Prototype sticks

We finally began to thaw yesterday morning. Spent the morning yesterday ripping stock and working on a couple jigs for finishing the butts and tips. The lathe is running better and better as I work through some bugs in the system. With it being abnormally cold here in Louisiana, I'm very happy with my oil pan heater that I installed on the hydraulic tank. It keeps the oil warm through the night and takes a lot of strain off the pump motor on initial start up. Before running any product through I still have to cycle it through several times just to be sure the oil in the lines is warm. Some lessons I've learned about turning sticks....sharp tooling and good stock. The stock is a key element. The moisture content needs to be good. I noticed a difference between a couple boards from different suppliers. If it is to dry, the wood doesn't curl when cut with the gouge and you get a splintering on the butt chuck piece from the back knife.

The video below is a longer run of sticks and, go figure, the steady rest gremlin came in on the last piece. I'm still figuring that one out. I feel like its in the pneumatic (air) controller valve. I'll post some pics of the finished sticks later.

Enjoy!