Make a Bell Christmas Ornament

Warning

Metal spinning is an inherently dangerous activity. These pages do not attempt to describe safety procedures. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Make the form

The plan

The form for the ornament is made from a piece of 2x2 hard maple, 3" long. The block is mounted on a faceplate and the tailstock center is brought up. First the block is turned to its 2" diameter. The piece is then marked for the transitions noted on the above plan.

Marked-up cylinder

The next step was to turn the relevant sections to their maximum diameter. This leads to a series of stepped cylinders as shown below.

Stepped cylinders

Once the stepped cylinder is created the next step is to turn to the final shape between steps. The completed form is shown below.

Finished form

Spin the ornament

The following picture shows the basic set-up I used to turn these ornaments.

Bell Ornament Spinning Set-Up

This page and all of its contents are copyright by Walter Anderson