Les Symonds makes his interpretation of a drinks canteen, or trails flask
As a young lad I watched far too many of those cheesy old Westerns and a few years ago, when pondering what to make next as a novice turner, I recalled the water container that was always draped across every cowboy’s saddle pommel, then saw it as a challenging project for a woodturner.
Fast-forward to 2015 and I finally got around to making one. Jump forward again to 2024 and I’ve made another. Intriguingly, however, and after speaking to a few friends from the land of the Westerns, I am told that no self-respecting cowboy carried a canteen (or flask, as I’ve been calling it), they simply dropped off their horse and drank from a stream, so I’ll settle for the fact that my humble water flask could probably be found on the chuck wagon.
One of the disadvantages of a project such as this is that producing the central drum shape of the flask can seem very wasteful, so I have used a bowl blank which can produce not only the drum, but also, its left-over central core can then be used to make a small bowl. Our flask is going to be made of seven components: the central drum, a front and a back panel, a pair of neck-strap terminals, a neck, and a stopper. In the instructions I will be using a bowl reversing chuck but fear not if you don’t own such a thing or anything similar as I will also be describing another method that can be employed using the most basic equipment.
My flask was well coated internally and externally with melamine lacquer and, when finished, I poured a half litre of lacquer into it, put the stopper on, gave it a good shake then set it upside down to drain and dry out; and I repeated this a few days later. My flask can therefore be used occasionally, on high days and holidays – perhaps while watching a cheesy old Western.
The making
1. Before commencing work on the main body of the flask, glue up the laminated block for the neck-strap terminals, using PVA adhesive and a bench vice and/or suitable clamps. Refer to the drawings and note that I used two strips of scrap wood to maintain the 11 x 4mm slots while the block was being clamped. These were pulled out with pliers as soon as possible to avoid getting them glued into place. Set aside to dry2. Mount the main body on a faceplate, skim it down to a 200mm diameter cylinder, and clean off the surface facing the tailstock. It is important that these two surfaces are true and square to each other. Cut a chuck jaw recess at the centre and then mark a pencil ring around the flat surface, 16mm in from the edge
Plans & equipment
Tools & equipment
PPE & RPE as appropriate
Live and drive centres
Chuck with 50mm jaws
Faceplate
Spindle roughing gouge
Spindle gouge
Bowl gouge
Skew chisel
Parting tool
Steel rules
Thickness callipers
Internal and external callipers
Dividers
Jacobs chuck to fit tailstock
Forstner bits 18, 22, 26, 40, 45mm
Facility to machine timber to size
Drill press (optional)
Bowl reversing jaws (optional)
Bench vice and/or G-cramps
Materials
Elm 210mm diameter x 75mm thick
Ash 200mm diameter x 75mm thick
Ash3@100x33x11mm
Rubber O-ring, 22mm
2m braided leather strap, 10 x 4mm
Whipping twine (or similar)
Various timber pieces for reverse turning etc.
