Turning Tagua

IF YOU ARE A TURNER LIKE ME, then you have dozens, maybe dozens of dozens, of scrap pieces of wood lying around the shop. Stored in bags, boxes, bowls or coffee cans in every odd corner of the shop, they are too small to do much with and too good to throw away. So we continue to save them for just the right project. This is just such a project.

I combine these treasured odd bits of woods with different types of palm nuts; I've come up with some interesting variations for using Tagua and other palm seeds, as shown at right. These are only few of the dozens of nut-type seeds that are suitable for turning and can be bought through various sources (A list of suppliers is on the last page of this article).

Most of the seeds are solid throughout, but others have a void. The most troublesome is that of the Tagua Nut. The void inside this nut is fairly unpredictable, and has nothing to do with the shape of the nut. Identical nuts have different voids; nuts with different shapes have different voids. All the voids, however, have deep cracks that will grab your hollowing tool for a nasty catch. The way to minimize this is to take very light cuts during the beginning stages of the hollowing process until the hollow is smoother and friendlier to turn.

Since most of these turnings are small, or even downright tiny, the best hollowing tools for the job are shop make tools, like those shown at the last page of this article. These tools can be as complex as a soldered assembly of high-speed steel cutter to a softer rod or bar (like the "Rosand" tools, shown in American Woodturner, 12.4:30). Or it can be as simple as grinding an edge on an Allen wrench and equipping it with a wooden handle (another good use for small pieces of wood. Notice a few of the handles shown are made from pen blanks). When gluing the Allen Wrench into the handle it is a good idea to align the cutting edge with one corner of the handle (a tip picked up from Jim Kephart). This will give an indication of where the cutting tip is when it is hidden inside the vessel.

Lathes, Chucks, other sundries.

You don't need an expensive chuck to turn these little buggers. You can just as easily turn these vessels with a faceplate. Since many of your "waste" blocks with be the precious scraps you save, they can be mounted on the end of a less important wood. The precious wood then becomes the finished bottom in the last parting cut. You don't need variable speed either, although it is generally more convenient to use. Thickness gauges are fashioned from coat hangers and still other scraps of metal or wood. Designs come from photos in catalogs and magazines.

Mounting nuts for turning

For smaller seeds, simply sand a flat on the end of the seed you want to be the base. Use Super Glue (cyanoacrylate glue), as shown at the right, and turn. For the larger nuts like Uxi and Ivory Palm you can turn a tenon on them before gluing. Turn a matching recess in the "precious" wood to accept the tenon. Then, for variety, before drilling the depth hole, turn and true the end of a contrasting piece of wood to add to the top to form the rim. Fix it with Super Glue. Remember, for larger pieces it is necessary to check the surface for flatness with a metal straight edge. Go ahead, ask me how I know.

Remember the glue joint will be exposed in the finished turning. It should be as tight as possible. Of course, I do not have a drawer full of turnings with fat glue joints. Nor do I have any that have been turned so thin they showed my hollowing tool thru the finished surface.

On a serious note, it is VERY important to be sure the Super Glue is cured before turning the lathe on. When Super Glue is applied thickly, it tends to "case harden." The Still liquid glue, inside, can be thrown out through tiny pores in this skin and deposited on the turner. Please take proper precautions and wear the appropriate safety gear. Give the glue adequate time to cure. Apply it only as thick as you need it to be.

Turning the outside

At this point you must decide on the external shape. Usually the shape of the nut will help you determine it. In the case of Uxi kernels and especially Jessinia Nuts consolidate the piece with thin super glue. Using a 3/4 inch roughing gouge, a fingernail spindle gouge, or a skew as a scraper, turn the outside nearly to completion, as shown at right.

Drilling the maximum depth

Using the desired drill, here a 1/4 inch diameter bit as shown at right, mark the maximum turning depth on the flute of the drill bit, mount it into a Jacobs chuck in the ram of the tailstock and drill the starting hole to the required depth. Be sure to clear the chips often.

Hollowing a nut

Once the starting hole is drilled, you have access to begin hollowing. Turn the rim of the vessel to the desired thickness as shown, top left. Here I'm using a skew as a scraper. After the rim is established and turned to completion. Begin hollowing with a square-end scraper to clear out the waste from the center and create enough room for the hooked tools to work. Choose rather benign hollowing tools at first, taking light cuts to establish the shoulder. In Tagua Nuts be especially careful at this point as the nuts contain misshapen voids and ridges. It is best to tame these right away, as it is the easiest place to catch. Continue hollowing until you reach the desired thickness. Check with a wire gauge, as shown top right. I strive for 1/32 inch of thickness. It is important to develop small hollowing tools to get down to the very bottom to take out the waste material in the foot of the vessel. Since the wood base will remain solid, it is necessary to get rid of as much as weight as possible in the meat of the palm nut. You will notice a poorly balanced vessel, with too much weight in the bottom, as soon as you pick it up. To avoid an overly thick bottom, you can use a small flashlight to check for thick spots. See the darkish area in toward the bottom of photo, second form the top at left. We will continue to turn in this area to eliminate the excess material.

Completing the outside shape

Once the hollowing is complete, you can turn your attention to the outside again. Using a skew as a scraper, gently refine the outside again. Using a skew as a scraper, gently refine the outside shape taking very light cuts. Also start to shape the bottom of the nut as well as the wooden base Fair the curve between the base and the bessel, as shown the previous page. Make a parting cut to establish the lower arris line, as shown in bottom left photo of the previous page. Sand to completion. Now is the time to apply the finish of your choice. Any good finishing was applied with a "Q-Tip" is usually all that is needed. Finish parting off. Part the base (with the parting tool at a slight angle to form a concave bottom) to about 1/16 inch diameter. During a recent demo the question was asked, "Do you finish the bottom?" Absolutely! Just because the turning is small does not mean good craftsmanship does not apply. Sand and finish the bottom. The right photo at the bottom of the previous page shows how the remaining waste block is used for sanding the bottom the turning. By gluing bits of sandpaper to a tenon (which has a convex surface to match the concave bottom of the vessel) I go through al the grits up to 400 or 600 grit before applying wax.

If you decide to try tuning these palm nuts, you must understand that they should be sold with a warning label that reads, "highly addictive and cantankerous to turn"

I hope you, with the help of this article, overcome the learning curve faster than I and become as taken with them as I have been taken. Also that you find the joy that I have found working these little nuts, making me, well, a little nut!

Angelo Iafrate is a turner in Johnston, RI