Split turning is a form of furniture decoration that came into vogue in the early part of the seventeenth century during the Jacobean period. Jacobean furniture has again become popular and reproductions adapted to modern needs are made by many high-class furniture manufacturers.

As the name implies, split turning means that ordinary turned work is split or divided into two or more parts, which in turn are glued to flat wood surfaces (see Figs. 62, 63, and 64). Obviously, it would be impracticable to split or divide a solid turned column; split turnings are made from separate pieces of stock fastened together before they are turned.

Fig. 62. - A radio table which has a rich and ornate appearance yet is not particularly difficult to make.

If turned halves, such as those used to decorate the radio table and the mirror frame, are to be made, the method of procedure is as follows:

Prepare two pieces of stock, making them a little wider than the greatest diameter of the turned pieces, and about 3 in. longer. The thickness of these two pieces should be equal to half their width, and they should be planed so that their faces fit accurately against each other. They may be fastened by screwing their ends together in the manner suggested in Fig. 65, at A, by gluing their ends together for a distance of about 1½ in., by gluing them throughout their entire length with a piece of paper placed between the joint, by bolting them together as at B, or by driving corrugated fasteners into the end wood at both ends. The work of fastening them together must be carefully and securely done.

The pieces are now set up in the lathe and turned between centers in the usual way. When the turning is completed, the pieces are removed, and the two ends holding them together are cut off with a saw. When quarter sections are wanted, four pieces are fastened together as shown at B, Fig. 65. At D is indicated how a quarter section may be used in a corner. Turned quarter sections are often used on chests of drawers, clock cases, mirror frames, and other pieces of furniture.

Sometimes it is desired to fit a turned column over a square corner as at E. In this case a quarter section is sawed out of the solid piece from which the column is to be turned. On account of the waste in sawing, this piece cannot be used, but another piece of the proper dimensions is prepared and glued in its place with a piece of paper dividing the joint, as at C. When the turning has been completed, the glued piece can be easily removed by forcing the blade of a chisel into the joint, thereby causing the paper to split. The remainder of the paper and glue is now removed from the column, after which it may be glued in place.

Turned moldings, which are decorative and easy to make, should be of especial interest to amateur woodworkers who have difficulty in working out moldings by hand. The various steps in the procedure of turning moldings are illustrated at F. Step No. 1 shows the end of a square piece of stock, to the sides of which four pieces of wood are glued. A piece of paper is placed between the joints, so that the finished strips of molding may be separated easily from the square stock.

It is very important to center the square piece accurately in the lathe; otherwise the four strips of molding will not be uniform in size. It is well to cut into the square piece near each end with a parting tool until the tool is in contact with the wood all around. If it is found that the parting tool has cut deeper into one or two sides than into the others, these sides should be planed until the cut of the parting tool is uniform on all four sides.

Fig. 63. - This piece is a modern adaptation of Jacobean furniture design. Note the split turnings and the recessed effect of the drawer front.

The stock is now rounded off as shown in Step No. 2, after which the design of the molding is laid out and turned. The four strips of molding are then separated from the square core by forcing the blade of a thin, sharp chisel into the joint at either end. This causes the paper to split. The molding may be glued to a backing of any desired shape as shown in Step No. 3. The radio table, Figs. 62 and 63, is a typical adaptation of Jacobean furniture design to modern needs. Although the piece is ornate in appearance, the construction is really simple.

First lay out and turn the four legs; then get out the side rails and stretchers and join them to the legs with mortise and tenon joints. The two sides are next connected by means of a central stretcher mortised into the side stretchers, a rear rail, and two front rails. The upper front rail is joined to the legs with a half-lap dovetail joint as shown on the plan view, and the lower rail or apron is joined to the legs with dowels as shown in the detail. This completes the framework.

The drawer front consists of a ½-in. piece to which four 1½ by 4 in. blocks, shaped as shown at A in the drawer front detail, are glued at each end, and a block B, ½ by 4 by 4 in., in the center. A suitable molding is fitted and glued around these blocks and along the top and bottom edges. The drawer is then constructed and fitted in place.