How to Make a Rosewood Candlestick

In an extract from Woodturning: A Craftsman’s Guide, Mark Baker makes an elegant candlestick

Candlesticks make a great centrepiece for a table, and are an ideal way to practise cuts and techniques. The example in this project is made from rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia), but you can use any close-grained hardwood

Candlestick plan

Making the candlestick

1. You will need a piece of timber 75 x 75 x 300mm long. I have used rosewood. The grain runs along its length and will be fixed between centres – a drive spur in the headstock and a revolving center in the tailstock. Mark the centres on each end of the wood. A centre finder is very useful for this task. Fix the wood between centres on the lathe and adjust the rest so that it is just below the centreline and off to one end, ready for using a spindle roughing gouge. When the rest is in place, spin the wood by hand to make sure it is clear of the rest, then switch on the lathe
2. Use the spindle roughing gouge to remove the square edges. Remember: have the handle low until you hear the ‘tick’ of the heel of the bevel touching the work, then raise the handle until you get a very slight cut on the cutting edge and then adjust the handle position to a coarse shaping cut or refined peeling cut as required
3. Remember: don’t cut into the end grain, keep the flute pointing in the direction of the cut, and make the cut on the lower wing. Make multiple light cuts, starting from farther back along the wood each time, keeping the tool in contact with the rest at all times. You will reach a stage in which the wood on one side is tapered and almost round at the far end. At this point switch off the lathe, move the rest to the opposite end, and check that it doesn’t foul the work. You are ready to cut this end
4. Once again, the gouge should point in the direction of the cut. Make successive cuts to work your way back towards the other end – adjusting the rest as necessary to allow best access to the work – blending the two ends to create a cylinder of wood. When you are happy with this cylinder, use the beading and parting tool to cut a tenon or spigot that will fit your chuck jaws on the tailstock end of the wood
5. Remove the piece from the lathe and secure it in the chuck, making sure you tighten up the jaws properly and that the piece runs centrally. To help with this, bring up the tailstock – this will centralise the piece – and tighten up the chuck fully
6. Use the spindle roughing gouge to roughly shape the candlestick
7. The shape is like a long, sweeping cove. Part way through the rough shaping process, measure and mark a position one-third of the way down the cove – this will be the narrowest part of the curve and the transition point as the curve then sweeps the other way toward the base. Remember not to cut uphill, only downhill with the grain – so you need to cut from both sides, working down to the lowest part. Don’t make the cylinder too thin at this stage – about 43mm – diameter at the curve transition point is fine.

Use either a beading and parting tool or a spindle gouge to partly create the top curve of the candlestick. The shape is more or less half a bead so can be created with either tool. Remember, make light cuts and roll the blade as you cut to make sure you are cutting on the lower tip of the beading and parting tool, or the lower wing of the gouge
8. Now for an end-grain hollowing cut, which we haven’t shown yet but is very handy to know. Remove the tailstock ready to make the hollowing cuts to accept a candlestick metal cup. Take a spindle gouge, place it on the rest and adjust the height until the gouge is horizontal and aligned to the centre of the work. The flute should point to approximately the 10 o’clock position, and the cut should be made on the lower wing. Push the blade forward to create a hole of the correct depth. Pull the tool out and swing it out at the front section to cut the required opening size. Make small cuts until you reach the drilled depth
9. Sand the hollow, using a French-curve scraper to refine the shape
10. Stuff kitchen paper in the cut hole and bring up the tailstock. This will prevent the revolving centre from marking the wood, but allow it to support and centralise the project. Use a spindle roughing gouge to refine the shape further. The critical part now is to get the correct curve and diameters at the top and bottom of the candlestick
11. Measure and mark the position of the top three beads. Use a skew chisel to create small V-cuts on each of the pencil marks…
12. … then swap to either a parting tool or a spindle gouge to roll the beads. These are small beads so only light cuts are needed. Take your time. Clean up each end of the beads to create a chamfer. For the bottom area, measure and mark the positions of the coves and beads. Use a skew chisel to make V-cuts, as for the top section
13. Rough-shape the cove using a spindle gouge. Then, using a parting or beading and parting tool, cut the two outer beads. Only cut on the lower tip of the edge
14. When the beads are cut, use a spindle gouge to deepen and refine the cove. Take care not to catch the lower wing on the opposite side of the cove
15. Take a parting tool and cut down the side of the beads to create the fillets. Reshape the inner sides of the beads with a spindle gouge
16. Take a look at the beads and coves at each end. Do not be afraid to go back and refine or alter the shapes as necessary. Here, the bead forms at the top seemed a bit too shallow, so I used a skew to deepen the sides a little, making the beads seem fuller and more defined
17. Then refine the curve between the detailed areas to the final depth and shape required
18. In readiness for removing the piece later on, take a parting tool and making a parting cut to about 43mm deep at the bottom section. Note there is a section of timber directly in front of the chuck. You should not go too close to the jaws with a tool or you can catch the steel. Use the tool to just create a chamfer on the bottom outer edge. You are now ready to sand the piece. Work through the grits, starting with the coarsest – 120–150 grit is a good place to start – down to about 400 grit. Don’t skip any grit grades and keep the abrasive moving at all times. Pay special attention to the detailed areas, and take care not to blur and soften the crisp detail you have already created
19. When the piece is smooth and free of any visible scratches left by the coarse abrasive, you can apply a finish. I used an oil and carefully applied it with kitchen towels while the work was stationary. But you can use other finishes to suit your personal likes and dislikes. Once the surface is completely coated, switch on the lathe to burnish the surface. Be careful as you draw near to the chuck. If you make contact with it, the cloth or paper is shredded very fast, so imagine what it could do to your skin. Go carefully
20. After burnishing, switch off the lathe, and when the work is stationary move the rest to the chuck end. With a parting tool cut almost, but not quite, through the stub of wood left at the headstock end, stop the lathe, and then saw through the last bit. When the candlestick is free, use a chisel or knife to clean up the stub, and a drill fitted with a sanding arbor to clean up the base. Finally, oil the bottom and top hollow and your candlestick is finished

Further reading

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