A Little Iron Work Some Quick Twisted Spindles

This afternoon a friend asked me if I had a good way to draw twisted iron spindles similar to the one on the left in the photograph. I hadnt really thought about drawing an iron railing before but I realized that drawing these twisted spindles could utilize a method similar to the finials I drew a little while back.

Three plugins will help to make quick work of this. They are DrawHelix 1.4, Weld and Extrude Edges by Rails. Im also going to divide the spindle into smaller components to keep the file size down. I think this is important since in a typical model, the spindle would only be a small part of the entire thing.

In this example I am creating a spindle that is 3/4 inches square.

The first step is to create the helixes for the twist. I activated DrawHelix from the Draw menu. The plugin asks for start and end radii, pitch and the number of turns I calculated the radius by multiplying 3/4 by 0.707. I set Pitch to 8 inches and set the number of turns to 1. The helix is drawn as a group centered on the origin and starting on the red axis. Next I rotate/copied it through 90°.

Next, with the Line tool, I drew a line between the bottom ends of the two helixes. I then divided the line into four segments and immediately after, I welded the segments together. Although the line will look the same as before this divide and weld step is required for the Extruded Edges by Rails step coming up. I chose to divide the line into four but it could have been 2 or more. The more segments you choose, the smoother the twist will be but that comes at the cost of a larger file size.

The helix groups were exploded and then the entire model was scaled up by a factor of 100. I drew a 1 inch long line off to the side a bit and measured that with the Tape Measure tool. I typed 100, hit Enter and clicked on Yes. Later, when it is time to scale back down, I just repeat the process but type 1.

Now it is time to start the extrusion. Activate Extrude Edges by Rails from the toolbar. The plugin directs you to first select the profile, then the first rail followed by the second rail and finally it asks for a melding profile. The line at the bottom is the profile. After it is selected it shows in cyan. The helixes are the rails and show in two shades of magenta after they are selected. For this profile, well click on the profile line for the melding profile.

After the extrusion is made you have to make some choices. Most of the answers will be no but you should answer Yes to deleting coplanar edges, reversing faces if the back face is on the outside, smoothing edges and deleting original lines as those are no longer needed. the extrusion is made as a group.

Scale the model back down at this point. Then explode the group and make it a component. Doing this after scaling back down ensures that the component definition is set at the correct size.

Rotate/copy the component 90° and make three copies to complete the four-sided twist. We now have a twisted square section that is 8 inches long.

Make a Move copy the four sides up 8 inches and make two additional copies. Now we have a 24 inch long twist with three turns. The spindles overall length is to be 34 inches so I moved the twist components up 5 inches.

For the ends of the spindle I drew a square across the end of the twisted portion. Then I made a 1/8 inch Offset to the outside.

I used Push/Pull to pull the outside down 1 inch and the center down 5".

To create the grooves around the square block I drew an arc to create a profile for Follow Me. Note the arc only has 4 side instead of the default 12. the grooves are very tiny details and dont need a lot of segments to read correctly in the drawing. Reducing the segment count here helpd to keep file size down.

The arc is copied down for the second groove. Follow Me is run around the block to create both grooves and the spindle end is made into a component.

The spindle end is copied to the top and flipped along the components blue axis. Then all of the components are selected and a nested component is created. This component is then saved for later use.

The spindle component drawn as I have done here makes a component that is only about 47 Kb. If it were drawn without using components for sub-assemblies, it saves out at over 450 Kb. By itself thats not all that large but when combined with other parts in a larger model, the total file size could get to be quite large. A component of less than 50 Kb will have miniimal effect on the overall file size.

Dave

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Using Woodworking Plans For Easy Woodworking Projects

Woodworking Projects Made Easy With Woodworking Plans
How To Use Woodworking Plans For Your Next Woodwork Project

Have you finished any DIY woodworking projects before? If youve done it youre aware of the fact that a good construction requires some really good planning. If this is your first try its important to make sure that youve got a plan before you start.

It doesnt have to be difficult to come up with a plan for the project youre considering to start with and the project will much more likely become as you want it to be if you take yourself time to plan everything carefully before you start using your tools.

One easy way to find a good plan for your woodworking project is to look online. The net is full of interesting woodworking plans for DIY projects and you will be amazed by how easy it is to find one that seems to be suitable for you. You will in most cases be able to choose between hundreds, or even thousands of woodworking plans and most of them are really good and easy to follow.

When youve decided what plan you would like to use its time to take a closer look at it. You might need to search a little on the net in order to learn more about woodworking before youre ready to start. Its important that you have some knowledge on the topic before you start building something yourself, its more difficult than you might think and its easy to get hurt unless youre careful.

