1:12 scale Woodturning

I think, the sofa is almost finished! Since I last posted about it, it has had the sides ripped off and replaced, as one side had an edge that hung too low. That side is now almost perfect. However the other side, is now a bit bumpy. But I think it has got to the stage where the phrase "Shabby chic" comes in really useful. Every mistake can be dismissed with the excuse "shabby chic", "old" or "antique" or my favourite, "rustic". Also it is supposed to be 100 years old anyway....

I wanted turned feet on this sofa, as it was based on a late Victorian, early Edwardian Howard and Sons sofa, so I bought a lathe. I really needed a lathe :D I got a Proxxon one, DB250, and the Proxxon lathe tool set. I bought those quite some time ago,  and I watched quite a few lathe videos on youtube, mostly miniature related ones, but my first attempt was disastrous, mostly because I was afraid of it. Then about a week ago, I tried again. 

The only major problem I have with the sofa is the height of the seat, it is at the maximum, but only at the the edges. A seat height, is usually between 16 and 18 inches, and the sofa seat would be at the maximum, near the sides, but because of the puffy padding, it is sitting at 4.5 cm in the middle, that is 21 inches in lifesize! I could have left out the castors, but that was an absolute NO! For the time being, I am content with it as is.

Slightly wonky, but hey, it's an antique :D The castors are by Houseworks, and they are topped with a brass ring, that was cut from the brass tubing left over from the bed.

The first turning was the darning mushroom, then I turned a few more things, then I built up the nerve to have a go at making the sofa feet. I made the first one freestyle. When I tried to make the second one, the daunting task of a copy, I tried to do this by eye, and a few measurements, and it wasn't happening. I knew there was a tool for doing that kind of thing, I can't remember what it is called, but it works with the same principle as this crude needle contraption. 

So, this is the needle contraption against the copy, and those needles have the profile of the first foot, as you can see, it isn't fitting, but it was close enough for me :D I spent most of the afternoon on it, and IT'S FINISHED :D They are now sitting at 13.5cm apart, no one will ever know they are not the same at that distance! 

My first successful wood turning. And to celebrate, I had to take a photo. Then I got out some wire wool, to sand it as it spinned, and the wire wool wrapped around it, and broke it off, which is why the finished (brown stained one) doesn't have the little ball on the end. I don't think I have ever switched a machine off so quickly. It was terrifying, my hair was tied back, I had my goggles on, there were no sleeves near the machine, but when you are working with a lathe, it lulls you into thinking it is perfectly safe. Once you have found the true centre of the dowel you can no longer see the spinning, so the object you are turning looks static, so when something fast and unexpected happens it is a bit alarming. The machine is switched off in this photo, I could just imagine the camera cord getting wrapped up in those jaws to the left :D Am I selling the lathe? :D

Despite the fact that the lathe is TERRIFYING, you can make all sorts of great stuff, and you feel very proud of your perfectly symmetric objects at the end of it all. Each object took about half an hour to an hour to turn. I used wood files and sandpaper strips, to do the final shaping. It is incredibly satisfying. Though I will need to get a dust mask....*cough*

And at the end of the photo shoot, the sun came out........

There are many things you could make for a miniature house with a lathe, so despite it being a bit pricey, I highly recommend it. Once you get used to it, and take ALL safety precautions seriously :D, I think it is a great little investment. I am going to make a guard for the jaws though, with a plastic cup or something, as I tend to daydream......... :D I used various sizes of Birch dowel rods, which I bought from Cornwall model boats, which were used for all of the turnings.

One thing not to do when turning, is to remove an unfinished piece, as you would lose the true centre. If you were to put the dowel back in, the turned section would waggle. In order to make a symmetrical turning, there must be no visible waggling as the rod rotates, the piece should look static as you work. That is also when you start to shape the piece. I noticed the smaller dowels waggled a lot on the lathe, which meant I had to remove quite a bit of wood, thus making the diameter a lot smaller. The larger dowels waggled less so. I also had to work quite closely to the jaw end as well, less waggling down at that end, hence why I want to make a guard, and completely avoid the possibility of a tool bit sticking out of my head :D There is a device that holds the rod at the other end, which prevents the waggling, but I preferred to work without that. On the whole though, I think it is a great little lathe and I wouldn't be without it, I have a long list of what I can make using it.