Shopsmith Forums

I'm building a pipe oven (4" OD) to heat treat bamboo for a fly rod. The plans for the pipe oven call for two 3" long tapered wood plugs at each end of the pipe. Can anyone recommend the right setting on the tail stock eccentric to turn a nice taper for the plugs?

turning a taper on a wood lathe need not involve turning the eccentric in the tailstock. use a piece of wood big enough to get your 4 inch diameter, three inches away turn a three inch diameter using calipers, then use your roughing gouge or spindle gouge to connect these two diameters. offsetting the taialstock is used more often on metal lathes to cut tapers.

Using the tailstock's eccentric bushing to offset your turning will give you an oval shaped piece and not a true taper. Follow the advice in the previous post and you can't go wrong.

Thanks much! Glad I checked in first.

By the way.. If you've got some pics of your project, I'd like to see them.. Sounds interesting!