Remounting Rolling Pin

[Jay Simmons]

I have been asked by my daughter if I could turn approximately 1/8” off her great-great grandmother’s rolling pin. It is solid maple and just in the last couple of years a small crack has opened in the the length of the rolling surface which is approximately 1/8” deep. This rolling pin is 150+ years old.
You can imagine the problem as dough gets trapped in the crack.

I have spindle turned 100’s of item and remounted many, but I cannot get this pin centered. Normally on a newer item I would be able to find some indication of the original turning center points in the end grain of the handles and go from there. These areas on this very old turning are worn so smooth, I cannot pick up any indications.

I have tried the mount, observe, move the center point and try again. I can get it close but when I turn the lathe up to turning speed I can clearly see the gap between the rolling pin and the tool rest varying. I want to avoid a tapered turning

Any advice?

 

[Isaac Fisher]

Turn two small bits of wood, one for headstock and one for tailstock. Each should have a hollow on one end and a small hole on the other. Use them to grip the handles of the rolling pin.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Are you sure that crack is only 1/8" deep? And I wonder what happens when you expose a new layer of wood, does the crack recur? As an alternative could you try filling the crack with epoxy? That wouldn't preclude turning it smaller if the epoxy didn't workout. You would still need to remount it to sand down the epoxy.

 

[Jay Simmons]

Are you sure that crack is only 1/8" deep? And I wonder what happens when you expose a new layer of wood, does the crack recur? As an alternative could you try filling the crack with epoxy? That wouldn't preclude turning it smaller if the epoxy didn't workout. You would still need to remount it to sand down the epoxy.

Thanks for the suggestion. I can see both ends of the crack and it goes no further down into the body on the ends.
Like the epoxy idea, my only concern is getting the crack clean enough to get a good bond. My mother in law, my daughter’s grandma, used this weekly to roll out pie dough so there is some residual “stuff” in the crack. I probably could use my Dremel and rout the crack slightly wider and deeper. But as you say I may still face the mounting problem for sanding.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

if I could turn approximately 1/8” off her great-great grandmother’s rolling pin

You’ll be turning 1/8” off the surface, but reducing the diameter by 1/4”. How big is the original rolling pin? I like Mark’s suggestion of an epoxy filler, or, if the crack is fairly straight, routing an even slot in the pin and gluing in a spline which you could then plane and sand, (or even turn!) even with the original surface.

 

[Brian Gustin]

You could concievably turn off less than 1/4 inch of the diameter if you can get your center a little offset away from the crack and then turn the pin true again , with most of the waste being the crack and only a very little coming off the side opposite the crack... in which case you'd not even need it to run perfectly centered - I doubt you'd find a true perfect center on something that old, as surely the wood will have moved (gone slightly oblong in places) in that 150 off years since it was created...

 

[Jay Simmons]

You could concievably turn off less than 1/4 inch of the diameter if you can get your center a little offset away from the crack and then turn the pin true again , with most of the waste being the crack and only a very little coming off the side opposite the crack... in which case you'd not even need it to run perfectly centered - I doubt you'd find a true perfect center on something that old, as surely the wood will have moved (gone slightly oblong in places) in that 150 off years since it was created...

Thanks for the response. I am surprised how round it has remained. Checked it with calipers. One of the reasons, that I guess, is how straight the grain is. Although it is not exactly parallel to the axis, the grain looks like it was drawn with a ruler. The wood available 150 years ago is not what we get today.

If I do that it will feel like a flat tire to your hands.

 

[Jay Simmons]

You’ll be turning 1/8” off the surface, but reducing the diameter by 1/4”. How big is the original rolling pin? I like Mark’s suggestion of an epoxy filler, or, if the crack is fairly straight, routing an even slot in the pin and gluing in a spline which you could then plane and sand, (or even turn!) even with the original surface.

Thanks for the reply. I never thought of the filling idea. Combined with cleaning out the crack with a fine dremel bit. Just spent some time running it and I can get it true enough to sand easily

 

[Tom Gall]

One option - if you have a Oneway, Robust, etc., live center. Use the inverted cone on the live center (or turn one) for the tailstock. Mount a chunk of wood at the headstock (your choice of method) and turn an inverted cone shape (funnel). Mount between centers which should automatically center your rolling pin enough for adjustments.

 

[Jay Simmons]

One option - if you have a Oneway, Robust, etc., live center. Use the inverted cone on the live center (or turn one) for the tailstock. Mount a chunk of wood at the headstock (your choice of method) and turn an inverted cone shape (funnel). Mount between centers which should automatically center your rolling pin enough for adjustments.

Thanks for the response. I have all those and will try tomorrow

 

[Brian Gustin]

If I do that it will feel like a flat tire to your hands.

