Finally, onto spindles.
Spindles and bows have a lot in common - green wood is used, the blanks are rived using a froe, and then shaped using the drawknife. The riving is much easier, as these are only 2 ft long - the 5 ft long bow is much more difficult to rive and then shape.
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| Spindle blanks straight from the log |
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| These get made into 3/4 inch square blanks |
As always, there is a clear step by step process by which we go from a rough blank to a finished spindle. It's all spelled out brilliantly in the
book. The key as always is to follow the fibers with the drawknife.
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| Almost there - I need 7 for each chair plus a few extra just in case |
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The spindles and bows generate a lot of shavings, which are great for starting fires
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| Next the 3/4 inch blanks get tapered to 7/16" on top, and a straight 5/8" square on the bottom. |
These spindles will get a 1/2" round tenon on the bottom where they go into the seat, and a 3/8" tenon on the top where they go through the bow. These rough dimensions will allow me to finish them to those tenon sizes later.
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| Tapering - this is a smaller drawknife, better for this more delicate work - thanks Grandpa! |
