Round timber

[Windy*miller]

I'm trying to find somewhere to buy some lengths of round timber to use as table legs (75mm or so diameter), but without success. All my googling leads me to either fence posts or curtain poles (which would be ok but seem to be extraordinarily expensive). Any ideas?

 

[Ateallthepies]

Cheapo lathe and some square stock?


Steve.

 

[Jacob]

Square stock. Draw a circle of the required diameter at each end, with a pencil. Join the lines with a jack plane. Easy peasy very basic woodwork.

PS you could speed it up by removing some of the waste with a bandsaw, axe, draw knife, whatever you have.

 

[Jacob]

I'd add - easier if you do it systematically: take off the corners (down to the lines) to make it neatly octagonal, then ditto to give 16 sides, and so on.
This sort of job is where a No5 comes into it's own.

 

[colinc]

I saw a router jig once that might help for the rounding.

It was an open topped mdf box with a screw in centre at each end that located in holes top and bottom of the square blank. The blank was mounted in it and the router sits over it resting on the sides. It is the passed up and down taking gradually deeper cuts and the blank is slowly rotated until the desired diameter is achieved.

I think that by having the screws at different heights at each end it did tapers too.

Is that clear or is a diagram needed?

Colin

 

[theartfulbodger]

I think I have a copy of a woodworking comic with this jig in it. I will try and dig it out.

 

[Jacob]

Router? :roll:
Jig? :roll: :roll:
You don't have to fake it - have a go at some woodwork instead!

 

[xy mosian]

Router? :roll:
Jig? :roll: :roll:
You don't have to fake it - have a go at some woodwork instead!

Hear Hear. I'll bet you could do quite a few in the time taken to make the jig, and from the description it sounds as if using a jig could well be slower than 'doing it by hand'.

xy

 

[Chrisp]

Any local furniture shops? when I worked in one we had a massive pile of spares, legs, tops etc, might be worth a visit to any independant local shops.
Chris.

 

[colinc]

Router? :roll:
Jig? :roll: :roll:
You don't have to fake it - have a go at some woodwork instead!

To be fair, if he's asking the question then he isn't confident about taking a plane or a spokeshave to it or he would have done that already.

Let's suppose he wants 4 identical legs and a result he's happy with, that's more likely to be achieved with a bit of planning and jig building and I'll bet he's not in a rush. I'm all for hand work wherever possible as it is satisfying, but the result is sometimes more important than the methodology to the non-purist.

Has anyone got any examples of circles planed by hand they want to show us?

Colin

 

[mtr1]

Not too bad for a close up(perhaps one more shave left and right), I can do em bigger(but they are easier). OP Lathe?

 

[Jacob]

.....I'm all for hand work wherever possible as it is satisfying, but the result is sometimes more important than the methodology to the non-purist....

It's not about satisfaction or being purist; simple hand work would be the easiest way. It often is.
But yes, being able to use hand tools is satisfying, but also empowering - you can do more.

 

[jlawrence]

Personally, I'd be asking if anybody near by could knock them up on a lathe for me.
If you're not in a rush then you should be able to get 4 legs that are pretty darn similar doing it by hand.

Hand work is great in this current weather as it warms you up a tad

 

[Jacob]

Personally, I'd be asking if anybody near by could knock them up on a lathe for me.
If you're not in a rush then you should be able to get 4 legs that are pretty darn similar doing it by hand.

Hand work is great in this current weather as it warms you up a tad

The thing about hand tools is that (if you've got them) you just pick them up and do the job. You'd have it finished whilst the non-handtool user was still scratching his head!
No jigs to make and experiment with, no phone calls or visits to turners, no searching catalogues, etc etc
May not be the answer for Windy*miller of course - but could be missing a trick if he/she has a plane of any sort.

 

[barkwindjammer]

Why not PM Jorgoz and ask how he did it, to get consistency for 4 legs it might be difficult for someone who's not confident about using a hand plane to use a router jig

round-table-wip-t47448.html

 

[big soft moose]

I'm trying to find somewhere to buy some lengths of round timber to use as table legs (75mm or so diameter), but without success. All my googling leads me to either fence posts or curtain poles (which would be ok but seem to be extraordinarily expensive). Any ideas?

Windy - where in the uk are you ? - I have four oak table legs on my for sale thread which might fit the bill

Alternately if they dont suit and your handtools arent up to doing as grim suggests , if you ask on the turning board you could probably get someone to spin you some in exchange for beer vouchers

 

[Cowboy _Builder]

If you have a bandsaw you could try this ,but 75mm might be a little on the large side for this method... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLa-mOnB ... E&index=42