Using a bandsaw to round a turning blank

[Joe Sheble]

I have a Rikon 10-306 10" bandsaw, and I'm looking for either some tips, tricks, or YouTube videos for cutting the corners off of turning blank; not a flat bowl blank, but a longer narrower blank. For example a 3" x 3" x 6" blank. If it's a wood blank, I normally just round it off on the lathe as normal, but as I do more and more resin/wood blanks, I figured it'd save on the tool wear & tear and even lathe wear & tear if I trimmed the corners off to get more of an octagon.

I also suppose using the table saw, with the blade at 45 degrees should accomplish the same thing, no?

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

I have a Rikon 10-306 10" bandsaw, and I'm looking for either some tips, tricks, or YouTube videos for cutting the corners off of turning blank; not a flat bowl blank, but a longer narrower blank. For example a 3" x 3" x 6" blank. If it's a wood blank, I normally just round it off on the lathe as normal, but as I do more and more resin/wood blanks, I figured it'd save on the tool wear & tear and even lathe wear & tear if I trimmed the corners off to get more of an octagon.

I also suppose using the table saw, with the blade at 45 degrees should accomplish the same thing, no?

The specs say your bandsaw has a tilting table. Can't you just use it with the fence to do the job?

 

[Joe Sheble]

So that's what I initially thought, and why I bought it. Problem is the table tilts with the right edge down so I have to hold the blank upwards, pressing it firmly upwards against the fence and not resting it's weight on the blade. It'd certainly be much, much better if it tilted left, then I can rest the blank on the fence as moving it into the blade.

 

[Joe Sheble]

So I feel like a dumbass, in reading the manual there is a way to change the facing of the fence so you can make it a right sided fence versus a left sided fence... so never mind I guess? lol

Still trying to decide if the bandsaw or the table saw is the best approach though...

 

[Karl Loeblein]

Are you just transferring the wear & tear on the lathe & tools over to the bandsaw & blades? Seems a sharp gouge could do this work as quick or quicker than using a secondary machine.

Also, there's an increase danger when cutting small pieces on a 45 degree slant on a bandsaw because each cut reduces amount of support material held up against the table & fence. If you go with the bandsaw method then make sure to use push sticks to keep your hands back from the blade.

 

[John Torchick]

I use a center finder on each end. I move the center finder around to all four sides of each end, dimple the center point of the four lines then turn it on the lathe. Much faster that using the BS or TS.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Tilting the table a few degrees is not a problem, but 45° tilt is an entirely different matter. I think that it is much easier and safer to make a sled that holds the wood at the desired angle.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

My bandsaw (14" delta with riser block and Carter guides) bogs down something awful in green wood (even with 2 or 3 TPI blades recommended for the purpose and motor upgraded to 1.5 hp from the original 3/4). Rather than solve that problem I've just gotten much faster hogging wood off with a gouge. I do chainsaw off excess length on a log and knock the corners off while I'm there, but the time and effort to get a more perfect blank on the bandsaw no longer seems worth the effort.

 

[Richard Coers]

You can make a sled with blocks with a notch cut in them to hold the blank and take off the corner. Much quicker than tilting the table.

 

[Dean Center]

Or you could watch a Nick Cook video and learn to turn the blank to a cylinder with a sharp SRG in 4 or 5 seconds.

 

[Rob Price]

I got tired of buying new bandsaw blades rounding off blanks. The bark on green wood seems to be especially tough on them. I’d rather sharpen my gouge a few extra times than buy a new blade every few months. Since I quit rounding my blanks on the bandsaw I haven’t had to buy a new blade in almost a year. I’ve gotten better and chainsawing them into octagons.

 

[John Jordan]

I have a Rikon 10-306 10" bandsaw, and I'm looking for either some tips, tricks, or YouTube videos for cutting the corners off of turning blank; not a flat bowl blank, but a longer narrower blank. For example a 3" x 3" x 6" blank. If it's a wood blank, I normally just round it off on the lathe as normal, but as I do more and more resin/wood blanks, I figured it'd save on the tool wear & tear and even lathe wear & tear if I trimmed the corners off to get more of an octagon.

I also suppose using the table saw, with the blade at 45 degrees should accomplish the same thing, no?

Making an octagon saves quite a bit of wear and tear. I wouldn't saw rough blanks on a tablesaw.

John

 

[Mike Adams]

Still trying to decide if the bandsaw or the table saw is the best approach though...

IMHO, bandsaw. I feel like I have more control with the bandsaw.

 

[Roger Chandler]

You can make a sled with blocks with a notch cut in them to hold the blank and take off the corner. Much quicker than tilting the table.

Richard, if you have a pic of one of these sleds you’ve made, would you mind posting it in this thread? I’ve found that a number of things you’ve posted have been really solid and helpful. Thanks, Sir!

