Material

Poplar or pine, 3" x 3" x 8" .

Exercise

To turn a smooth cylinder and mark spaces across it 1 inch apart.

Use the fork-centre in the head-stock and the cup-centre in the tail-stock.

Find the centre of both ends of the wood, either by drawing diagonals, as shown in Fig. 21, or by setting the dividers to as nearly one-half of the least diameter as they can be taken without measuring, and then, resting the faces of the stock in succession on some flat surface, drawing lines across the ends in the way shown in Fig. 22. These lines will showas in Fig.23, and the centre of this smaller figure maybe easily guessed, and will be nearly the centre of the end of the block. Now place the centre, so found, against the point of the fork-centre and drive the stock against the fork with a few light blows of the mallet until the fork penetrates the wood for a short distance, and then advance the cup-centre against the other end, and force it in also for a short distance. Put a few drops of oil on the wood where it has contact with the cup-centre. If the dead-centre be forced too strongly against the wood, it will pinch the live-centre against its bearings and stop it from turning or cause it to heat. The pressure can be tested by revolving the live-spindle by hand.

Fig. 21.

Fig. 22.

Fig. 23.

Start the lathe, and.adjust the belt to the position that will give the proper speed of revolution- usually the speed next to the slowest. When it is desired to change the position of the belt on the cone-pulley, it must first be "shifted" to the smaller and then to the larger of the steps on which it is to run; examination will show that otherwise the belt would be stretched.

The wood is first to be turned to a rough cylinder with the 1-inch gouge. To do this, adjust the rest to the position relative to the wood shown in Fig 24, so that the cutting tool may have its handle slightly lower than its edge, and the edge above the centre of the work. This makes the action of the gouge a cutting one, whereas, if the edge were lower, the action would be scraping.

Fig. 24.

Fig. 25.

The general position of the operator when using the gouge is shown in Fig. 25. The right hand grasps the handle near the end and is steadied in its movement by resting against the side, as shown. The left hand presses the gouge firmly on the rest and moves the cutting edge along the work, regulating the depth of the cut by keeping contact with the rest. It will be found that if the side of the hand lose contact with the rest, the depth of the cut cannot be regulated so nicely.

The position of the hands is further shown in Fig. 26 - a view of the hands from above.

Advance the cutting edge cautiously, and start a light cut near one end of the wood, and carry the cut out to the end near which it was started. The end of the rest ought to be outside the end of the wood, as shown in Fig. 27. Start a second cut a short distance inside the first and continue it to the end also; and repeat this until the end is round and 2 3/4 inches in diameter. The end will appear as in Fig. 27. The diameter is measured between the points of the calipers, used as shown in Fig. 28. If the points of the calipers are not held square across the work, the measurement cannot be correctly taken.

It will be found better to stop the lathe when using the calipers during the few first exercises, though, later, they may be used while the work is revolving.

Fig. 26.

Fig. 27.

Fig. 28.

Change the position of the rest to the other end of the wood, and turn that down in the same manner as the first, after which place the rest at the centre, and turn the centre to the same diameter as the ends, using the ends as guides in determining the size. There will be no need of the calipers.