Turning a Rosette (Roundel)

[Steve Jones]

I am not sure this is of much interest, it's not particularly exciting but I thought it showed how I grind a scraper to make it more versatile. With a negative rake it cuts fairly poor quality timber reasonably clean. I grind the edges so in effect you have three cutting sides although the sides will only cut clean at the last 3/8".
I know it's not how you should grind but you all know me by now I have some rather unusual methods passed on from a long family history.
These poplar rosettes are for fire surrounds to be painted so a 180 grit finish will suffice.  I used to make hundreds of these but most manufacturers now use a cutter in a pillar drill (Booo!)

 https://youtu.be/OOxjDydEXLY

[Mark Sanger]

Hi Steve

It is always interesting for me to watch other skilled turners and how they work, the tick tick of y our Wadkin is also hypnotic to listen to so I very much enjoyed it.

[GBF]

Super work Steve and I could listen to that lathe all day

Regards George

[Steve Jones]

Thanks Mark and George, it's always good to get a response. Yes the old Watkin has got a character and thankfully I get to listen to it all day.

[Bryan Milham]

Steve,

Apart from the joy in watching a craftsman at work, I see the bigger picture in the videos you post. The recoding for posterity the way you work and the hand skills and tools learned and designed through your families generations.

To some people your work may be of no interest, to us of a like mind it is an opportunity to see how it should be done and fro the generations to come, how it was done.

Please post anything like this, you will find a willing audience in this forum.

[Steve Jones]

Thanks Bryan, for your comments. It's good to know that people enjoy the videos.
It's something that had not crossed  my mind but yes it is a great way to record the way I work for posterity and if anyone can pick up a few tips that's even better.

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Somewhere in the dark recesses of my workshop is a faceplate jig for holding 3" squares that I would turn rosettes into, they were used on the corners of architraves.  Also somewhere is the old file that had been ground to the shape so that we just pushed it in and the shape came out. I have to say Steve that your way demonstrates more skill at work whereas my old way was probably the forerunner of the drill bit method that I (until the recession) used but still on the lathe.
 I echo Bryans comments about your films forming an archive that could be quite important/useful to future generations.

[Steve Jones]

Thanks John, your old file is typical of the old pro's who found ways to produce things as quick as possible to produce items at a competitive price. This is a skill in it's self and it is a shame that the recession and automation wiped out the vast majority of hand woodturners. It is good that old production turners like yourself are still turning and encouraging others by teaching and demostrating while also producing beautiful work.This is essential for the craft to continue.

[bodrighywood]

With the advent of so many new tools and equipment it is perhaps all too easy for them to supplant basic skills. I learned to turn in school with no chucks, basic tols etc and still find myself resorting to the old ways to solve problems. Videos such as yours are great for showing the skill side of things in a simple way that we all need to either learn or go back to. Keep 'em coming.

pete

[Steve Jones]

Thanks Pete, will video more if / when I am doing something that I think will be of interest.

[Bryan Milham]

I think it was in a Trend routing catalogue that I saw the Rosette cutter years ago, no idea if it's still available.  It took the job of producing them from a skilled person to one that operates a machine! But all you get is the one shape it cuts.

Steve, you said you made them for 'Fire Surrounds', I can see that and as long as they match, any pair would do, but I know them more for the Georgian doors and presumably other Georgian architraves.

I’ve not looked closely enough to see if they are all the same or if there are local, regional or even turner specific designs. I would imagine there will always be a small market for reproduction parts to match the existing architrave in a house  restoration project.

[Steve Jones]

Bryan, this pattern is one for fireplaces but I have done many patterns. I do get the odd few to copy for architrave but they are never many off and usually smaller than the fireplace style. It still works out cheaper for the customer when I copy in small numbers than make special cutters, so yes a small market remains but they are very spasmodic.