collar mandrels

[medusa]

I was checking my records and if possible one of the best timbers for making wood mandrels out of is Lignum Vitae.
Also I found this supplier who may stock deeper bowl blanks, see; http://www.peterchild.co.uk/wood.htm

James

I have a huge bowl by Paul Jelbert on my table. He was the guy I was going to ask (had asked someone more local to me but they said they couldn't turn something that wide and deep for some reason) on the assumption it would work using wood. I have spent some time looking for Lignum Vitae but in terms of the kind of quantities I would need it would be too impractical…. would have to glue together literally dozens of pieces plus it would cost so much I'd be cheaper commissioning someone to cast it for me.

what kind of hardwood have you used for yours, James?

[Goldsmith]

what kind of hardwood have you used for yours, James?[/QUOTE]

That one in my photos was made up of boxwood as it is hard and turns easy, my friend is a metal spinner and he uses boxwood for making his spinning chucks. But any hardwood would do if you are just going to use it to shape neck pieces on.
Just to make it clear, you did say 18 inch circumference and not 18 inch diameter? as the woodturner you asked may have been confused, because for 18 inch circumference you will only need a tapered cone mandrel 8 inches long and 7inches diam. at the widest down to 5 inches at the narrow end, and most ordinary engineering lathes will cope with this size.

James

[Ada]

Ada asked for photos, well I sorted through some of my boxes and found this turned hardwood mandrel, I had it turned by a friend, egg shape for a large job I was making. This is made from some hardwood bowl blanks glued together, then turned to shape and I got the wood turner to drill a central hole for me to screw the threaded bolt into the block. This wooden shaping block is 6 inches diameter and 8 inches in length. That is a foot rule in the photos.

James

Thank you so much James, now I understand! I really appreciate you taking the time to do that

[medusa]

yup 18" circumference. I thought it was a bit odd that he said he couldn't do it and clarified that I didn't mean diameter but he said it was because I was looking to get it made as a longer cone (I wanted one which was 12-18" high to give a more gradual taper from 12 to 18" circumference). I guess he thought it would need to be turned in the same way as a spindle at that length rather than as a bowl.

Sort of on-topic for the thread at least, I found this useful website about different woods:
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-identification/

[Goldsmith]

I would suggest that when you ask again, tell the turner that you want a 16 inch long cone that tapers from 6 inches diam. down to 4 inches diam. this size can be done on the most basic of woodturning lathes. You just need a close grain hardwood.
I was chatting to a jeweller friend today and we were talking about the lack of tools available these days when compared to when we were young. I mentioned your necklace ideas and the fact that no one offers large steel cones for sale these days and he suggested that you could shape your necklace around an old small stainless steel saucepan. I looked on Amazon and they have sets of three for sale at £21, 14cm. + 16cm. + 18cm. diameters.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-St...teel+saucepans

Just a thought.
James

[theresa]

Ada asked for photos, well I sorted through some of my boxes and found this turned hardwood mandrel, I had it turned by a friend, egg shape for a large job I was making. This is made from some hardwood bowl blanks glued together, then turned to shape and I got the wood turner to drill a central hole for me to screw the threaded bolt into the block. This wooden shaping block is 6 inches diameter and 8 inches in length. That is a foot rule in the photos.

Attachment 5469Attachment 5470Attachment 5471

James

What a brilliant idea. I also happen to know a great hobbyist woodturner who has made me tapered bangle mandrels and small/med/large blanks for quick bangles apart from numerous size dowels for making odd sized jump rings.

Theresa

[Goldsmith]

Just out of interest, this is the job that I needed that large egg shaped shaping bock for, it's one of the largest pair of pieces I have made, they were approximatley 30 inches tall, I needed the wooden egg shape to form the pierced out overlays, that fitted over the rock crystal egg shaped base sections.

James