Technical File 1 - Technique

Leo Bjorkegren Fda Furniture yr. 1

Use of a wood lathe for long and narrow workpieces

Chattering and resonance

One of the main difficulties experienced when turning long thin wooden workpieces is ‘chatter’,
where the workpiece is flexing and bouncing off the tool tip rather than conforming to the desired
shape that should be imposed by the chisel. In extreme cases, this can lead to permanent deformation
and damage. This is an example of a positive feedback system, the reason being that a chattering
workpiece will tend to go further out of round and thus increase the noise experienced rather than
automatically reduce itself to a round (and quiet) state. A chattering workpiece will not in general be
perfectly round.

As in any positive feedback system, there is an energy input and a resonant frequency. This
immediately gives us clues about how to tackle the issue - we can change or reduce the energy input
and we can try to operate outside the resonant frequency.

The energy input to the workpiece comes from two sources. The first and largest source is simply the
wood lathe itself, providing a fairly constant rotating force on the workpiece, balanced by rotational
friction and the load imposed by the chisel.

The second energy input, which is less significant but also important, is provided by the user holding
the chisel. It is not obvious at first glance why this should be so, but on reflection it is evident that the
user is having to provide a force to hold the chisel in place. This is one of the mechanisms whereby
the resonant state is reinforced - if the user is ‘tracking’ the workpiece with the chisel, rather than
holding it still, then additional energy is being fed into the system and the chatter will get worse.

How to reduce chatter?

It is assumed that the lathe is set up and operating correctly - e.g. the workpiece is held securely, the
headstock and tailstock are properly aligned, etc. If there are any issues with the lathe then these
should be addressed first.

Several basic methods are available :

1. Constrain the movement of the piece using a centre support or similar - in terms of resonance,
this reduces the maximum amplitude of the chatter (i.e. the distance that the workpiece can
move from the centre) and may also provide some damping, which can help soak up some
energy

2. Change the speed of the lathe. There are two options, speeding up and slowing down.
Speeding up the workpiece may move it out of the resonant frequency band associated with
the chatter (although it is unlikely to be very effective as the major issue is not the resonant
frequency of the workpiece but the forced vibration imposed by the lathe) but will also
significantly increase the energy available to feed into the  system. Slowing the lathe down
will reduce the energy input to the workpiece and may also take it outside the resonant range.
For this reason, slowing the lathe is always worth considering

3. Increasing the stiffness of the workpiece. This is related to 1 above but may be implemented
in an different way. It is known from Moxon’s reference [Ref. 1] that turners in the
seventeenth century would add ‘collars’ or stiffeners to thin workpieces in order to reduce
their flexibility. Some of this effect may be achieved by planning the order in which the work
 is completed., i.e. by leaving the bulk of the material in place until it is necessary to turn it
down to complete the work. As an example, when turning a thin leg, it is possible to complete
all the beadings first and leave the  reduction of the leg to its desired thickness as the final
task

4. Change the cutting method to reduce energy input. The user should never allow the chisel to
track the surface of the workpiece, as this is only likely to add to the chatter. If the chisel is
moved, it should be moved lengthwise, along the workpiece, and the aim should be to make a
long continuous cut. The user should avoid moving the chisel transversely (i.e. to or away
from the centre of the workpiece) as much as possible, and the tool should be braced against
the rest to prevent this.

5. Change the cutting method to reduce shock. A workpiece may start off silently and only
gradually move into a resonant condition. This is more likely to occur if the cutting edge of
the tool is presented to the workpiece at a high angle or if an attempt is made to remove wood
quickly. To avoid this, the edge of the tool should be presented so that the bevel rests on the
surface of the wood and the edge only just cuts in, so that the angle between the surface of the
wood and the bevel is minimised. (Figures 2, 3). This may result in wood being removed

more slowly.

6. Change the cutting method to a lagging rather than a leading method. Most cutting methods
on the lathe present a blade in opposition to the direction of rotation of the workpiece. A
lagging method such as an abrasive or a scraper may reduce chattering and bring the
workpiece back into round. Use of an abrasive pressed against the workpiece may also
provide a damping effect which will also reduce chatter.

7. Run the lathe backward or switch the workpiece around - this may be effective if a particular
grain pattern in the wood is causing issues

Mechanism of chattering.

Few workpieces start ready rounded, which means that most workpieces will have edges, rough
sections, irregularities etc that must be contended with. A certain amount of cutting noise is to be
expected at this stage. However, if significant cutting noise continues to be an issue once the
workpiece is more or less in round then it is probable that chattering is occurring and that the
workpiece needs restorative action.
Every strike by the chisel against a protrusion on the workpiece tends to push the workpiece away,
with the result that the workpiece flexes and bounces. At the right frequency, the workpiece will
bounce back against the chisel, reinforcing any indentation which may have been made, resulting in
increased noise when the chisel hits the workpiece the next time round - an example of a positive
feedback loop.

A simulation of the process can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYRgbLrV_U

Continuing to turn the piece at this stage with no change in technique is unlikely to remedy the
situation.

A rough calculation of the natural frequency of vibration of the wooden rod gives about 40 Hz.[Ref. ],
and this may be a significant contributor to noise.  However, it is believed that the vibration
experienced is largely associated with the forced resonance that arises from contact between the
turning tool and the workpiece.

Conclusions

An explanation for chattering in thin workpieces is provided. A number of methods in which this
effect may be reduced or eliminated are outlined.

Add - references and photos

References :

1. Mechanick Exercises: Or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works, Applied to the Arts of Smithing,
Joinery, Carpentry, Turning and Bricklayery, Joseph Moxon, 1703, 3rd Edition.
2. http://www.amesweb.info/Vibration/Simply-Supported-Beam-Natural-Frequency-
Calculator.aspx
3.