Stylish parties at home has become more popular. For the most part, people are assembling at home bars as a part of the entertainment experience. Share memories with colleagues and friends indoors, in a familiar setting. Part of building a bar starts or ends with making your own beer tap.
Instructions
1. Start out with a square block of wood. Maple is a great wood to use. Use a joiner to square up the board. In the joiner, make a few passes to make the piece of wood square.
2. On a table saw, cut the piece of wood to the width you want your beer tap to be. Make sure to set the blade height to be about a half inch higher than your block of wood so that the cut is through and clean. With a chop saw, trim off each end to make the ends completely square.
3. Mark the center on each end and then chuck it up on the lathe. Use a tri-square with a 45 degree angle to draw an X on each end to find the center. Double check yourself by using the tri-square to measure each side. Tap your turning spur into each end of the wood. This is what keeps the block of wood rotating when it is on the lathe.
4. Move to the lathe and place the wood block and turning spurs back into the lathe, matching up the spur holes you created to the turning spur. Tighten the piece of wood into the lathe. Rotate it manually to make sure you have clearance and the piece of wood rotates freely. Put your blade rest into place. This is the tool your blade will rest on. Bring the tool rest in as close as you can to the corners of the block and then raise the rest to the center of the wood.
5. Use your gauge to make the block of wood completely round. Starting from one end and working to the other end, taking small bits of wood off at a time. You should be spinning around 8,000rpm, until the block of wood has become round.
6. Mark off the round stock on either side, using a sample beer tap, with a pencil. This will give you the exact beginning and end of the piece. Turn on the lathe and make a more visible mark with the pencil as the wood spins. Then, with a parting tool, follow the pencil marks and make a deeper cut into the wood.
7. Mark any additional cuts with a pencil. If you have a sample beer tap to work from, this might make it easier to mark the shape you want. Using standard lathe tools shape the beer tap to your desired design. Use calipers to measure the depth of your cuts.
Tags: block wood, piece wood, with pencil, into lathe, sample beer, turning spur