Turning nose cones

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I've been turning pens since 1999, both wood and acrylic. I love it.

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Turning pens isn't difficult. Anybody with a lathe and a modicum of talent can turn them.
 
qquake2k said:
Turning pens isn't difficult. Anybody with a lathe and a modicum of talent can turn them.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in turning a pepper mill. I have 2 store bought, but I'd like a grinder with some true grinding quality. Not this department store rubbish. Problem is, I have no way to bore the inside out.
 
I've been having some issues with my legs, but finally felt up to a little turning. I mounted the shorter blank, which will be the tail cone, on the 3"
faceplate. The piece of "sacrificial" body tube will be used for final sizing. The grain is nowhere near as tight as basswood, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

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What wood is it, looks to be hemlock or fir?

BTW I sold my old Craftsman tube bed lathe, so I was able to order the 2" and 3" faceplates you recommended as well as a Steb type drive, a live cone center, forstner bit extenders, and a 1-5/8 Forstner for drilling 38mm mmt starter holes in boat tails, all of it should be here tomorrow or Tuesday.
 
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Nice shopping trip! The wood is redwood that I got at Lowe's.
 
Another option, although a lot more work, is to turn a part and then make a mold and produce a fiberglass nosecone in the same shape. Then the weight of the original turned part (the "plug") doesn't matter.

I put together a video on the process if anyone is curious.
 
JohnCoker said:
Another option, although a lot more work, is to turn a part and then make a mold and produce a fiberglass nosecone in the same shape. Then the weight of the original turned part (the "plug") doesn't matter.

I put together a video on the process if anyone is curious.
Click to expand...
John, I have seen that video and really like it, thank you for taking the time to make it. Most of us who turn nosecones are doing to create mainly one-offs, a hollowed out wood nosecone can be of comparable weight as a fiberglass one or in some cases the weight can be adjusted by simply removing or not-removing material so it has integral noseweight. I know I am planning to make a plug for a 3" nosecone for a scale Patriot missle model or two and want to make more than one.
 
My 2 cents on woods for turning nosecones - -

Redwood is inexpensive but too soft. I find the finished product to be excessively uneven on the finished surface, even after considerable sanding.

Maple is absolutely first class. It turns well, is strong and produces an excellent final surface.

Red oak is another excellent wood for nosecones, but it is dense. If you are wanting more weight up front it makes an fine turned nosecone.

A very fine hardwood which is light and not much known in the US is jelutong. It comes from Asia and occasionally hardwood suppliers have a shipment. It turns better than balsa and makes for a very lightweight nosecone.

White ash is another very strong but dense wood. It makes a fine nosecone but it requires considerable finishing (filling, sanding, etc.) because the grain is rather coarse. You can find many suppliers selling baseball bat blanks from ash and these are very inexpensive.

These are the few I have had some success with in NC turning.
 
Gary Byrum said:
I'm interested in knowing how that does for you. Weight, turning nature, yadda yadda. I'm searching for a more durable alternative to balsa without the high price of bass.
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Me too, I'm very curious.

ksaves2 said:
Redwood? Doesn't that stuff mean that your rocket will never suffer from rot?:wink: Kurt
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Ha! No bugs either!

rharshberger said:
Thanks, its a nice looking piece of wood. One problem I have encountered with kiln dried lumber is its tendency to crack due to insufficient drying time.
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I was worried about cracks. But so far, I don't see any in this piece.
 
JohnCoker said:
Another option, although a lot more work, is to turn a part and then make a mold and produce a fiberglass nosecone in the same shape. Then the weight of the original turned part (the "plug") doesn't matter.

I put together a video on the process if anyone is curious.
Click to expand...

Interesting process, John. Unfortunately, it's way above my pay grade.
 
Blackleaf99 said:
My 2 cents on woods for turning nosecones - -

Redwood is inexpensive but too soft. I find the finished product to be excessively uneven on the finished surface, even after considerable sanding.

Maple is absolutely first class. It turns well, is strong and produces an excellent final surface.

Red oak is another excellent wood for nosecones, but it is dense. If you are wanting more weight up front it makes an fine turned nosecone.

A very fine hardwood which is light and not much known in the US is jelutong. It comes from Asia and occasionally hardwood suppliers have a shipment. It turns better than balsa and makes for a very lightweight nosecone.

White ash is another very strong but dense wood. It makes a fine nosecone but it requires considerable finishing (filling, sanding, etc.) because the grain is rather coarse. You can find many suppliers selling baseball bat blanks from ash and these are very inexpensive.

These are the few I have had some success with in NC turning.
Click to expand...

I don't think redwood is much softer than basswood. I had a body tube dent a basswood nosecone I turned. The beauty of basswood for me is how well it finishes. Smooth as glass with almost no prep. I appreciate your other suggestions. But hardwood blocks this big have got to be at least as or more expensive than basswood. I'll see how the redwood does. I may end up going with basswood anyway.

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It is utterly blasphemous that I now own two Shop Smith wood lathes and one South Bend 16x36 metal lathe and have yet to try to turn a nose cone from even something like foam.
I really have not even actually had time to practice the wood turning properly yet, but when I do get settled down you bet I'll be hanging out in this thread!
 

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