The two projects at a glance
| Build | Difficulty | Time | Stock | Holding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four coasters, 4 × 1/2 in | Intermediate | A day, plus glue and finish drying | Four 4-1/2 × 4-1/2 × 3/4 in hardwood blanks; scrap for four backing blocks | Faceplate and glued backing block |
| Four drawer knobs | Beginner to intermediate | An afternoon, plus finish | One 1-1/2 × 1-1/2 × 10 in hardwood blank | Between centres |
Tools: a bowl gouge or scraper for the coasters, a spindle gouge and parting tool for the knobs, calipers, a handsaw, wood glue and clamps, abrasives to 220 grit.
Faceplate and spindle work differ in grain direction and in how the work is held, as woodturning basics explains. Turn a first plain spindle — how to use a lathe — before either.
Build 1: coasters on a backing block
| Part | Qty | Size (in) | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coaster blank | 1 | 4-1/2 × 4-1/2 × 3/4, corners sawn off | Hardwood, flat, no cracks |
| Backing block | 1 | 3 dia × 3/4, faces flat and parallel | Scrap hardwood or plywood |
| Screws | As the faceplate takes | Non-tapered heads; no more than 1/2 in into the block | Steel |
Make four. The block must be wide enough for your faceplate's screw holes; 3 in is shown. A screw that goes 1/2 in into a 3/4 in block stops 1/4 in short of the glue line.
Turning a coaster
Prepare the blank
Cut the blank 4-1/2 in square and saw off the corners so it is as close to round as you can make it, as Grizzly does before mounting. Mark its centre on the back face.
Glue on the backing block
Drill a 1/4 in hole through the centre of the block, sight the blank's centre mark through it, and glue and clamp the block to the back of the blank, as Grizzly describes. Let the glue cure for the time its maker gives; see how to use wood glue.
Mount
Screw the faceplate to the block only, with non-tapered-head screws — Grizzly warns that tapered heads can split the faceplate or snap off. Thread the faceplate fully onto the spindle and lock it as your lathe's manual sets out; on the G0844, with two set screws.
Set the speed and true it
The squared-off blank sweeps about 6-3/8 in, so rough at the speed your chart gives for that size — 380 rpm on Grizzly's G0844 chart. Turn the edge round to 4 in, then the face flat, cutting from the rim towards the centre.
Detail, sand and finish
Ease the top edge, and add a shallow groove if you like. Lathe off and rest moved away, sand to 220 grit at a slow speed with the paper folded, and apply a finish whose maker says it resists water.
Part off
Mark 1/2 in back from the face. Part in just behind the mark towards the centre, but not all the way through, as WEN does; stop the lathe and finish the cut with a handsaw.
Finish the back
Sand the back flat on a sheet of abrasive on a flat surface, and add a cork or felt pad if you want one. Re-face or replace the backing block before the next coaster.
Build 2: four drawer knobs
| Part | Qty | Size (in) | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blank | 1 | 1-1/2 × 1-1/2 × 10 | Close-grained hardwood, straight grain |
| Knob (turned) | 4 | Head 1-1/4 dia × 5/8; neck 3/4 to 1/2 dia × 1/2; tenon 3/8 dia × 1/2 | From the blank |
Each knob glues into a 3/8 in hole 1/2 in deep. In a 3/4 in drawer front that leaves 1/4 in behind the hole; thinner fronts need a shorter tenon.
Turning the knobs
Mount and rough
Mount the blank between centres and rough it to about 1-3/8 in at the speed your chart gives for its 2-1/8 in diagonal — 760 rpm on Grizzly's G0844 chart.
Lay out
Lathe stopped: mark 1-3/8 in of waste at each end, then four knobs of 1-5/8 in with 1/4 in between them, and within each knob the 5/8 in head, the 1/2 in neck and the 1/2 in tenon.
Make a test hole
Drill a 3/8 in hole in scrap with the bit you will use in the drawers, so each tenon can be sized to it rather than to a nominal figure.
Size and shape
Size each head to 1-1/4 in and each tenon with a parting tool and calipers, checking against the test hole; then taper each neck from 3/4 in to 1/2 in and round each head with a spindle gouge, working downhill.
Sand and finish
Lathe off and rest moved away, sand to 220 grit at a slow speed and apply finish with the lathe stopped.
Separate
Part each gap down to about 1/4 in, stop the lathe and saw the knobs apart, then sand each dome by hand. Easy Wood Tools warns never to part right through between centres.
Fit
Drill 3/8 in holes 1/2 in deep in the drawer fronts, and glue the tenons in. Drilling to depth is covered in the drill guide.
Safety— Faceplate and spindle safety
Check the glue has cured and the faceplate is locked before switching on, start at the lowest speed standing out of the work's path, keep the tool on the rest, and part short and saw with the lathe stopped. Your lathe's own rules come first; see the lathe guide and woodworking safety rules.
Before turning either project
- Backing block glued, cured and flat; screws into the block only
- Faceplate threaded fully on and locked
- Speed read from your chart for the blank's sweep
- Test hole drilled for sizing the tenons
- Rest close and locked; work turned by hand
- A saw ready for the final separation
Sources
Both are BenchRoot designs; every dimension is on the drawings and in the cut lists, and the arithmetic — layer thicknesses, knob spacing, tenon depth — was checked. Mounting follows Grizzly's backing-block method and screw rule; speeds are read from Grizzly's G0844 chart as an example. The designs were not turned for this page. No downloadable plan is offered.
- 1.
Model G0844 14" x 20" Benchtop Wood Lathe, Owner's Manual. Grizzly Industrial, 2019.
Used for: Faceplate turning; mounting work on a backing block glued and clamped to it, its faces flat and parallel, with a 1/4 in hole through its centre to sight the work's centre mark; only screws with non-tapered heads, because tapered heads can split the faceplate or snap off; the faceplate threaded fully on and locked with its set screws; corners cut off the blank to bring it close to round; the speed chart — 6–8 in: 380 rpm roughing; 2–4 in: 760 rpm — and low speeds for large or out-of-round work.
- 2.
Model 34034 14" x 20" Variable Speed Wood Lathe, Instruction Manual. WEN Products (store-hosted copy), 2019.
Used for: Faceplate mounting for flat work; the separation begun with a parting tool but not cut all the way through; sanding with the paper folded, never wrapped; finish applied with the lathe off.
- 3.
Easy Parting Tool — product information and safety. Easy Wood Tools.
Used for: Never parting completely through between centres: cutting to about 1/4 in and finishing with a handsaw.
About this guide
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