3mm solid wood anwhere?

Shay Vings · 27 Apr 2012

Just got the Dave Springett book and want to have a go at lattice turning.

Anybody know a source for solid wood blanks 75mm diameter 3mm thickness ?

My bandsaw is not accurate enough and I don't have planar thicknesser or a belt sander, so making thin blanks of sufficiently uniform thickness isn't really on.

Sportique · 27 Apr 2012

Hi Shay,

if you are unable to source the blanks you need, then you could produce them using a router on skis - there are a number of articles on the forum suggesting ways to do this.

For small amounts you could also try the Hobby suppliers - but this is not economical.

HTH Dave

Dodge · 27 Apr 2012

Shay,you are only an hour from me, if you wanted to bring some timber up to my workshop I could soon put it through the planer or panel sander for you.

f you havn't got the wood I'm sure we could find some pieces in my offcuts

Rog

chipmunk · 27 Apr 2012

Hi Shay,
Any reason why you can't rough them over-thick on your bandsaw and then refine them & finish them on the lathe?

Hot melt as a weld would be a good way to hold them onto a pre-flattened block held in your chuck and then you can make them as thin as you like - first flattening one face and then the other.

Use a square nosed scraper with a straight edge to check you're straight across the face and then abrasive wrapped around a rectangular block to get a perfectly flat & true finish.

Tip: Residual hot melt can be removed with cellulose thinners.

HTH
Jon

thomvic · 27 Apr 2012

How about turning a 75mm cylinder and use a thin parting tool or old hack-sawblade to cut off your 3mm discs?

Richard

Shay Vings · 27 Apr 2012

Chaps

Many thanks for the helpflul suggestions, esp Dodge (will think about that option after I've tried the others)

The Springett project uses 2 x 3mm laminated blanks , a 1.5mm wide cutting tool with a mark at 2mm for depth. For the grooves to intersect cleanly from both sides, the disk thickness will have to be spot on 6mm and the cuts equally precise.

I am not very good at facing off blanks with a true face. I have to make several passes and each time the disk is getting thinner, hence my worry about finishing up at the right depth.

Maybe I am over reacting, but the Sprigett Wizardry projects seem to need a degreee of precison and finesse which will take me a few levels above where I am now.

However, will try the abrasive wheeze and see how I get on

Thanks once again