How to Make a Wooden Ornament on a Lathe

Anytime is a good time to work with Proxxon tools, but the holidays offer exceptional opportunities to make special items. Today I'm sharing how I turned this wooden ornament on the Proxxon Micro Woodturning Lathe.

Supplies and Equipment

• ½" hard wood dowel, 8" to 9" in length
• Small eye screw
• Proxxon Micro Woodturning Lathe
• Proxxon Micro Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
• Bowl gouge turning tool
• Center square
• Sandpaper in varying grits—100, 150, 220, 320, 400
• Polishing wax

Instructions

1. Using a center square mark the center of the dowel.
   
2. Use an awl to pierce a pilot hole in the center of the dowel.
   
3. Load the unmarked end of the dowel into the chuck on the headstock. 
   
4. Mount the tail stock firmly into the divot that you pierced in Step 2.
   
5. Begin shaping the piece using a bowl gouge.
   
6. While the piece is still intact, but not quit finished, begin the sanding process. While the lathe is turning use progressively finer grits of sandpaper is smooth the piece. I started with 100 grit and moved to 150, 220, 320, and finally, 400.
   
7. Carefully continue to shape the narrow end of the piece alternating with the bowl gouge and sandpaper until the tail piece falls away.
8. Polish with wax while the remaining piece is still in the lathe.
   
9. Remove the piece from the lathe, and cut away the end using the bandsaw.
10. Lightly sand the cut edge on the disc sander, and polish the end with wax.
    
11. Attach a small eye screw to the wide end.

Hang your ornament and enjoy!!

Carole