Huh? How? You're turning it round to a new center point , with majority of the wood being turned away being the cracked side , but you'd turn it until it is true round all the way across, hence setting your center slightly off center so you cut more of the cracked side, less of the good side, meaning you remove LESS wood overall - If you got it perfectly centered and THEN turn away 1/8 inch of the crack, you're also losing 1/8 inch the other side, reducing (as someone mentioned) the pin by 1/4 inch - If you set it offcenter , ideally just less than 1/8 inch directly in line with the crack , and true it up to the "off" side, you're removing much less than 1/4 inch of diameter (Illustration: draw yourself a circle of the pin's diameter and then draw the crack - draw a line through center point intersecting with crack - Starting on the outside edge of circle on the un-cracked side - That is, moving your compass center point 1/8 inch towards the "good side" along that axis line you drew, you draw a circle 1/8 inch diameter SMALLER , with edge of the circle starting on the "good" side - then you'd see what I mean.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

If I do that it will feel like a flat tire to your hands.

I agree completely. You don’t want a rolling pin with eccentric handles. It’ll give you uneven pie crusts and cookies if it even rolls at all!

 

[Brian Gustin]

I agree completely. You don’t want a rolling pin with eccentric handles. It’ll give you uneven pie crusts and cookies if it even rolls at all!

Hmm well that is true, assuming it is a traditional rolling pin with handles and a pin that the roller spins on a rod or center point. But as he described it as SOLID , I was assuming it was more of a french-style rolling pin which does not center on a rod with handles.. Thus turning off center by changing center point wouldn't matter. (Basically a giant diameter dowel is what I was envisioning)

 

[Mike Johnson]

If you have an adjustable bowl chuck with large enough jaws you can hold one end of the rolling pin in the jaws and use the tail stock
live center to keep the other end centered. Once you are done turning the rolling pin, reverse mount the rolling pin and finish
turning the other end to the final dimension you turned the rolling pin to. A wood piece of that age will have some movement in the
wood and not be perfectly round like it was the day it was turned.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

You might consider cutting a slot where the crack is, with either table saw or router and an appropriate sled to keep it from rolling, then inlaying new wood where the crack is, either the same or a contrasting stripe (I'd do the latter). This will give you a clean gluing surface and not reduce the diameter. You wouldn't even need to mount it on the lathe to clean up, just use a spokeshave and some sandpaper to smooth it out.

 

[robo hippy]

I would not risk turning it again. Best to fill the crack. You can blow out some gunk. Maybe put some solvent in it to clean it out first. I might try the epoxy fill. Roger's suggestion has merit as well. Main difficulty would be matching the wedge/fill wood to match the hole you cut. Maybe make a table saw jig to keep the pin from rolling and make a kerf. I would want an epoxy for gluing in the wood strip so all gaps are filled.

robo hippy

 

[Dean Center]

I vote for, Don't. There are 5 generations of finger prints and love for family on that rolling pin. It's sacred. Don't touch it. If it needs to be retired, so be it. Putting epoxy into it would be an abomination, IMHO. Now go find a nice straight-grained chunk of hard maple and turn a new one for your daughter to use and hand down to her daughter and her grandaugher.

 

[Jay Simmons]

I have been asked by my daughter if I could turn approximately 1/8” off her great-great grandmother’s rolling pin. It is solid maple and just in the last couple of years a small crack has opened in the the length of the rolling surface which is approximately 1/8” deep. This rolling pin is 150+ years old.
You can imagine the problem as dough gets trapped in the crack.

I have spindle turned 100’s of item and remounted many, but I cannot get this pin centered. Normally on a newer item I would be able to find some indication of the original turning center points in the end grain of the handles and go from there. These areas on this very old turning are worn so smooth, I cannot pick up any indications.

I have tried the mount, observe, move the center point and try again. I can get it close but when I turn the lathe up to turning speed I can clearly see the gap between the rolling pin and the tool rest varying. I want to avoid a tapered turning

Any advice?

Thanks to all who commented and replied. All very viable recommendations including do nothing and retire it. Will let my daughter make the call. I do know that her grandma would wonder why I am even considering devoting any time to this old thing. Thanks again to all

 

[Doug Freeman]

I vote for, Don't. There are 5 generations of finger prints and love for family on that rolling pin. It's sacred. Don't touch it. If it needs to be retired, so be it. Putting epoxy into it would be an abomination, IMHO. Now go find a nice straight-grained chunk of hard maple and turn a new one for your daughter to use and hand down to her daughter and her grandaugher.

Will let my daughter make the call

Give some thought to a display for the rolling pin in the kitchen to discuss with your daughter as well. Asking her which way to go is the best approach.