DIY Network

Candlesticks Candlesticks From "Woodturning Techniques" episode DWTT-104

Figure A

Do you often wish you had something very special to add extra sparkle to a special meal? Then join master craftsman Dave Hout as he teaches woodturning student Lucy Scott how to turn two elegant staggered-height candlesticks (figure A).

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Tools:

1" roughing gouge
1/2" spindle gouge
1-3/4" square blanks
2 mandrels
Lead shot
Felt
150- and 220-grit sandpaper
Abrasive nonwoven pads
Lacquer spray varnish

1. The blanks are predrilled top and bottom, 3/4" in diameter. The hole in the top, which holds the candle in place, is 3/4" deep; the bottom hole is drilled 1" deep and will hold lead shot, adding weight to the candlesticks and helping to prevent them from tipping over with tall candles.

2. Homemade mandrels, mounted on the tail stock and the chuck, hold the blanks in place on the lathe. Turning the blanks on the mandrels ensures they will be concentric with the predrilled holes, but because there are no sharp points to keep the blank firmly secured to the lathe, and since it is being driven only by the friction of the mandrels, tension is needed on the tail stocks (figure B).

3. Place the tool rest as close as possible to the blank.

4. The lathe is set to 2000 rpm.

5. Begin turning using a roughing gouge, a style of spindle gouge used to remove the corners from blanks that have square corners and turn them into cylinders (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

6. Turning begins at the lathe end of the blank, going with the direction of the grain. Wood is removed in small sections, starting several inches from the end of the blank; starting in the middle could cause a corner to split (figure D).

7. Due to the slender center of the candlesticks, the grain of the wood must be very straight; if the grain runs at a slight angle it creates a weak spot at the tapered center point, which can easily snap as it is being turned (figure E). Curly wood, which has an interlocking grain, is also a difficult wood to work with for this style of candlestick. The wood must be strong to hold together in such a thin section of the wood.

Figure D

Figure E