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By
RICK CAMPBELL
Photos by TRACY COX
Illustration by LEN CHURCHILL |
LAZY SUSAN |
| Deceptively
simple in design, this functional project offers a lesson in
bent laminations |
After 30 years making sawdust, I'm amazed that I continue to
learn something new with each project. It's true even with simple
projects like this lazy Susan. At first glance it appears easy,
but a closer look reveals an intriguing challenge. The raised
rim isn't cut from solid boards, it's created by gluing a series
of thin slices of wood together around circular form. The process
is called bent lamination, and although I've used it before
to add curves to projects, making a complete circle is more
of a challenge. But don't let this scare you because you have
a distinct advantage over me—you can learn from my mistakes.
I made my lazy Susan 18" in diameter, but size isn't critical.
You can adjust dimensions to fit many situations. Just remember,
the smaller the diameter, the more difficult it is to bend the
wood around the rim successfully.
Build the Bending Form
Successful bent laminations begin with strong, accurate forms.
Make the circular bending form for this project from two pieces
of medium-density fibreboard (MDF). Start with two pieces of
square stock, secured together with 1 1/4"-long screws. Predrill
holes to avoid splitting the material, and countersink the heads
flush so they're out of the way.
Next, draw diagonal lines from corner to corner to find the
centre of the blank, then use this reference point to layout
an 18" diameter circle with a compass. If you don't have a large
compass, use a stick with a nail driven into one end to serve
as the pivot point and a hole drilled in the other to hold your
pencil tip.
When preparing bent laminations remember that the thin plies
will conform to any flat spots or irregularities on the bending
form. That's why you've got to make everything perfectly round.
Start by rough cutting the circle with the bandsaw or hand-held
jigsaw, keeping about 1/8" away from the waste side of the layout
line.
| You
will need: |
| Parts |
Material |
Size |
Qty |
| Rim
plies |
ash |
1/8"
x 1" x 72" |
at
least 5 |
| Bottom
panel |
ash |
1/2"
x 20" x 20" |
1 |
| Base |
ash |
1/2"
x 13" x 13" |
1 |
| Lazy
Susan bearing |
9"
dia. Lee Valley K01.06 |
1 |
| Bending
form panels |
MDF |
3/4"
x 19" x 19" |
2 |
| Steaming
form panel |
MDF |
3/4"
x 10" x 20" |
1 |
Finish rounding
the edges using a straight bit installed in a hand-held router
and circle-cutting jig. This assures a perfectly smooth, square
edge, in a minimum of time. You can buy a jig, or make your
own from 1/4" ply, as I did. In use, the router acts like a
power-compass, milling a circle as it rotates. Make several
routing passes, lowering the bit about 1/4" with each rotation.
Make sure to raise your workpiece on some scrap so you don't
mill your benchtop while routing.
Next, drill two 1" diameter clamping holes on each side of the
bending form, about 2" in from the edge. These allow you to
clamp the laminations to the form. To prevent the strips from
sticking to the bending form, rub the edges with a candle, creating
a generous coating of wax.
|
| 1
- Lazy Susan | 2 - Cutting
The Plies | 3 - Fitting And Gluing |
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