Wood Turning Christmas Ornament: Ball and Icicle (2)

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Cutting the last side pieces from the blank is going to cause a lot of flopping so support the wood with one of the offcuts and cut the side.

Then flip the wood and cut the other side. This leaves us with a blank for the icicle and the top of the ornament. There are also 8 offcuts that may be used for turning matching icicles to sell or give away as a matching set. If the block was wide and thick enough, the offcuts may be large enough for pens

Mount it on the lathe between centers. I find that a center with a #1 Morse taper fits well in my OneWay chuck so I leave the chuck on as a matter of convenience as it will soon be needed and I generally make these ornaments in batches of five or six.

Round down the top and cut a tenon for the chuck on the end.

Be sure the shoulders of the tenon are square or slightly undercut for good strength in the chuck.

Mount the blank in the chuck and bring up the tail stock for support. Make sure everything is tight.