Turn a Tealight
"Put a little light in someone's life."
| In actuality, this should really be called "making a simple tea light holder" as this is no more than a candle holder. Tea lights are easily obtained in hardware stores, groceries and craft stores. They burn for about three hours and are singularly plain, obviously meant to be used in a holder of some sort. This holder is a simple beginner's turning and sells well at craft fairs. |
| One of the reasons I started turning these arose from my intention to turn some of those holders for oil lamp inserts that use commercial lamp oil. A friend's toddler granddaughter ingested a half teaspoon of oil at a relatives's home and almost died. She will always have respiratory problems. I never made the lamps under the assumption that a similar occurrence would not be my fault and would be unlikely in any case, but I would never forgive myself regardless. |
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| I find these holders to be pretty, sturdy, and safe. Let us turn one. | |
| I start with a block of wood from the scrap pile which will turn a piece about three inches around and 1 1/2" to 2" high. Here I have a piece of maple and flatten the bottom between centers in preparation for a glue block. |
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| Heat up the glue gun and hot glue a glue block to the wood. I am using a home made threaded block, but a piece of scrap wood on a face plate works well. |
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| Turn the block round and face it off. This will be the top of your tea light. I am turning at about 1200 and using a 1/4" Oland tool. |
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| Now measure your insert. It is probably 1 1/2" diameter by 3/8" deep. I like to turn the mortise for the insert a little wider in case someone ends up with an odd sized tea light. I have never seen one a different size but I really do not know if there is an industry standard. To measure the diameter on the block, I use a set of dividers opened to the required diameter. With the lathe running I let the left point of the divider mark the wood while the right point never touches, but visually I check to see if I have the right diameter by moving the left point until the right point would be on the inscribed line if I let it touch. I have darkened the line here with a pencil to make it easier to see. |
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| Cut the mortise using a 1/4" bowl gouge or a 1/4" Oland tool. Refine the edges using a scraper or a skew on its side. You can see from the pencil mark near the bottom that I have decided how high I wish the finished piece. |
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| Turn the sides using whatever decoration you like. Cutting in at the bottom line with a parting tool will make it easier to picture the finsihed product. The eyes are stopped by the sharp edge and privent the illusion of farther curves. A little inturn or cove at the bottom will give a sense of lift to the item. This wood is fairly plain so I have decided to incise three lines with a three point tool and burn them with a friction wire. |
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| Sand and finish using a turner's polish. Mylands and Hutt are both good or you can make your own from one part each of shellac from the hardware store, boiled linseed oil, and denatured alcohol. I have used all three and am happy with each. Brush it on with the lathe turned off, give a quick wipe, turn on the lathe and polish it in until dry. It only takes a minute. Make sure not to wrap the polishing rag around your fingers. You may want them later and a cloth that catches fingers and turning wood at the same time is not a pretty sight. |
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Part the glue block from the piece by parting straight in at the glue line with a parting
tool. Stop when the tenon is about 3/4" to 1" thick. Turn off the lathe and pry the piece
for the block using the parting tool as a pry bar. The heat from the friction of the parting
cut is sufficient to soften the glue enough to remove the piece. If it is too hard to pry,
part in a little farther and try again. Hold the piece using a four jaw chuck in the mortise or by mounting it on a jam chuck. For a jam chuck, mount a piece of scrap wood on a face plate and turn it until if just fits the mortise in the piece. Jam the piece on to it. I have left myself a good minute's work by deciding to leave such a large tenon on the piece. |
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| Gently finish cut the bottom of the piece, sand and finish. I have brought the tool rest up against the bottom to emphasize the concave bottom. This will allow the piece to sit flat on its bottom rim. |
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| Remove from the chuck or pop it off the jam chuck, sign and admire. |
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| Here are a few of its friends. |
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Have fun and if you make one, let me know.
© 2006 copyright Darrell Feltmate, Around the Woods, Wood Turning Techniques