WoodChux

Wood Turning

Free Plans & Info

 

Free Plans & Information

In this section, I have listed several designs and plans that will help you in your quest to better your turnings. Please feel free to use any of them free of charge.  Please don't sell these plans.  Share them with anyone you like.

 

Do you have a question? I'd love to hear from you?  Send me an email to: [email protected]




Turning a pen Video.


You also use this same technique with many other small turnings!


Click HERE for pen turning tools and  pen turning kits. 





Turn a Bottle Stopper Video


This technique is the same for many kitchen items as well.


Click HERE for bottle stopper kits and tools.  Click HERE for kitchen kits. 






Turning Kitchen Handles


This process works or can be adapted for many items like pizza cutters, ice cream scoops, bottle openers, cheese slicers, pie servers, and many more!  Click HERE for kitchen ware kits.





Turn a Razor Video


Learn how to turn a shaving razor.  The process is the same as a pen.


Click HERE for the turning tools needed to turn a pen or razor, or click HERE for razor kits.




Learn to apply CA (super glue) as a finish Video


This is absolutely the best finish!  It produces an unbeatable gloss finish, completely water proof, and wears better then anything else on the market.  This can be used on any turnings.  It is most widely used on pens and razors.  With practice, you can do this on larger turnings, even bowls.


Click HERE for CA glues and finishing items.




CA Glue As a Finish

Need help learning to make a glass like, water proof finish on your pens, razors, bottle stoppers, and other small projects?  Click HERE.

Articulated Hollowing Tool
Hollowing, especially end grain timbers can be a challenge.  Entering through a small, 1” or less, diameter hole makes using a bowl gouge nearly impossible.  Hand-held hollowing tools are better but still put a lot of stress on the user.  I designed and built this articulating hollowing tool to overcome the short comings of traditional and even other specialized hollowing tools on the market.

Pen Drilling Jig

Use this jig to securely hold your pen blank while drilling a perfect center hole all the way through your blank.  This jig ensures that your drill bit will not exit the side of your pen blank and removes your fingers from the danger zone of your drill press.

  

Pen Squaring Jig

Square the ends of any pen blank regardless of tube diameter.  Simply cut your blanks to length.  Drill the correct diameter hole in the center of your blank.  Glue your tube in the hole.  After the glue sets, mount your blank on the jig.  Slide the jig and blank across the sanding disc until flat. The end will be perfectly square every time.

  

Bowl Bottom Finding Jig

This jig is ideal for finding the inside bottom of a bowl relative to the outside.  It aids in getting the correct wall thickness near the bottom.  This is easy to build, cheap, easy to use, and very effective.

  
Tips For Turning A Pine Cone Pen Blank

The pine cones can be week and it is not possible to get resin into every void.  I have found that pine cones have air pockets that sometimes cannot be filled. Therefor, these blanks require some special turning steps.

  • Paint your tubes... You may see through areas of the finished piece and may not like the brass look.

 

  • When drilling, go slowly and clear the bit and blank often.  Take extra care when the bit nears the end.  It can tear out.  As an added measure, you may want to add extra length to the blank in case you do tear out when drilling.  After drilling is complete, you can then cut away the extra pine cone.

 

  • When gluing in the tube, us a lot of CA glue.  Make sure the entire tube has more then enough glue.  It should be dripping out both ends.
  • Use a very sharp tool.  Sharpen them often during turning.
  • Take very light cuts.
  • As soon as the blank is round, stop and check the blank often.  When you find voids, fill them with CA glue.  The voids are what makes the pine cone blanks weak and rip apart. Turn a little more and take another look. It seems like a long process but it goes fairly quickly once you get the major voids filled.
Sanding Wax

I use this wax when sanding small turnings.  It virtually eliminates dust, cuts quicker and cleaner, and keeps the heat down by reducing friction.

This wax contains no abrasives and is not a finishing wax.