Turning On The Light

Woodturning

Rita Duxbury turns a natural-edge lighthouse ornament

Handcrafted wooden lighthouse ornament on bark base.

The fascination with lighthouses throughout the world is difficult to explain. It may be the stories connected to the lives of the lonely lighthouse keepers, the haunting tales of pirates and shipwrecks along the rocky coastlines, or the wonderful memories of spending the summer at the beach with family. Whatever it is, lighthouses have a mystique that continues to captivate the imagination. Let’s take those thoughts and long past images and create a piece that will remind us of those bygone times.

This project is a basic spindle turning and by stimulating your imagination and creativity the limb of a tree can be turned into a decorative little lighthouse. The dimensions, shapes, and styles will vary; however the finished piece will measure approximately 3in (76mm) diameter x 10in (254mm) tall. Because this is a free-form project the measurements given are purely suggestions.

Safety note: Since this limb could be of irregular shape and include bark, it is of the utmost importance to always wear your face shield. On some wood, bark tends to fly when being removed.

Plans & equipment

Tools &equipment

PPE & RPE as appropriate
3⁄8in (10mm) bowl gouge
3⁄8in (10mm) spindle gouge
3⁄4in (19mm) spindle roughing gouge
1⁄4in (6mm) bedan
1⁄8in (3mm) &1⁄16in (2mm) parting tool
Burn wire
Handsaw
1⁄2in (13mm) Forstner bit
Finish of choice

Materials

103⁄4in (273mm) long x 3in (76mm) diameter piece of timber with bark attached

Detailed technical drawing of architectural element.

The making

Person cutting wood log on bandsaw. — 1. Begin with a limb from almost any hardwood tree, approximately 3in (76mm) diameter x 103⁄4in (273mm) long. Branches including the bark will add interest to the finished piece and allude to the lighthouse sitting on a rocky outcrop. Cut the ends of the limb square using a bandsaw with the use of a cradle or simply by using a handsaw. Small limb protrusions may remain so determine safe practices when the limb is irregular

Measuring log's diameter with ruler and pencil. — 2. Mark the approximate centres of each end. The pith is not necessarily the centre of the piece as frequently branches and other protrusions may alter that. Look creatively at your wood. Determine the most interesting features as one end will serve as the base of the lighthouse while the other will be shaped into the light and roof area

Person using wood lathe to carve log. — 3. Securely mount the timber on the lathe between centres. With the lathe off, rotate the piece by hand a number of times to check for clearance and balance. Take note of the irregular bark base to assure clearance. Next, with the lathe on slow speed, again check for balance and adjust the piece accordingly to attain the best possible rotation. On the headstock end cut a tenon to fit into your chuck jaws. Always wear a full face shield

Woodturning on a lathe with carving tool. — 4. With a narrow parting tool, make another cut about 1⁄8 in (3mm) from the tenon cut in Step 3. The cut should go down to 1 3⁄4 in (44mm) diameter. This cut will later allow for the removal of the finished piece from the chuck, forming the flat base of the lighthouse

Woodturning process with lathe and chisel tool. — 5. Looking creatively at the wood, determine the general dimensions of the base, body, light, and roof sections. Using a parting tool, score through the bark approximately 2in (51mm) from the tenon. This bark section will remain as the base of the lighthouse. Then, with a 3⁄8 in (10mm) bowl gouge, remove the remaining bark toward the tailstock. Bark and possible small branches may cause these cuts to be irregular at first

Woodturning with chisel on lathe machine — 6. Reposition the toolrest at an angle and begin to form the lighthouse body. With the bowl 5 6 gouge or a 3⁄4 in (19mm) spindle gouge, carefully taper the end of the bark baseline to blend into the lighthouse

Person using lathe for wood turning. — 7. Now that a taper has been formed on the lighthouse, look at your wood blank again. With aid of the drawing, mark the approximate position of the roof, lighting area, and the walkway around the lighthouse

Note: Since the piece has been mounted between centres the tailstock point will leave a small hole in the roof top. Mark at least a 1⁄8 in (3mm) sacrificial piece to be removed for later finishing.

Woodturning craft in action on a lathe. — 8. Using a 1⁄4in(6mm) bedan, form the lighting section of the lighthouse. This area should be narrow in comparison to the roof and walkway areas however in reality the lighting, walkway and roof section vary immensely. Check the drawing for suggested dimensions

Woodturning process on a lathe by hand — 9. Again with a bedan, make a reference cut below the walkway to locate the walkway and establish its lower diameter

Person woodturning bark-covered spindle on lathe — **10.** Reposition the toolrest to the now defined taper and with a 3⁄4 in (19mm) spindle roughing gouge, taper the lighthouse body from the bark area to the walkway. Form a smooth transition from the bark to the taper

Woodturning a spindle on a lathe machine. — **11.** Using a 3⁄8in(10mm) spindle gouge, carefully round over and final shape the lighthouse walkway

Person woodturning on a lathe. — **12.** Mount the piece in the chuck with the use of the tailstock for alignment. Then use the 3⁄8 in (10mm) spindle gouge to shape the roof. The roof is tapered down to a nib under the tailstock, which will be removed later

Person crafting wood on lathe — **13.** I decided to add a trim burn line on this lighthouse just below the walkway. Remove the toolrest, turn the lathe speed up, and with the aid of a burn wire, burn a dark black line. More burn lines could be added to the lighthouse body if so desired

Person sanding wood on lathe, close-up view — **14.** All surfaces can now be sanded. Wet wood may only sand to about 180 grit, while drier wood can be sanded to 300 grit. Shape the sandpaper to conform to the surfaces being sanded to preserve the crispness of each detail and the burn line

Person shaping wood on a lathe machine — **15.** The light section must be indexed in four equal spaces for drilling. This process can be accomplished a number of ways to attain equal spacing. I have found a quick and simple way to make these measurements by positioning the toolrest parallel with the lower jaw of the four- jawed chuck. Draw a line on the light section of the piece. Turn the chuck and repeat this procedure four times

Person marking wooden spindle on lathe with pencil. — **16.** Next, measure the centre of this light section. Turn the lathe by hand and draw this centreline all the way around. Bradawl the 15 centre of each of the four holes to be drilled

Person using drill on wood lathe — **17.** Remove the toolrest, hold the piece by hand and with a 1⁄2in (13mm) Forstner bit drill each of the four marked points halfway through. Wet wood may require a little more pressure to drill

Note: When backing out of the hole just drilled, slow the drill down and carefully remove it from the hole so as not to chip or deform the roundness of the hole.