 

[Mike Johnson]

As John Jordan mentioned above cutting the blank to an octagon decreases the rounding effort and time involved with that process. For larger diameter spindle work this works well along with larger diameter vessels knocking the (4) corners down with a chainsaw, bandsaw or table saw saves time. On many of the spheres I turn for mold making I start by cutting the billet into a square, then an octagon, then turn the octagon 90 degrees on the saw and cut the other profile to an octagon, this saves a lot of time and provides the basic geometry for shaping the sphere between centers.

 

[robo hippy]

I had to read about half of this to figure out that you were talking about spindle blanks.... For a 2 by 2 blank, I wouldn't use the table saw to make it an octagon. In that 3 by 3 inch range, if I was doing one, I wouldn't bother trimming, but if I was doing a bunch of them, then I would trim them all on the table saw. Might be easier to take a long blank and trim the corners, then cut into lengths. A 6 inch long section is a bit short to trim up on the table saw, unless you have a lot of experience with the saws, and a good push stick that goes most of the length of the short block. I also stand out of the line of fire when using the table saw.

robo hippy

 

[Richard Coers]

Richard, if you have a pic of one of these sleds you’ve made, would you mind posting it in this thread? I’ve found that a number of things you’ve posted have been really solid and helpful. Thanks, Sir!

Too embarrassed to take pictures in my shop Roger. It's like a bomb went off down there since I've been remodeling upstairs. Renovating one bathroom to put in a walk-in shower has become a two bathroom remodel when I saw plumbing issues in the common wet wall. I thought I was smarter than that, doing plumbing is a horrible experience! Just too cheap to pay someone though. Here's a picture I grabbed from Wood Magazine. Not exactly the sled I described, but the principle is the same.

 

[Bill Boehme]

...... I also suppose using the table saw, with the blade at 45 degrees should accomplish the same thing, no?

Absolutely don't rip long rough chainsawn stock using the tablesaw, especially not for bevel cuts. Rough stock rarely has a flat face which is a critical requirement for avoiding a kickback. A piece that isn't flat can rock and bind in the tablesaw blade and then get thrown back at you with enough force to cause a serious injury.

 

[Mike Johnson]

When trimming premium grade wood billets on the tablesaw into octagons for lathe turning,I end up with corner pieces I can use on segmented work. Take two different species of corner cut pieces glue them together square up afterward and slice and dice into segments. Glue two corner pieces together and square up and you have another spindle blank to work with for the cost of some glue. Instead of turning the quality wood into chips I maximize the yield of each board foot of premium grade lumber.

 

[Tim Connell]

Ive got the same Rikon BS and if it was my only option for cutting the corners, I wouldn't bother. It is quicker and easier to turn them off.

If you have a table saw, AND your spindle blanks have flat surfaces, that would be my choice. Much quicker and easier. Blade at 45°, set low to just clear the cut, feather board and push stick. Just have to watch that the cutoffs clear the blade between cuts.

If your blanks are rough cut without flat surfaces, stay away from the TS.

 

[Roger Chandler]

Too embarrassed to take pictures in my shop Roger. It's like a bomb went off down there since I've been remodeling upstairs. Renovating one bathroom to put in a walk-in shower has become a two bathroom remodel when I saw plumbing issues in the common wet wall. I thought I was smarter than that, doing plumbing is a horrible experience! Just too cheap to pay someone though. Here's a picture I grabbed from Wood Magazine. Not exactly the sled I described, but the principle is the same.

Thanks Richard....much appreciated!

 

[Doug Freeman]

I have a 10” Craftsman bs similar to the Rikon. I made a 1” wide ~8” long “sled” out of 1” square stock with a v groove routered down the length to hold square stock at 45 deg. Works well, but after I practiced up with the SRG I dont use it. While a TS will work also, I much prefer using an SRG to the TS, although for 3-4” square blanks it would be safe, but at only 6” long not worth the hastle.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

I too missed that we were talking spindles. Roughing a typical spindle billet with a skew is so fast I couldn't get to the bandsaw and back in time to make it worthwhile. The peeling cut leaves a lousy surface, but you can finish with a planing cut that is smooth as glass. Either way is really fast. If I had wood that was very inclined to splitting I might do some trimming first.

 

[John Torchick]

I too missed that we were talking spindles. Roughing a typical spindle billet with a skew is so fast I couldn't get to the bandsaw and back in time to make it worthwhile. The peeling cut leaves a lousy surface, but you can finish with a planing cut that is smooth as glass. Either way is really fast. If I had wood that was very inclined to splitting I might do some trimming first.

I agree. I have seem demonstrations where the skew or roughing gouge was applied to the wood and wow! The chips flew and the billet was round in what seemed to be seconds.

 

[Russell Nugent]

He's not just talking spindle blanks but resin and wood as well. I don't know if a saw would be quicker when it comes to resin or not.
My table saw is not involved in my woodworking at all. Only home renos