustrations.

      LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

      FIG.

      1Plain Wood-Turning Lathe

      2Wood-Turning Lathe on Iron Bed

      3Lathe for Straight and Spiral Fluting

      4American Variety Wood-Turning Lathe

      5Wooden Shoe

      6Shoe Last

      7Pistol Stock

      8Tool Handle

      9Axe Handle

      10 Hatchet Handle

      11 Wheel Spoke

      12 Gun Stock

      13 Cutting Angles of Tools

      14 Turner’s Gouge

      15 Half Inch Gouge

      16 Grinding a Gouge

      17 Quarter Inch Gouge

      18 Three-quarter Inch Chisel

      19 Hook Tool

      20 Parting Tool

      21 Rounding Tool

      22 Concentric Slide

      23 Lathe for Turning Taper Handles, &c.

      24 Simple Rounding Machine

      25 Automatic Rounding Machine

      26 Mandrel for Wood-Turning

      27 Home-made Lathe

      28 Prong

      29 Prong Chuck

      30 Conical Screw Chuck

      31 Screw Tool for Cutting Thread on Cone

      32 Barrel Chuck

      33 Chuck for Turning Discs

      34 Modified Conical Screw-Chuck

      35 Plain Cylinder Mounted for Turning

      36 Tool Handle Roughed Out

      37 Tool Handle with Ferrule Fitted

      38 Bradawl Handle Complete

      39 Chisel Handle

      40 File Handle

      41 Bow-Saw Handle

      42 Small Tool Handle

      43 Screwdriver Handle

      44 Straight Handle

      45 Head-stocks for Turning Oval Handles

      46 Ball-Feet

      47 Finial

      48 Turning a Baluster

      49 to 54 Examples of Turnery

      55 to 58 Specimen Balusters

      59 Back-stay

      60 Tool for Beading

      61 Block for Spittoon

      62 Spittoon Complete

      63 Column of Music Stool

      64 Collar

      65 Leg of Music Stool

      66 Top of Music Stool

      67 Lady’s Companion

      67 Mortising Pillars

      68, 69 Ring and Saucer

      70 Finial in Half Section

      71 Plan of Lady’s Companion

      72, 73 Pincushion and Secretory

      74 Plan Section

      75 Tripod Table

      76 Elevation of Chair

      77 Plan of Seat

      80, 81 Rails Enlarged

      82 Towel-Rail

      83 Foot

      84 Enlarged End of Rail

      85 Block for Turning

      86 Block to Form an Egg-Cup

      87, 88 Section of Egg-Cup and Template

      89 Complete Egg-Cup

      90 Egg-Cups on Stand Complete

      91, 92 Front and Side View of Egg-Timer

      93 Elevation of Watch-Stand

      94 Section of Watch-Holder

      95, 96, 97 Turning a Sphere

      98 Three Strand Twist

      99 Cutter for Marking Spirals

      100  Guide for Marking Spirals

      101  Front View of Copying Lathe

      102  End View of Copying Lathe

      103  Copying Lathe

      104  Automatic Gauge Lathe

      THE

      WOOD TURNER’S HANDYBOOK.

      CHAPTER I.

      WOOD-TURNERS’ LATHES.

      THE lathes now commonly employed for general wood-turning are most simple and primitive. Some 3,500 years ago, the potter’s wheel, which may be considered to be the primogenitor of modern lathes, was known and used. In some of the oldest Egyptian monuments the God Ptah is represented working at a potter’s throw, or wheel. The modern throw possesses but slight modifications, and is substantially the same tool as that used for the production of antique pottery ware, some of which still remains unsurpassed for beauty and skilful execution.

      The modern form of turning-lathe, in which the work is suspended on horizontal centres, was commonly used by the Greeks and Romans. Though none of the early writers have left anything like a graphic description of the lathe of their time, yet the tool is frequently mentioned by Herodotus, Cicero and Pliny—that is to say, at a date some centuries before the Christian era. Virgil, who lived from 70 to 19 B.C., gives particulars of the art of turning, from which it is evident that wood-turning was practised at that time. In his Georgics we learn not only that the ancients turned wood externally, but that they also hollowed it internally. Boxwood and lime tree, woods of very different natures, are spoken of as susceptible of being fashioned on the lathe.

      Wind instruments were made of boxwood, and from Virgil’s Æneid we may glean an idea of the degree of perfection attained in his time. The instruments were, it seems, all flutes, and of these there was no lack some 2,000 years ago. Pandean pipes are probably meant by the flute spoken of in the Bible; but the flutes made by the Greeks were formed of ass’s bones, which, of course, did not require the use of a lathe in their preparation. It is difficult to decide with any degree of certainty the date at which wood-turning originated.

      When turning between centres was first practised the work had an alternating rotary motion imparted to it. One method was by means of a cord, which encircled the work twice, having one end attached to an elastic pole, and the other formed into a stirrup for the foot. On pressing with the foot the work was rotated in the direction required for turning; it was similarly rotated in the opposite direction when the power was released, and the cord drawn back to its original position by the elastic force of the pole. During this latter movement the turning-tool had to be lifted from contact with the work. Another method was to

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