tapering shafts

[T.L]

Hello all,
 Has anyone tried tapering their own shafts? There was an article about it in TBM but I cannot locate my copy.
 I was curious if anyone knew the technique for putting a taper on some parallel shafts with hand tools?
thanks,
 Tom.

[monterey]

I have done a few and was satisfied with the results.  I don't remember where i got the info on how to do this but probably TBM or one of the Trad Bowyers Bible books.

You need a longish flat and straight board about two or three inches wide and about 1/2 or more inches thick.  Along the center of this board you need to cut a groove about 1/4 inch deep that and is "V" shaped or said another way, with a 45 deg angle on each side.

I drive a small finishing nail into the center of the groove and below the plane of the boards surface near one end.  I'll "splain that later in this post.

Next, you need a small hand plane that is very sharp.  Next, draw two circles around the shaft with a pencil.  The location of the circles will depend on how long you want your taper to be.

Next, lay your shaft in the groove.  Your plane should be set to barely take a shaving from the shaft.  Lay your plane on the shaft so that the front edge of the plane is at the first circle on the shaft (the one closest to the end).  Your shaft should be butted up against that finishing nail to keep it from slididng in the groove as you plane the shaft.  With the plane positioned as above, take a cut all the way to the end of the shaft.  Each time you take a cut, rotate the shaft just a hair.  When you have shaved away the circle, you have been all the way around the shaft with the plane.  Then go to the next circle and repeat cutting all the way to the end of the shaft.

It should be apparent by now that the location of the pencil cirlcles on the shaft depend on how long you want your taper to be and the distance between the fron edge of the plane and the cutting edge of the plane.  The reason for setting the front edge of the plane on the circle is so you can see that you are starting your cut from the same position on the shaft each time.

You can use the same jig to plane parralel shafts from square stock too by taking it down a bit at a time until you have a shaft with sixteen sides to it and then sand.

If you do sand your shafts or tapers, be sure to use a pair of V blocks with very fine sandpaper to run up and down the shaft.  If you just put a piece of sandpaper in your hand and sand it, the softer spots in the grain will sand deeper than the harder spots and you will end up with a wavy sanding job.

This is probably clear as mud, so if anything needs clarifying let me know

[fyrfyter43]

I have tapered my own shafts using a jig like this, but using files instead of sandpaper. Works great, and I can taper a shaft in about a minute.

 http://tradgang.com/taper/

[dosbow56]

montery,
Not clear on the circles. If I want a 10" taper, where on the shaft should my circles be. I've got about 4 doz. 3/8" doug fir shafts I want to taper down to 11/32 and 5/16.
Thanks,
Dave

[monterey]

Dosbow, Measure the distance from the front edge of your plane back to the cutting edge.  On a small hand plane it will be only a few inches.  For the sake of this example, lets say that it's exactly two inches.  You want a 10" taper, so lay your shaft on a flat surface then lay your pencil on the same surface at a 90 deg angle to the shaft.  Place the point of the lead on the shaft at a measured distance of 8" from the nock end of the shaft.  Rotate the shaft so that the pencil draws a circle around the shaft at the 8" mark.

Now, remembering that the cutter on your plane is two inches behind the front edge of the plane, placing the plane on the shaft so that you can just see the circle at 8" means that your taper will start two inches behind it at 10"

How close you come to 11/32 will depend on how deep the cutter is set.  It should only take a bare shaving to avoid overdoing it.

You could also do this using two circles so that your first cut tapers 5" of shaft and the second cut takes it back to 10".  If your plane is set to make a 11/32 taper with one swipe at 10", one swipe at five and another at 10 will get you to a 5/16 taper to 5/16.

The jig that Fyrfyter posted would do the job much faster with more consistency.  It might be a better way to go for 4 doz shafts!

[Bill Carlsen]

A few weeks ago there was a thread on this. Several of us put up some photos of  how we do it. If  you do  search you can probably find it.

[Roadkill]

I have two pieces of angle iron (10 inches long)with double sticky tape.  On that I have sandpaper.  I put a 5/16 drill bit on the exit end and an 11/32 on the entry as spacers.  Screw down angle iron on a flat board.  Nock taper a shaft , chuck it up in a drill and run it down at high speed.
I would have 6 done by the time you finished reading this.

[dosbow56]

Thanks guys I'm going to try tham all. My buddy Nick is making a jig for his drill press we're gonna try too.
Dave