Barley twist stems

[Cooper]

Hi Paul,
I watched one of your videos of making a goblet, you suggested making a pair with left and right twisted stems, which was in fact set what me off on this project. Robo3 posted a link to Stuart's videos, which I watched this morning and realised that as I am turning stems fatter than yours in the video I should mark out the pitch better and start with a saw cut. I did this and am quite pleased with the result. What I did find really difficult was using the gouge to follow the saw cut. The left side was ok but the right wanted to go it's own way keeping it from cutting too deep, holding the gouge with one hand while turning the spindle with the other is a skill I'm yet to acquire.
This is the result about 150mm long and diameter 30, with two starts.
Thanks all for the advice.
Martin

 

[clogs]

My Granny's Oak oval drop leg table (my comp desk) has 8 Barley twist legs.....
as much as I admire Stuart Mortimers work cant see that happening even in the old days......
have spent a few hours looking on the net for the old machine way of mas production.....
Has anyone found anything......
Have a few idea's how to do it with my Wadkin RS lathe (it still has the geared bed drive)....
just dont fancy making a load of twists by hand over 1m long......

 

[JobandKnock]

In the UK I think you'd have needed to look at product from Fell, who specialised in lathes of all types to find a barley twist machine. Modern day there are some Italian firms who offer barley twist lathe as well as the German(?) firms Hapfo and Killinger. This is a Hapfo:

Which Scott & Sargent will sell you for a mere £11k (second hand). Killinger also make (or maybe made as I can't find it on their web site) lightweight stuff for barley twist such as this KM150E:

They do come up on eBay from time to time, secondhand, in the range £500 to £1000 from what I can find.

 

[MikeJhn]

Made on a router lathe, very carefully and after about ten attempts on the large version and I think it was nearer fifteen on the small one, the large one was to support a Volute the small one for fun.

 

[Droogs]

Interesting thread this.

I have plans to make a couple of solomonic columns like this, but obviously not something which is going to hold up St. Pauls., just a little bit smaller.

View attachment 111058

Ha ha, my brain went ooh, nice carpet. Then i realised it was the ceiling. #OMGitsearly

 

[Cooper]

This isn't an additional post but I can't make a mistake disappear! Yesterday's reply didn't show up at first so I posted it again.

 

[jonw1664]

The problem with the Router Lathes is that they have a fixed thread pitch which is determined by the cable drum diameter. It's this that converts the lateral motion of the router into the rotational motion of the workpiece.
If anybody reading this is interested, I have a Trend which I'd like to find a new home for.
Brian

Hi, If it's still available I'd probably be intertested in your router lathe, Jon

 

[Yojevol]

Hi, If it's still available I'd probably be intertested in your router lathe, Jon

Yes it's available, I'll open up a 'conversation' with you.
Brian

 

[Cooper]

I managed to get a reasonable pair at last, they are made from a bit of the Bay log in the picture.
Thanks for the advice and encouragement.
Martin

 

[Jacob]

They get featured in older turning books such as Percy Blandford "Wood Turning". You don't need a lathe is just that it was a common additional feature of turned work.
Twists carved after careful setting out, which Blandford gives a whole chapter to; single, double, triple, open.