A little back story: My father-in-law, Dale Clemens (deceased) was a brilliant wood turner. When he passed, I inherited his Oneway 2436. Over the last eight years it has pretty much collected dust. I had the machine, the tools, the shop space, and the opportunity. What also had was a fear of failure. I was so intimidated by all the beautiful turnings that are on display all over our house.
Recently I have made a few items under the tutelage of Mike Mathews and I also had a chance to participate at a few NCWW events and it emboldened me to make something on my own.
One of Dale’s favorite treats was a very particular biscuit (cookie) that his family always made at Christmas. The most important thing about this biscuit is that when you roll the dough it needs to be exactly 1/4 of an inch thick. We have tried all manner of different techniques for ensuring the dough was rolled out to that precise thickness. This year I got the idea to take on my first SOLO turning project and make a rolling pin specifically for making our Christmas biscuits.
My first step was to buy turning stock at the Klingspor anniversary event in Winston Salem. I bought a 16/4 x 16/4 piece of hard maple. Prior to turning my rolling pin, I took the advice of Richard Moore (Graywolf) and did a practice run on some scrap. I glued a couple of 2x4s together and took a run at it. I am very glad I did: My practice piece was all over the place as I learned how to properly “ride the bevel” for a clean cut. I then mounted my hard maple block and began. I was rather pleased with what I was able to turn out. I gave it to my wife, Anne as an early Christmas gift and we used it to make the most perfect batch of biscuits we have ever made.
Notes:
Recently I have made a few items under the tutelage of Mike Mathews and I also had a chance to participate at a few NCWW events and it emboldened me to make something on my own.
One of Dale’s favorite treats was a very particular biscuit (cookie) that his family always made at Christmas. The most important thing about this biscuit is that when you roll the dough it needs to be exactly 1/4 of an inch thick. We have tried all manner of different techniques for ensuring the dough was rolled out to that precise thickness. This year I got the idea to take on my first SOLO turning project and make a rolling pin specifically for making our Christmas biscuits.
My first step was to buy turning stock at the Klingspor anniversary event in Winston Salem. I bought a 16/4 x 16/4 piece of hard maple. Prior to turning my rolling pin, I took the advice of Richard Moore (Graywolf) and did a practice run on some scrap. I glued a couple of 2x4s together and took a run at it. I am very glad I did: My practice piece was all over the place as I learned how to properly “ride the bevel” for a clean cut. I then mounted my hard maple block and began. I was rather pleased with what I was able to turn out. I gave it to my wife, Anne as an early Christmas gift and we used it to make the most perfect batch of biscuits we have ever made.
Notes:
- Thanks to Mike and his tutelage.
- Thanks to Richard and his suggestion.
- Thanks to NCWW for giving me the opportunity to push my boundaries.
- I did cut the practice run down to a mini baseball bat and added some Seattle Mariner decals for a very good friend who is a diehard fan, and they could not be more pleased.
- The photo attached shows the finished product next to the remainder of the maple stock.
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