Spiral Ribbon Finial with Matt Harber

Steps (page 1):

1. Turn a tenon on the blank. Mount it in a scroll chuck.
2. Drill the blank. I typically use a 1/2″ drill, to the depth of 3″.
3. Physically, measure and mark the depth of the inside hole.
4. Use a live center to stabilize the piece, typically a 60º cone.

Steps (page 2):

1. turn the barrel down to a comfortable thinness and define the bottom of the ribbon section.
2. Turn the bottom features. I standardize all my tenons on finials to 1/4″ thick. I use a 1/4″ wrench as my tenon thickness “gauge.”

Steps (page 3):

1. Once the finial is parted off, lay out tape to define the cut/carving lines. Then carve out the finial.

Notes:

• Do not use a small branch for these finials, centering your piece on the pith. There’s a good chance you will destroy your tenon at the end, due to the pith.
• Prior to carving the ribbon out, measure again where the bottom of the interior cavity is, and mark it out on the exterior.
• When carving, remember to plan for the transition from the ribbon to the bottom of the interior.
• For me, so far, the most effective carving tools for the ribbons are the Dremel cutting wheel ( the carbide one, not the cutoff wheel”) and small cylindrical or tapered stump cutters. Phil Stevens used his scroll saw.
• I mostly used Dremel sanding drums to clean up the edges and interior.