Fluting turned legs?

[Sammy]

I am interested in making tapered legs, and then fluting them. My Grizzly lathe has stops that will allow me to flute them, but I don't know how to do it? Is there a router jig out there for this purpose?

[Andy Dingley]

OK, so that's half your jig made then.

The other half of it is usually a U shaped "gutter"; three strips of ply or MDF to make a box that's rather bigger than you workpiece. You sit it on the bench or lathe bed and it gives you two guide surfaces a little higher than the workpiece. On these, you run a router (or even a hand scratch stock).

The gutter jig needs to be parallel to the lathe axis and spaced so the router is running exactly on the centre. I've seen this done with a custom router base with its own fixed fence - very quick to set up.

If your legs are tapered, or if you want tapered reeding, make the top of the gutter slope up or downwards to match.

If you're doing this for production, you can use a scrap lathe bed to house the jig, rather than your turning lathe.

IMHO, you can't cut V shaped reeds on a router. They always have a flat at the tip, and it just screams "routed" at me. Even if you removed the wood with a router, sort out a V-pointed scratch stock to tidy up that tip.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Phisherman]

It is easy to make one. Use MDF or quality scrap ply to make a carriage that fits over the rails of your lathe. I use this method to make sliding dovetail joints in a pedestal table base to attach the legs.

[George M. Kazaka]

Andy FWIW you van get a "V" shaped router bit without a flat bottom 60 or

90 degree's

[Andy Dingley]

You can get them, but they don't cut a vee groove.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Sammy]

Thanks to all for your input. I ordered the book, am looking forward to actually using the lathe.

[Howard Ruttan]

Yes, but you have to make it. Check out Ernie Conover's Turning for Furniture book and video.

[Scott Cramer]

On 09 Nov 2003, Andy Dingley spake unto rec.woodworking:

Once I finish making the cupboard doors and drawers for The Interminable Bathroom Renovation Project, I am going to make a mahogany two-drawer end table with reeded legs. I bought two of these:

though I haven't had a chance to experiment yet, the points certainly look sufficiently sharp to do a decent job. I'll post some pics when I get up and running on the project.

Scott