This walnut candlestick is a delightful piece. It is full of graceful curves and stands up on the "points" of its square bottom. To turn this piece, I made it from two separate pieces; the stem and the base. Turning the stem is quite straightforward. I used a drill bit designed to cut a tapered hole to accommodate candles. This is the first step. You can either use a drill press, or your lathe if you have a chuck to fit your tailstock. Once the hole is drilled, use a cone shaped live center in the tailstock to center the hole and turn the stem between centers. Next, cut a 1/2" tenon on bottom end of the stem. The cut down to the beginning of the tenon needs to be slightly concave so there will not be a gap when the stem is fastened to the base. To shape the stem, I used a 1/2" gouge ground to about a 30 degree bevel. I use the gouge at an angle and allow the bevel to ride on the stock. I find this to be an easy method to make the curves you see here. Turn your stock down to a little over finish dimensions. You will complete the stem once the base is attached.

For the base, select a square piece of walnut that is a little thicker that the height of the base. If it is not square, true it up at this point. I drilled a hole through the base that would accommodate the screw chuck that came with my stronghold chuck and attached the base with the top side toward the headstock. Again with my 1/2" gouge, I started shaping the under side of the base. Start near the center and work your way out with each successive cut. When you are working at the corners use extreme caution. Put weight on the gouge so you are pressing it down into the tool rest. It will respond less to the gaps between rotating corners. You also need to pay close attention to how your gouge is oriented. You want to be cutting with the tip of the gouge with the bevel touching or floating in the gaps. You do not want your gouge moving in and out as the wood and gaps come past. If you do this part correctly, you can achieve a fairly smooth cut. You can also use a round nosed scraper here, though it leaves a rougher surface. Sand the underside being careful that the rotating corners do not catch hold of your sandpaper or your fingers.

I then cut a recess in the underside of the base so I can grab it with the jaws of the stronghold chuck. I later filled in this recess with a piece of aspen. This provided a nice surface on which to sign and date the piece as well as to hide the joint.

To shape the topside of the base, I used the same technique as on the bottom. Start at the center and cut to the outside. Form the curves you want and again leave it a little larger than your finish size. Glue the stem and base together, grab the base with an expanding chuck, and bring your live cone center up against the hole in the top of the stem. Now turn to finish dimensions and bring the curves of the base and stem together.

I finished my candlestick with a buffed wax finish. I thought it would be more easily repaired if damaged by hot candle wax than another type of finish. But that can be your choice.

Good Luck!

Ellis Hein
ebhein@coffey.com
websites.celltech.com/healthhelps/turnings.html