If youve read plenty about DIY woodworking projects on the net but would like to get some answers to things that you think is difficult to understand its wise to register for a member account on a forum regarding woodworking. You will soon discover that there are several forums to choose between and other members will be able to help you get an answer to every question you might have.

The most important thing when youre into woodworking is the safety. You always need to be aware of the fact that you can get hurt if youre not careful. This is important to keep in mind even if youve completed many woodworking projects before. Its actually easier for experienced constructors to get hurt since they are usually more careless than beginners.

As you can see you need to do three things to start with. Find a good woodworking plan, learn as much as you can about woodworking and be as careful as you can when you start working with the project.

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Revealed 5 Simple Ways To Make Money Woodworking

If you have a flair for making things using wood, then you can really make a career in WOODWORKING . Wood is a wonderful thing to work with, and if you can use it to create things that people want then you’ve got a great chance of building a good business.Here,I would be discussing 5 cool ways you can make money woodworking and they are as follows.

• Focus On A Niche
The key to getting started is to find out what you are good at. It is important for you to find your own unique selling point to differentiate yourself from the competition. You can begin by doing what you feel capable and comfortable with.

• Determine Your Customers
It is important for you to determine who your customers will be. You might decide only to make items for a certain age group or for a certain use. If you are into school furniture then you know your customer base would be made up mainly of school owners.

• Have An Online Presence
The importance of having an online presence is often underestimated. You should create a website and upload samples or photographs of previous work done for people to see as this would assure them that you are capable. It is also a smart way of getting additional customers as people can find out about your business by doing a search online and would be redirected to your site or they can be referred by satisfied customers to your website.

• Advertise! Advertise!! Advertise!!!
If you create a product or have a specialty and no one knows about it then how do you expect to make money from it? You can advertise by placing adverts in the local media like T.V, Newspapers and Magazines related to your niche or you can advertise using online means like Media Buys or on Social Networking sites. This will get your art, crafts or furniture to a larger audience. You can also create brochures or fliers which you can give away at supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants, bus-stands e.t.c

• Attend Local Craft Fairs And Trade Shows
As a serious woodworker looking to increase your portfolio, you should endeavour to attend trade shows, craft fairs, and other events related to your product. Craft fairs all over the country are often populated by people who put their woodworking skills to good use, and it is an opportunity to attract more customers by giving away leaflets, business cards or pamphlets and also to showcase your products.
You really can make a lot of money by carving out a new career in woodworking as the possibilities are endless and your skill level doesn’t matter.

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Eugene Landon

A profile of Gene Landon appeared in the 2004/2005 issue of Tools & Shops.
Photo: Michael Pekovich
I regret to have to announce that my friend and long time author for Fine Woodworking magazine, Eugene E. Landon has passed away after a heart attack. My condolences go to his wife Jane, and son Ben.
Gene first appeared in Fine Woodworking when a Queen Anne chair he made was on the back cover or the March/April 1980 issue. From then on he was a regular contributor of articles on various aspects of making period furniture. Like many period furniture makers, Gene gained a lot of his knowledge from restoring antiques. By taking apart original pieces he could see how they were made, and examin minutely the tool marks left on the piece. His goal was to try and replicate an original as closely as possible and he claimed that a couple of his chairs had sold at auction listed as 18th century originals.
I was a little nervous before my first visit to see Gene at his shop in Montoursville, PA. A colleague who had previously worked with him described him as difficult. Gene was certainly not lacking in strong opinions on politics, furniture designs, and even his fellow period furniture makers, but  apparently he had mellowed considerably after his first heart attack (before I knew him), and like his two German shepherds, Chippendale and Queen Anne, he was all bark and no bite. Gene was economical with his words when it came to manuscripts - an outline on a postcard was often the limit. Therefore, as well as taking photos, I asked a lot of questions and kept copious notes. After writing the article, I faxed it to Gene for him to look over. The fax was Genes only concession to "modern" communication. It still used thermal paper, and when Gene learnt to his dismay that the company was discontinuing this paper he bought every box his could find. Luckily Gene liked the manuscript, commenting "Youre observant arent you!"
A few years later, I got to see another aspect of Genes life when he generously invited me as a guest to one of the classes he regularly taught at Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe in York, PA. Most of the students had taken numerous classes and regarded Gene as something closer to a furniture guru rather than a mere teacher. One of his students, Rick Vannan, recently published a book about Gene entitled 18th Century Cabinetmaking: A forgotten art. You can purchase a copy by calling him at 330 705 2827 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            330 705 2827      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.


