Queen 4 poster bed project.

[Bryan Cowing]

With lots of log run ash sitting on the floor taking up space behind the Table Saw, building a 4 poster bed should use most of it up. The knots I will try and position to the bottom of the ball top turning . So far have cut 20 pieces 11.5" long to glue up. The post will be made from 3 separate turnings.
IMG_4905.jpg

[Bryan Cowing]

I now have the mid section of the post glued up. Ran out of C & F clamps and energy!
Last one I put 8 Bessey K body clamps along the edges. IMG_4906.jpg

[Bryan Cowing]

Took all day to make up the turning blanks! IMG_4907.jpg

[Don Kondra]

I'm always surprised how much wood it takes to make up posts

Jumping ahead here a bit but how do you connect the sections ?

I use a piece of 1 3/4" dowel and everytime I do it I curse my under powered drill press, he, he...

Cheers, Don

[Bryan Cowing]

I'm always surprised how much wood it takes to make up posts

Jumping ahead here a bit but how do you connect the sections ?

I use a piece of 1 3/4" dowel and everytime I do it I curse my under powered drill press, he, he...

Cheers, Don

I will turn a 1.5" x 2" L pin, slightly undersized on the end of one piece and drill in the lathe the other with a forstner bit. For the ball tops, this also gives me a way to hold the ball in a chuck and part off the waste & sand. Be nice to have a forstner bit set with a larger point to match the hole left by the lathe centres.

[Don Kondra]

Thanks Brian,

I guess I'm too "thrifty" to "waste" a couple of inches on the end of a five or six inch thick post

Cheers, Don

[Bryan Cowing]

Tonight , after work, I ruffed out the tops. Using the Vega copier, it takes on average 7 minutes each.

I left a 1 &7/8" pin on the bottom, 2" long, for attachment to the mid section.

IMG_4909.jpg

[Bryan Cowing]

I have one mid section ruffed out. A few knot areas needed plastic wood filler.IMG_4910.jpg

[Bryan Cowing]

I now have one bottom section done. Blank weighs 23.4 pounds, and 18.6 after turning. I put all the pieces on the bath scale and it's just over 29 pounds. I started out at 300 rpm, slowly worked my way up to 1500 rpm as the turning progressed.I kept the speed below the shaking speed, around 2000 rpm.
P.S. I found only one of the big ones is balanced for a higher speed. One I got to keep it on #2, aprox 660 rpm. Anything more and the lathe starts moving!!!IMG_4912.jpg

[Tim Regis]

Hey Bryan,

The two things that jumped out at me are; firstly how many clamps you used per glue up, I need more clamps bad... and secondly you talk about a few knot areas needing plastic wood filler. What does the filler do? adds strength to the area and doesn't allow the knot to move or come out? Does it act like wood, do you sand it out like normal, does it take stain like wood?

Thanks
Tim