"Altering" grain orientation

[Philthy]

I searched and did not find anything on this topic - forgive me if I missed it.

Is it possible (or worthwhile) to try and alter grain orientation. I guess more correctly it would be stated altering the cut of an ebauchon or pateau, or how you "place" a pipe in the wood.

I have a small piece of plateau, really nice straight grain on one side, maybe a little less pretty on the opposite side. The plateau is not flat however, and slopes to one side. On the end (tallest point) the straight grain is evident but is angled noticeably in correlation to the plateau surface. So is it possible to "place" or cut my pipe in this altered orientation as compared to the cut of the block and thereby hopefully get a full straight grain all the way around or is it best to just plug ahead as the block is cut currently?

[Sasquatch]

Yeah it's dead easy if you have a table saw, for example. What you are asking is "can I re-cut my block so that it is more in line with the grain" and the answer is yes, but you get a smaller and smaller block.

All I do is put the table saw tilt to let's say 10 degrees or whatever the briar grain is running at, and zap the bottom of the block perpendicular to it. Works great. You could sand for the same effect but it would be way slow.

[ToddJohnson]

Cut two wedges of briar and glue them to either side of the block so that the thick part of the wedge faces up on one side and down on the other. Sand them down a bit so that they're parallel with one another but the block is "twisted" between them. Then you can chuck the block up and drill it so that the straightgrain runs parallel to the chamber. Pull the block out and grind off the wedges. Then just shape the pipe in standard fashion. Of course if you're able to shape first and drill second, this isn't a problem, but for a turned shape or if you have to drill on the lathe or drill press, this is the best way to go.

TJ

[SWM]

Hi all,

there is still another method to do this, though not as easy as Todd's, since you have to have a tool for it. It is a kind of special lathe chuck Bo Nordh is said to have used (I don't know if that's true.). It has been discussed in this forum some time ago.

A fellow member in a German forum made one for me and I tried it out.

In this picture you can see that the grain in the block on the right does not run parallel with the block's sides. Recutting would not have been a good idea since the block was too small. Todd's method would have worked of course.



The next pictures show how the block is fitted in the chuck to align the grain with the drill axis on the lathe.







And finally here's the finished pipe. You can see the grain is now parallel to the pipes bowl.









A bit short that fella...

Best,

Steffen

[CedarSlayer]

The resulting pipe is quite a charmer, but what I really love is your burl alignment tool. Brilliant really. I am a newb to pipe making, so it is possible that your adjustable screw vise is common enough out your way, but to me it is freaking brilliant, especially with it's simplicity.

All I need now is a short bit of Iron channel to make one! Are there any changes you would make to it?

[SWM]

All I need now is a short bit of Iron channel to make one! Are there any changes you would make to it?

Thanks! The change I made to the original design was the pointed machine screw along the turning axis which helps in aligning the grain.

One Plea though if you want to make and use one of these: Just be careful! (Goes for all experiments with fast spinning tools...) OK?

Best,

Steffen

[CedarSlayer]

Noting the screw clamps potential to be fairly unbalanced, I figured that slow speeds and care were a rather good idea. I am thinking of using it, wherever possible, more to create the initial foot for clamping the block, than as the holder for the entire process. I can see where this design would allow for a few rather complex turnings that nothing else will quite do for.

Bob

[SWM]

I can see where this design would allow for a few rather complex turnings that nothing else will quite do for.

Got the idea!

Steffen

PS: Please share the results...

[ToddJohnson]

Yes, that's Bo's design, but you've gotten only one thing wrong. Bo's chuck was red. I don't know why, though.

TJ

[caskwith]

What kind of RPM's do you use a chuck like that at? Looks scary! lol.

[SWM]

What kind of RPM's do you use a chuck like that at? Looks scary! lol.

400 - 600 RPM for drilling. It is not so good for turning (on my small lathe that is) because it is not secure enough in the original chuck for that. I'm thinking of another one which can be fixed to the lathe directly...

@TJ: Darn, I knew something was wrong - I'll change the color on the next one. ... Was it a bright or a dark red?

Best,

Steffen

[geigerpipes]

@TJ: Darn, I knew something was wrong - I'll change the color on the next one. ... Was it a bright or a dark red?

Best,

Steffen

Blood red in case you get your fingers in there while its spinning then you never need to whipe it off

Welcome to the forums Steffen a pleasure to see your work

[SWM]

Blood red in case you get your fingers in there while its spinning then you never need to whipe it off

Yes of course, how could I ask...

Hi Love,

thank you for the welcome and the compliment! Your work is always an inspiration for me!

Best,

Steffen

[staffwalker]

What is the purpose of the bolt that is in the rear, the one that appears to come straight from the lathe chuck? bob gilbert

[CedarSlayer]

What is the purpose of the bolt that is in the rear, the one that appears to come straight from the lathe chuck? bob gilbert

The original purpose I cannot attest to, but when I make mine, I intend to use it to indicate center for setup. and to oppose thrust as I make the footing for use on a less scary chuck.

This bolt chuck makes my worst knuckle buster look positively friendly. Bit it also looks like a solution to the weird block of wood that you want to shape easily on a lathe but have no choice normally but to do it by hand.

Bob

[Philthy]

I actually just took the block down on the sides so that it followed the grain and it straightened it right out on the end where it had formerly been angled. Very much like pictures above. Unfortunately it did also make a small block a bit smaller. I am going for a straight classic Billiard. I will post pics when done if I don't blow it up in the attempt.

Thanks again for all of the input.

[SWM]

What is the purpose of the bolt that is in the rear, the one that appears to come straight from the lathe chuck? bob gilbert

The original purpose I cannot attest to, but when I make mine, I intend to use it to indicate center for setup. and to oppose thrust ...

Exactly, that's why I modified the original design in this point. I found it quite useful though not indispensable...

Good luck on the billard Phil!

Best,

Steffen

[DaGamba]

Would it make any sense to use a chuck like that with a drill-press?

[SWM]

If the stummel has uneven sides (and you cannot flatten them) yes. But on a drillpress you can also tilt the worktable(?) with the vice holding the block so normaly there would be no or little advantage in using such a boltchuck or -vice.

Best,

Steffen

[ckr]

It is a neat device but honestly I find gluing some wood and re-sanding the block to the proper angle so much easier and have never worried about the block slipping at higher speeds.