Abrasives to 400 grit
Two-part epoxy adhesive
CA adhesive
Cellulose sanding sealer
Melamine lacquer
Stopper
Radiused top 5mm (3/16in) highRim of head, knurled 10mm (3/8in) high
Head diameter 32mm (11/4in)
Stem diameter 23mm (29/32in)
Shallow rounded groove to suit O-ring
15mm (9/16in) down from head
Overall length of stem 25mm (1in)
Neck
Upper section 35mm (13/8in) diameter, 25mm (1in) high
Central section 45mm (13/4in) diameter, 10mm (3/8in) high
Lower section 40mm (15/8in) diameter, 10mm (3/8in) high
Whole item bored through to approx
25mm (1in) to suit O-ring on stopper
Strapterminal (make two)
Upper section 22mm (7/8in) diameter x 22mm (7/8in)
high with 11 x 4mm (7/16 x5/32in) slot
Lower section 18mm (23/32in) diameter x 7mm (9/32in) high
Laminated block forneck-strapterminal (see step 1)
Three pieces 100 x 33 x 11mm (4 x >11/4x7/16in) glued
together to form a 100 x 33mm (4 x >11/4in) block
Note the 4mm (5/32in) slots left open for the leather strap
to eventually fit through. The top of the slots are set at
18mm (23/32in) and 50mm (2in) down from the top of the block
Section through main body
Overall diameter 200mm (8in)
Overall depth 70mm (23/4in)
8mm (5/16in) bead worked around outer edge
Remainder of edge rebated to 4mm (5/32in) depth
Wall thickness 16mm (5/8in)
Section through outer face (make two)
Overall diameter 194mm (73/8in)
8mm (5/16in) bead worked to outer edge
4mm (5/32in) deep x 8mm (5/16in) wide rebate to
fit into rebate in main body, worked into inner edge
Whole item dished outwards by 10mm (3/8in),
outer face convex, inner face concave
Thickness generally 10mm (3/8in)
3. Plunge-cut a deep groove into the surface, immediately to the right of the pencil ring just drawn. If you need to make a relieving cut to avoid the parting tool binding, do it to the right of the groove. Cut to a depth of about 20mm4. Working on the 16mm rim just formed, divide its width into two 8mm-wide rings, the inner one is plunge-cut with a parting tool to 4mm depth, the outer one is formed into a half- round, 8mm diameter bead (refer to drawings and image). Abrade as much as possible of the surfaces down to 400 grit5. Remove from the faceplate, turn the workpiece around and set it into a chuck then mark a pencil ring around the edge, its distance along from the left-hand side (the headstock end) to be the same as the depth of the groove that you cut in the previous step. This ring will be a handy, visual clue to how deep you will soon need to cut to fully part the body of the flask away from the core of timber. Then measure the distance the pencil line is from the right-hand edge of the timber and set a piece of masking tape on your parting tool to that measurement. This will be another guide as to how deeply you will eventually need to cut
Health & Safety
Supporting the main body while parting it off (Step 6) is the main issue with this project.
If the lathe speed is too high, the ring which will form the body of the flask will be subject to centrifugal forces which could cause it to fly, so keep the rotational speed down to as slow as you can while still being able to cut, Use the parting tool single-handed for the last few mm, using your left hand as support under the workpiece. Ensure that the toolrest is set fully across the surface facing the tailstock – this will act as a barrier when the parting off is complete, to prevent the workpiece working its way off the blank. It also keeps the area around your left hand free of any risk of pinching a finger between the workpiece and the toolrest.
Beyond this issue, there is the usual need to make a relieving cut when deep plunging with a parting tool and keeping the lathe speed down to about 450rpm (or otherwise if stated by the manufacturer) when using bowl reversing jaws.
6. Repeat the work done in Steps 3 and 4 to create the same rebate and bead features on this side of the flask’s main body. You can now part the body off from its core. When you are down to the last few mm of depth, the sound will change markedly. Reduce the speed of the lathe to the slowest that you can work with and proceed slowly. Setting the tool-rest across the workpiece will prevent the ring from travelling outwards towards you. Cup one hand underneath the ring to take control of it as it comes away from the core (See H&S, right). Remove from lathe and set aside7. Take the blank for the front and back faces of the flask, set it onto a faceplate and mount it on the lathe. Reduce its diameter down to about 190mm for now, and then cut a concave depression across the surface facing the tailstock, its centre being 10mm lower than its edge
Important Note
In Steps 8 through to 12, and again in Steps 28 and 29, we use a method to make, fit and finish a face of the flask using bowl reversing jaws (commonly called Cole, or button, jaws) If you do not have access to such chuck jaws, follow the method outlined in Steps 30 through to 37 within the Alternative Holding Method section instead (on page 17). Otherwise proceed with Step 8.
