Turning Wood Deck Spindles

I watch videos and read blogs all the time of other woodworkers turning bowls, spindles, and big tree trunks into everything. I've seen the tree trunks turned into unique speakers, and small maple limbs turned into drumsticks. I love watching these videos. I learn so much from watching. Lately I have been researching tool care. Sharpening lathe knives and care for the motor and bearings on the lathe is essential for proper turning. Learning about the different knives is also very important.

Last summer I was asked by my ex-wife’s grandfather if I would be interested in making replacement porch railing spindles. There were about 6-8 that had rotted out and fell off. Of course I said yes and got to work on the timeframe and dimensions of each. He needed about 8 spindles and gave me one in fairly good condition for me to use as a stencil for the new ones. When I got home I searched through my wood rack and pulled out a few pine 2x6’s and 2x4’s and ripped them down to 1.5”x1.5”x32”. Then they sat for about 6 months because he said he didn’t actually need them yet. In the meantime I got my lathe cleaned up and running smooth again.

I had a 1938 Craftsman 8”x36” cast iron lathe that I bought from a guy I knew who had an amazing workshop but was moving and wanted to sell all of his tools because he just never used them and needed the money more than the tools. We basically bartered for it. I did some work for him and in exchange he gave me the lathe, a motor, and all the knives and a center finder. I used the lathe for a couple other small projects and it ran pretty well. Then I started the spindles and noticed some significant vibration while it was on. I figured out it was the bearing sleeves in the head stock. I went to Granger and bought new ones, fixed them up and it worked 100x better than before. There was still vibration but not noticeable unless your hand was on the head stock feeling for it. Check out the video here:

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Of course there will be hiccups and mistakes made on the work pieces and each piece is unique so none were an exact match to the original, but they were all 99% exact. I didn’t have a stencil attachment to use so it was all done freehand. To me, freehanding gives each piece its own unique characteristics. In that, it makes each piece one of a kind. Antiques are perfect examples of this. 100 years ago there weren’t very many stenciles to make multiple pieces of furniture or spindles from and they all match 100% to the rest. Each piece was made individually and had its own characteristics. Yes, each was one in a group but still unique due to its own flaws in the wood or cut or chisel mark. To know that someone 100 years ago touched this piece in my hand right now is mind blowing. Someone in a workshop made this piece that is still solid and still holds up to anything manufactured now is astounding. That is real quality workmanship. That maker put his heart and sould into making things and I’m holding one of many pieces in my hand. It’s amazing.