How Wood Thimbles Are Made
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Beginning
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A wooden thimble begins with a single block of solid wood 1 inch X 1 inch X 1.5 inches long. Any kind of wood will work well for turning granted it is firm enough to hold together. Pine is a common wood used in turning. The wood is placed on a lathe, which is a machine tool for shaping wood.
Downsizing
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The block of wood is then hollowed with a tailstock drill. A specially designed bit, called a chucking reamer, is used to hollow out the inside of the thimble.
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Basic Shape
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A mark is placed one inch from the top to mark the height of the thimble.
Refining
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The wood is then turned on the lathe while the craftsman uses a 1/8" gouging tool to form it into a more cylindrical shape. Other steel tools, including a shaper and a skew chisel, are used to further turn the wood into the desired form.
Finishing
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When the desired form is achieved, the outside of the thimble is sanded as it turns, to produce a smooth finish. The inside of the thimble is also sanded to a depth suitable for finger insertion.
Decoration
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Intricate designs are sometimes carved on the outside to decorate the thimble. When the thimble is complete, Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue, a super glue with cyanoacetate, is applied as a finish.
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References
- Photo Credit gazingm42/Woodworkingtalk.com
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Comments
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I turn wooden thimbles from local woods, paint flowers on the border and sell them for$8, which includes postage.