8. See note (right). Now reduce the overall diameter by a few mm until the main body can slip easily on to it. Don’t make this too tight a fit as we will eventually be using two- part epoxy adhesive, not PVA for this. Press the main body into place and hold it there9. Working from inside the main body, draw a pencil line/ring around the workpiece. Thus the internal diameter of the main body has now been marked accurately on the workpiece. Remove the main body and you will see that there is now a pencil ring around the workpiece, 8mm in from the edge10. With a parting tool, cut a rebate on the edge of the workpiece, about 4mm wide, down to the pencil ring just drawn11. Now part the whole panel off the workpiece. Leave about 20mm of timber between the rebate just cut and the right- hand side of the groove that your parting tool cuts. Note that this is going to be a very deep groove, so it must be made with a relieving- cut. Work only as deep as you feel safe to do so, then finish parting off with a hand-saw12. Set the main body into your bowl reversing jaws and glue the face of the flask into it, using 2-part epoxy. Avoid smearing adhesive onto the rebate on the face of the flask as this could cause excess adhesive to seep outwards. Instead, put the adhesive around the rebate on the flask body13. While the glue dries you can now work on the smaller features, so start with the laminated block from Step 1, for the neck-strap terminals. Set it into a chuck and reduce it to a cylinder, then further reduce the end 50mm or so to its finished diameter of 22mm, and round the end over14. Form a rebate 7mm wide and 4mm deep (cutting down to a diameter of 18mm), with a 13 14 parting tool, leaving 4 or 5 mm of solid timber beneath the rectangular slot for the leather. See drawings and image15. Abrade down to 400 grit and apply sanding sealer, then part off immediately to the left of the rebate formed in the last step. Repeat Steps 13, 14 and 15 to make a pair of terminals16. Now work on the stopper. Set the blank in to a chuck and reduce it to a diameter of 32mm, then skim off the end adjacent to the tailstock17. Mark two pencil lines around the stem of the stopper, the first at 25mm and the second at 35mm in from the end. The area between these two lines will be the rim of the stopper- top. Reduce the diameter of the stem, from the 25mm line to the end, down to a diameter of 23mm. Note that you might need to vary this diameter to suit your O-ring18. About 10mm in from the end, form a shallow cove with the tip of a spindle gouge. The depth of this groove will be determined by the diameter of your O-ring, so keep testing to see that it can be rolled up the stem, and then drops positively into the groove19. If you have a knurling tool, put a texture onto the rim of the stopper-top. If you don’t have any means of texturing, use the tip of a skew chisel, held flat on the toolrest, to scrape a few repeated v-grooves to impart a texture20. Working immediately to the left of the textured rim, start to part off. If you have the necessary skill, use a skew chisel as this will give the best finish on end grain and work a distinct convex curve across what will become the very top of the stopper. Abrade to 400 grit and apply sanding sealer, but do not fully part-off just yet21. Once you are confident that your rubber O-ring fits well in its groove, use something long, thin and pointed (a dental pick is ideal) to transfer a few drops of CA adhesive into the groove then roll the O-ring over the end of the stopper and into the groove. Leave to dry. Finish parting off and abrade by hand any stub of fibres left behind, then apply more sanding sealer22. Place the blank for the neck of the flask between centres, form a chuck tenon, and then place it into a chuck before reducing it to a cylinder of a little over its finished size of 45mm. Then drill a 25mm hole down through its centre to a depth of at least 50mm23. Place a skew chisel flat on the toolrest, long point to the left, then gently make a plunge cut to open-up the diameter of the hole until the stopper is a god fit into it. Note that the best way to insert the stopper is with a gentle push, while twisting. A similar, pulling action should also be used when removing the stopper24. Working on the outer edge of the neck, commence by marking 3 pencil rings around it, 25, 35 and 45mm in from the right-hand end25. Reduce the diameter of the area between the 35 and 45mm lines, down to 40mm26. Working immediately to the right of the 25mm line, form a half-cove as shown in the diagram, and reduce the diameter of the neck, between the 25mm line and the end, down to about 35mm, then try the stopper in place again. The goal here is two part, 1) the stopper being a good fit against the end of the neck and 2) the neck being about 2mm wider in diameter than the stopper. When you are content that this all works, part the neck off to an overall length of 45mm. Don’t be overly concerned if there is a little break-out of fibres as you finally part off27. Remove the stub from the chuck and reinsert the stub of the blank that you used for the stopper, then reduce its diameter such the top end of the neck is a gentle push fit onto it, with a little tissue paper in there to avoid scratching the neck. You can then clean out any torn fibres referred to in the previous step28. If you have bowl reversing jaws (see information in Alternative Holding Method, page 17, if you don’t), place the main body of the flask, with the face glued into it, back on the lathe. Use the tailstock for support for as long as you can as this is a very deep item for such jaws. With the lathe speed at about 400rpm, carefully form the convex shape to the overall face, working as close to the live centre as possible29. Form the 8mm bead on the outer edge of the face (adjacent to the 8mm bead on the body of the flask). Then retract the tailstock and carefully finish cleaning off the convex curve. Abrade to 400 grit and apply sanding sealer. Proceed to step 38 (page 18)
Alternative holding method – if you do not own Cole jaws
See Important Note.
