Tapering Masts and Yards on a Lathe

DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
You don't need to use cutters or

turning chisels to shape dowels. Plus, at such small diameters, if the cutter catches on the wood grain EVEN ONCE, you'll snap the part anyway. Sanding the material away is best. You don't have that much material to remove anyway, so using a risky cutter is not a good idea. I was using a stationary live center. Its a pointy thing.
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I have a lot of experience turning wood. I have very sharp turning tools too. But I will try different methods just to see what I can do. I have a lot of dowels, so I'll determine which works best - turning or sanding. It'll be interesting!
 
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Philski said:
I have a lot of experience turning wood. I have very sharp turning tools too. But I will try different methods just to see what I can do. I have a lot of dowels, so I'll determine which works best - turning or sanding. It'll be interesting!
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Use both! Turning works for larger diameters when you want to shape or remove lots of material. Sanding or lightly using needle files is used for very small, delicate pieces.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
Use both! Turning works for larger diameters when you want to shape or remove lots of material. Sanding or lightly using needle files is used for very small, delicate pieces.
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I agree that we can and use all of the tools and techniques available for any particular need and be adaptable to the use and manner employed. I just like the tactile methods as there is more feedback. Just my own tack(s). Rich
 
PT-2 said:
I agree that we can and use all of the tools and techniques available for any particular need and be adaptable to the use and manner employed. I just like the tactile methods as there is more feedback. Just my own tack(s). Rich
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Sanding on a lathe is very doable! I've sanded pens to 12000 grit and created mirror finishes all while mounted on my lathe. My lathe has variable speeds too, so as to not create excessive heat. The headstock is hollow and I can insert dowels from the end. I'm interested in double tapering.
 
I make tapered Masts, yars and Stunsail Booms on metal working lathe. Using a three jaw chuck use care not to over tighen on the wood, it is much softer than metal and so is more prone to crushing from a chuck when tigheneing. Start with a long dowel of the required maximum diameter for the part or even better the part diameter plus a little.
Because wood in not strong in bending begin with only 3/4" or 20mm projecting from the chuck, using a sanding block, I use a 3M rubber sanding block, and wet and dry paper, and the end projecting from the chuck at a slight angle to give the required taper and diameter of the part at its smallest diameter, remember BE VERY GENTLE with the pressure on the block.
Having reduced the end of the part to the correct size, measure with a vernier caliper, pull another 3/4" 20mm of the part to project from the chuck, 1 1/2" or 40mm projecting from the chuck and sand down this to the correct diameter and taper to blend in with the first part. Continue in sanding down the remainder of the part in 3/4" 20mm increments until the complete part is made. With the finished part projecting from the chuck, ensure the machine is swiched off and cannot start, and then using a razor saw cut of the part to the correct length. Remember, throughout this process be very gentle in applying pressure to the sanding block. Do not rush, a part that breaks on the last or penultimate sanding operation is a lot of wasted time. I check the diameters as I go along using a vernier caliper.
Remember, little steps to be sanded each time, gentle pressure on sanding block, measure diameters using a vernier caliper, do not rush! It works a treat.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
I used my old South Bend metal lathe because that's what I had. Tapering was very easy by using TWO sanding blocks with the dowel spinning between them. Using that technique, you even can turn thin flag staves down to 1.8mm diameter and even form the ball on the end using files. By using two sanding blocks, you don't place any side pressure on the wood, which may probably cause it to break if the diameter will be less than 3mm. You move the apply light to medium pressure equally on both sides of the spinning wood, moving along the length in strokes to create a smooth taper and avoid making the dowel too thin in one area. Stop the lathe several times and measure at various locations and be careful not to sand below your dimension specification. Start with 60 grit sand paper and move to smoothed grits in a couple steps to 200 grit.

If tapering a yard arm, the wood is tapered on one end, then reversed in the three jaw chuck and tapered on the other end. The narrow sections at the tips can be formed with careful application of a needle file or diamond file. The three jawed chuck was tightened enough to grip the piece without denting the wood. When the shaping is finished, take the piece out of the lathe and polish it with by pinching the piece between 600 grit paper and sanding length-wise. This will remove ring like scratches make by sanding in the lathe and polish the wood up nicely, so the grain will show better after staining or oiling. Remove all circumferential scratches in the piece.

Admire your handiwork. It should take about 4-10 minutes to shape each piece in your mast and yard work, which is surprisingly fast and is easier than you think.


Use both hands when sanding with the blocks. Below I'm holding one home made block underneath because my other hand is holding the camera.
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Yardarm ready for trimming at the ends
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Finished yard and mast pieces, with yards oiled and ready for rigging.
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If you don't have a lathe, use a drill press!
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I am going to give a go with your drill press method- I have attempted by hand and I’m not getting it right. My only fear is my kit is wood limited and I don’t have that many learning experiences left. Thanks for this advice and all the contributions below
 
GrantTyler said:
I am going to give a go with your drill press method- I have attempted by hand and I’m not getting it right. My only fear is my kit is wood limited and I don’t have that many learning experiences left. Thanks for this advice and all the contributions below
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You mentioned things in South Africa are doing so well, with the mail being unreliable and all. Can you obtain extra wooden dowels to practice? As long as you go slow, and watch so that the dowel remains slightly compressed between the center it spins on at the bottom and the chuck at the top, and take regular measurements to ensure that the diameter and shape is going right, you should be successful. Good luck!
 
You can use a hand drill attached to the table. In this way you are not limited to a max wood length. I use a piece of sand paper that I move along the dowel excerting a smal pressure with my fingers. Yes, it will start to be hot. You take your finger off and a few seconds later start again. You need to measure constantly to achieve a good tapering. I have always done it in that way.
 
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To the method described here I would add that a good method of preventing (or at least decreasing) the bend, caused by the lathe or drill chuck jaws is to wrap the dowel into 2-3 runs of masking tape.
János
 
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