Mary Ostler

Been a while since I updated the page. I came down with a severe chest cold, and it wasn’t intil the last couple of days I felt good enough to wander out to the shop.

Colds over…enough lallygagging around.

Since I no longer have an unlimited supply of skids, I resorted to using 2 2×3′s laminated together with a polyurethane glue.

I sliced down the laminated board from the rough 3×2.5″ to the end size of 2×2′s.

I then set the tablesaw blade to a 45′ angle and cut the 2×2 square post to a 2×2 octagonal post.

Since my lathe is only capable of turning a 40″length, I had to resort to a different way to make the ends become a 1″ dowel. First I cut the chisel stop to 1″ deep the whole way around the post (1″ in). I scribed a 1″ circle on the end, and chiseled of the waste wood a little at a time.

Once I had the waste wood cut away, I took a 1×3″ steel plumping pipe, and sharpened the outside edge. Making the pipe a round dowel chisel. Placing the pipe over the rough chiseled end, I taped the pipe in to remove the left over wood.

Finally I used a rasp file to do some fine wood removal so that it would fit in a 1″ spade bit hole. One post completly done 3 more to do.