30. Note that, as previously mentioned, if you do not own bowl reversing jaws, the following method can be used to make the pair of front and back faces for the flask. Take the blank for making the flask faces (it should still be on its faceplate) and set it on to the lathe, reducing its outside diameter such that it slips into the rebate on the open side of the flask’s main body31. When you’re content with the fit, draw a pencil ring around the edge, 10mm in from the right, then form the convex curve from the edge to the centre of the face32. Form the 8mm bead immediately next to the edge33. With a pair of internal callipers, set it to the internal diameter of the body. Remove the callipers, make a note of the measurement, and then transfer it to a pair of external callipers34. Move the toolrest to the edge of the blank and mark a pencil ring around it, 6mm along from the right-hand corner, then use a parting tool to commence cutting a shallow groove immediately to the left of the pencil-ring35. Continue cutting this groove until the remaining diameter matches the measurement set on the external callipers, as set in Step 3336. Commence parting this item off, immediately to the left of the groove just formed. Note that this is going to be a very deep cut for a parting tool, so a relieving cut to prevent the tool binding will be essential. Cut only as deeply as you feel confident and safe with, then stop, abrade down to 400 grit and apply sanding sealer before finishing off the parting-off with a handsaw37. Form a concave curve on the remnant of the block of wood still on the lathe, such that the convex face of the piece you just made sits snugly against it, with a few layers of tissue paper to avoid any scratching. Hold the workpiece in place with the tailstock and then form the concave curve across its face. When you are confident with the fit, set the workpiece to one side; it is not to be glued into place just yet38. Decidewhichisgoing to be the top of the flask and place a strip of masking tape along the centreline of the main body, covering the centre point and about 100mm to each side of it, then draw a centreline along the tape. Set a pair of dividers to 80mm and make three distinct marks. These will be centre-marks, one for each of the neck-strap terminals, and one for the neck39. Take a scrap of timber (about 50 x 75mm section – I used old softwood studding), lay the body of the flask on it, draw a line around it and cut along the line to form a cradle for the flask to sit in while you drill out the apertures and the hole for the neck. As always when using Forstner bits in this way, drill the larger diameter first, then the smaller diameter. In each case, the larger diameter needs to be only 2mm deep. The apertures for the strap terminals are a further 8mm deep but the neck hole is drilled right through, so proceed very slowly with that one to avoid too much break-out of fibres. When this is done, apply plenty of melamine lacquer over all internal areas if you wish to use the flask to carry liquids40. The cradle can also be used to support the flask while the various parts are glued into it and held in place with suitable clamps. The final part of the assembly is to then put the flask back on to the lathe against the backing pad which we used in Step 37, also using the tailstock with a protective pad or block, to press the final face of the flask into place and hold it while its glue dries. Three coats of melamine are applied, and the leather strap whipped into place (see below)
Top tip
The leather strapand its whippings
Whipping is the term used for tightly wrapping and securing two or more lengths of cord, rope or leather, laid alongside each other. If you are not familiar with this method, please check on-line, using the term ‘whipping a rope end’ to search for it. There’s plenty of information about this freely available. As for materials, I sourced my leather on an internet auction site by searching for ‘braided leather strap’ and the best type of cord to use for the whipping is waxed whipping twine, which again is freely available.
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