The Glade 4.0

Hey all!


In my martial arts journey I've taken it upon myself to make some nunchucks:




No! Not those nunchucks.



These nunchucks:

[youtube]bRyDcB7qQFo[/youtube]



I want to make my own because the nunchaku found in stores aren't up to my specifications and to get custom made nunchaku is very expensive.

I did find a site that sells really good custom nunchaku, it's called Woodall's Custom Nunchaku.

http://www.customworkshop.biz/nunchakus.html


I got a bunch of cocobolo dowels. I want to have my nunchaku handles tapered from 1 inch to 1 3/8 inch.

I understand the basics of how a lathe works. What I don't understand is how to get a perfect taper on a wood lathe. As far as I know the only way is to set the tool rest on an angle and eyeball it, taking off small amounts of material at a time. I was wondering if there was any other kind of tool that could make a perfect taper so that all of the handles are identical.

Does anyone here have any lathe experience that could offer some pointers?


Thanks

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Use a lathe template.

http://www.woodworkinglatheduplicator.com/page8.htm

If all you want is a linear taper, it doesn't take much, you can probably cobble one together out of scrap.

_________________
In time, this too shall pass.

Oh, sweet. I didn't even know that existed. Thanks

There's so much stuff I want to make but don't know what tools I need for the job. I figure nunchucks are an easy place to start. Maybe after that I could make pool cues or table legs.

I got a 48" poplar dowel I'm going to practice on. Hopefully the woodshop I'm going to has a lathe template/duplicator.


The taper will be linear, yes. I will also be rounding out the ends of the nunchaku, like the end of a baseball bat.


It's to my understanding that in order to use the template I need to place a perfectly made nunchaku handle in the lathe, and then make copies of it? I could use the poplar for that

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

No, only on a 3D duplicator. For what you're doing, just cut a flat cross section template out of some kind of fiberboard or something. It's just used as a guide.

Look at fig 3-10

_________________
In time, this too shall pass.

Okay, thanks. This will make the job a piece of cake.

I got ten 18" dowels and I'm going to be making a bunch of pairs that are 12", 9" and 6" long. It would've been a headache without the duplicator.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012