A friend is redoing a stair case and has decided instead of making flutes in the pilaster she would like a spiral one, sort of like this
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Setting up the SS to do indexing with fluting seems plausible, but anyone tried to create spirals? I've seen the small ones made on the band saw, but somehow I think a 7" thick chunk of wood is not going to be that easy to manipulate on band saw table. especially tilted!
I've also seen ones made using an expensive machine that moves a router along a path as the wood is rotated to make that spiral. Way too pricey and not something I have a desire to add to the shop.
Before I simply refuse, I have no real clue where to start!. has anyone successfully made something on this scale? 4 foot high 7 to 10 inches diameter.
I've been thinking about picking up an old Craftsman "Router Crafter" to play with for making such spirals. But those only go up to about 3" square stock. And I really don't need another bulky device taking up space in my workshop.
A shopsmith with a router mounted on the carriage would have much the same configuration. You'd need a mechanism to slide the carriage along the tubes as you slowly turn the workpiece. Craftsman used a cable and pulley system for that, but I suspect that some sort of lead-screw drive would be easier to implement. A gearhead and timing-belt drive could be used to drive the headstock rotation from the leadscrew, via the accessory drive on the backside of the headstock.
Has anyone out there ever seen such a thing done on a SS?
I haven't seen any power tools ever make one of those. But I have seen a wooden tool that mounts all the way around the wood that one slowly spins around and around. Otherwise I have just seen people mount the wood to lathes and hand chisel the entire spiral after roughing the shape out.
I read these posts and they triggered a memory of a picture in an earlier version of PTWFE of roughing out a spiral on the tablesaw. Looking back to the previous edition (1984) I found what I was thinking of on pages 102 and 103. The basic idea is to angle the miter gage and spin the round workpiece over the saw blade, which will create a spiral whose pitch depends on the miter gage angle. I am not sure I would be comfortable trying this, and if I did I would not attempt very deep cuts. Maybe that's why this technique isn't in the latest PTWFE. I would be interested in hearing if anyone has actually done this.
Ed
Idaho Panhandle
Mark 5 of various vintages, Mini with reversing motor, bs, dc3300, jointer, increaser, decreaser
edflorence wrote:I read these posts and they triggered a memory of a picture in an earlier version of PTWFE of roughing out a spiral on the tablesaw. Looking back to the previous edition (1984) I found what I was thinking of on pages 102 and 103. The basic idea is to angle the miter gage and spin the round workpiece over the saw blade, which will create a spiral whose pitch depends on the miter gage angle. I am not sure I would be comfortable trying this, and if I did I would not attempt very deep cuts. Maybe that's why this technique isn't in the latest PTWFE. I would be interested in hearing if anyone has actually done this.
I experimented. You need to have a wood extension on the miter gauge with a pin. Works for cutting a spiral kerf -- but it is just the kerf.
The 4th edition PTWFE does have the manual version 156-7, but I'm having a difficult time rationalizing the amount of labor it will take to make this part. I'm also concerned that once she sees the large one at the base of the stairs she might also want all the ballisters to have spirals.
The picture is of one made using foam, so I "could" use it with a solid core for mounting and then paint it. That's might current fall back position.
Again, thank you to everyone for the information and ideas.
[quote="algale"]I experimented. You need to have a wood extension on the miter gauge with a pin. Works for cutting a spiral kerf -- but it is just the kerf.
Thanks for the response. Your results are about what I would have expected. Not sure I see any advantage over just cutting the kerf with a backsaw.
Ed
Idaho Panhandle
Mark 5 of various vintages, Mini with reversing motor, bs, dc3300, jointer, increaser, decreaser
