Needle Box Working Drawing

NEEDLE CASES

TURNING SEQUENCE

1.

 Mount the blank between centers and turn to a maximum diameter cylinder.

2. 

Turn a 1/8” long spigot at each end to fit a spigot chuck.  I use an Axminster chuck with 1” box-turning jaws.

3.

Mark for parting off according to the drawing and part off with a narrow parting tool.

4. 

Mount the lid in the chuck.  True up any eccentricity and turn the end concave.  Turn to a finished diameter plus 1/8”.  Mark the center with a skew.

5. 

Drill out the lid according to the drawing. 

6.

Mount the body in the chuck.  True up any eccentricity and turn the end concave.  Turn to the finished diameter plus 1/8”.  Mark the center with a skew.

7. 

Drill out the body according to the drawing.   

8. 

Turn the spigot for the lid with the lid with a curved-edge skew chisel.  Carefully fit the lid to the spigot.  A tight fit is required for finish turning the lid and body as a unit.

9. 

Turn the body to within 1/16” of the final diameter.

10. 

Mount the lid to the body.

11. 

Turn the lid to design.  Include a break line on the body, or turn beads on both the body and lid at the join.  Sand the lid.

12. 

Turn the body to design except for any finial and sand.  The lid may or may not have been removed for the turning of the body.

13. 

Mount the lid to the body and apply your finish to the lid and body.  Allow to dry then wax and polish.

14. 

This is very important: Ease the fit of the lid and body with the curved-edge skew chisel.  Small adjustments may be made with 320 grit sandpaper.  Needle cases require a fit tight enough for the lid and body to stay together but not so tight that the contents go flying when the lid is removed.

15. 

Start the turning of any finial on the body.  Complete as much of this turning as you can prior to parting off.  Part off the body

16. 

Reverse the body on a drill bit, rod or mandrel held in a chuck.  Complete turning the end of the body.  Then sand, finish and wax the body.

17. 

Finished diameters are approximately as follows in the table below.  Diameters are in inches.