nutcracker soldier

[Melinda_dd]

Hi, I'm quite a new turner, and was wondering if anyone had any plans for a nutcracker soldier?

The turning of the bits i'm quite confident on, although not sure of sizes (eg head size in relation to body ect)

It's the cracking bit i'm a bit worried about... how do I go about that bit... turn then cut it?

Hope it's not too confusing to read

 

[big soft moose]

are you talking about one of those things where you wind the head down to crack the nut ?

a tad ambitious for a beginer , but basically you need a thread cutting tool (an alternative is to buy a metal cracker mechanism and add you turned head to the top of it)

some interesting pics on this guys flikr (nowt to do with me - just found them via google) http://www.flickr.com/photos/lapstrake/ ... otostream/

HTH

 

[Melinda_dd]

no no, I mean the christmas soldiers from the nutcracker... the men with the jaws that open and close?

 

[stevebuk]

Google is your friend:
http://lifelikeartificialchristmastrees ... ce=froogle

 

[Melinda_dd]

That's the ones.... not sure how to do the open and closing mouth bit?

would it be turn the body, cut out the bit for the mouth, shape it then attach it back on with a pivit ...or is there another way?

 

[Bodrighy]

Can't see it...get an error page. Sorry

Pete

 

[stevebuk]

Can't see it...get an error page. Sorry

Pete

This any better pete
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5 ... SL250_.jpg

 

[Bodrighy]

Thanks Steve. They look complicated don't they?

pete

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Melinda and welcome
I made this soldier but didn't put the nutcracking part in,but we do have a couple of soldiers one large and one small.
If you like i could take some piccys of the part you want and give some sizes when i get a chance as they are packed away fro Christmas :?:

 

[Melinda_dd]

paul.j that would be cool thanks.

 

[greybeard]

From dimly remembered art classes many moons past......the head is one seventh the height of the entire body....and the legs and the trunk are respectively three sevenths of that same overall body height.

Not too clear perhaps....if the soldier is - say - 5ft 10" high, so 70 inches, then his head is 10 inches, his inside leg is 30 inches as is the pelgth of his trunk.

Again from same dim memory bank....the head is the most consistently proportioned, the others may vary by up to say 10%....and of course don't forget the extra for the helmet! The sevenths rule relates only to body dimensions, helmets is extra!!

 

[Melinda_dd]

That's great, thank you greybeard. I'll get cracking! ha ha pun intended.

 

[bobham]

Hi:
Here is a link to a video of making nutcrackers: http://www.ardmediathek.de/ard/servlet/ ... Id=4357004

It is a German production but does show the process.

There is a slide show at the bottom of this page that kind of skims through making nutcrackers. Slide #10 shows that on these ones the body is separate from the head so the opening for the cracking lever can be cut without needing a chain mortiser like the video process used: http://www.kidslovenutcrackers.com/lessons_1.htm

I think the easiest way would be to laminate the body from three pieces of wood, leaving a gap in the middle layer for the lever mechanism. The lever mechanism would be inserted into the gap after the body was turned.

Good Luck!
Bob

 

[Melinda_dd]

Thank you so much, the video and pictures are a great help.

This forum is so helpful to be a part of. It seems someone will know the answer to my questions.

To everyone who has been helping me. A huge thanks for your time and patients. I'm so grateful.
x

 

[Richard Findley]

Thanks for posting the Video Bob, I enjoyed that!! Loving that skew!! I'm surprised it'll crack a Walnut so easily only being made of pine, I guess it's a leverage thing???

Cheers

Richard

 

[Bodrighy]

How did he hold the blank on the lathe?looked like it was just hammered onto a drive centre? Nic little video though, amusing and informative

pete

 

[jurriaan]

It's not exactly a drive centre. The German woodturning industry in Sachsen (Saxony in English?) uses something called an Heurekafutter, looking like this:

Picture taken from Steinert, a manufacturer of nice cast iron lathes (from Piccolo to Maximo) and other woodturning items in that region.
These lathes have special bearings that allow hitting a block with such a large hammer without problems. Also notice the nice skews used, they look like the original German skews, not straight, but widening out.

 

[blackhorse]

Hi Melinda,

Here is a link to a book that has a detailed article about how to turn and decorate a working (well, moving) nutcracker.
I wouldn't really use it to crack nuts.
http://books.google.com/books?id=eI...ge&q=nutcracker turning "fred Sneath"&f=false

The book is cheap and the article very detailed. I'm working on one now.

Regards,

Joe

 

[jpt]

Featured project on another site gave this link http://marleyturned.com/Video_Nutcracker.html to a 15min video of one being made.

john

 

[Melinda_dd]

Great thanks for those. I'm hoping to start on it tomorrow as I've had a bit of a nightmare with my lathe situation, but think I'm back in the spin now!

All these tips though I'm thinking I shouldn'tt have too many problems! ha ha watch this space!!!