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Top 5 Woodworking Projects You Can Start Right Now

Top 6 Woodworking Ideas To Do During Vacations
Most Popular Woodworking Crafts and Projects To Do

Is it finally time for the yearly vacation? Its always very hard to wait for the vacation to take place but now its finally here and youve hopefully got plenty of time for fun things. A very good thing with having a vacation is that you will have some time for woodwork plans that you havent got time for when youre working.

Have you got any woodwork plans that you would like to look closer into now when youre free from work? You will have time to finish at least one of them during your time off and I can almost guarantee that you will feel very satisfied when youve finished one of your dream projects. This is something you do for yourself, not for an employer and that usually feels very good.

Have you always wanted to build a cradle for your newly born child? Well, now is the right time to do it if you want it to ever happen. This is a great woodwork plan and it can remain a lifelong memory for you as well as your child. Make sure to spend as much time as needed on this project, dont rush things since the result will be much more satisfying if youre careful and do everything properly.

Would you like to create a nice looking armchair for your old grandma? Thats a great thought and you should definitely go ahead and do it right now if this is something youve always wanted to do. It can take some time but youve probably got several weeks vacation to spend on the project. Just imagine how happy grandma will be when you show her the new armchair youve built for her.

Would you like to build a new shed in the garden where you can place all your golfing equipment? There are plenty of great woodwork plans online that you can get inspired by in case you would like to construct a shed. This is a great thing to build since you will have room for other things than your golfing equipment as well.

Would you like to construct a new table for the kitchen? I bet your wife would be very happy if you gave her a new kitchen table when your vacation is over. Thats a woodwork plan worth considering. A new rocking chair is another thing that could be nice to have in the living room where you or a family member of yours could sit and read. Another great alternative when youre trying to choose one woodwork plan to start with would be to build a large new dog yard.

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Unisaw More Work on the Case

Yesterday I completed the rust and paint removal by breaking out my Compact Air Needle Scaler - picked this up a few months ago when it was on sale for about $20 at Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/compact-air-needle-scaler-96997.html). I also have a full-sized unit but it wouldnt fit inside the cabinet sideways, so I was lucky to have the "mini-me" sized version.

Ive never tried using one before - had only heard about people having success when them in rust and paint removal. This pneumatic tool vibrates a series of fat, wire-like nails that force paint and rust off metal. It worked extremely well, especially for the corners and inside edges that I couldnt get to with the wire cup brush. I followed up with a tiny bit of media blasting then worked everything over with a dual-action sander. Finally I shot the whole thing with some primer.

Initial layer of Primer

Finished the primer around 3:00 PM

Today I took out the case and took a more critical look at any bad dents and scratches, which lead me to a some light bondo work. I hit the low spots, waited for it to dry then worked them out. Im not looking for perfection so there are still many small spots - most will work out with some light sanding. I just knew that when I shoot the gloss gray on it that the larger defects (which are mostly dents) will show under my shop lights - so the effort was to make things better (A.K.A. minimum effort) and not worry about perfection. I didnt bother with the inside.

Light bondo and sanded out

I then re-sprayed the whole case with a second coat of primer and this is the result:

Once it was dry to the touch I brought it inside to completely dry and set-up. I guess its time to order the bearings and belts.

-- John

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Woodwork Projects

Would you like to start some woodwork projects? It isnt exactly easy, at the least not if you like to become really good at what you are doing, however, it is fun and its worth the whole effort of course. You will need some guidance though and you will get it on the net if you would like to allow it to be as easy as possible yourself.

The internet is stuffed with an array of informations as you probably know already and you will be in a position to read as well as you wish about woodwork projects there. You will also be capable of find countless woodworking plans online. Its generally of massive importance to discover the accuracy though because there are a few plans on the net which shouldnt be there at all. I suggest you only use simple, easy and accurate woodworking plans initially since that will make it less complicated for you to succeed and that should make the woodwork projects a lot more fun as you will soon discover.

You are able to subscribe to a woodworking magazine if you desire to try another alternative. The woodworking plans that may be found in magazines are mostly accurate and easy to comply with and you will absolutely get some positive results once you go through the plans. The disadvantages with magazines often is the price. Youll definitely have to spend more to obtain woodworking plans from the magazines than if you ever explore the web. Its a lot more simpler to use the net but you really should try to keep your eyes open and look with a critical eye prior to beginning following any plans.

One thing to keep in mind initially tends to be that its good to start with some simple woodwork projects where you could use hand tools to perfect the work. You might want to learn to handle hand tools before you commence using heavier tools. Its very important for your own personal safety that you learn much about the woodworking craft before you start using heavier tools.

Have a look online and see what you could understand there. You will likely be able to find a pretty good online guide for woodwork projects for rookies plus the same site might offer you some quality hand tools as well. Some knowledge and good hand tools is all you will need to start. You will be able to improve own furniture within a few years should you start practicing right away. 

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