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Although not a Chippendale sideboard or a Philadelphia high style dining chair with ball and claw, cabriole legs, this little project was fun and my little girl thinks it’s worthy of a photo or two.
Meg came home from school today with a little yo-yo she was given as part of a Valentine’s gift from another student in her class. It’s was nothing special, just a token and the thought was what counted. Megan was intrigued to say the least, so I tried to show her how a yo-yo works. Alas, it was just a little, inexpensive toy and wasn’t really designed for actual use. Megan was broken hearted.
I looked at the little toy and told her that if she would like, I would find her a real yo-yo and she looked at me with a big smile. I went on about my business, having put the matter to the back of my mind when it came to me – a real yo-yo is just a hunk of wood turned on a lathe. Why should I buy one when I can make one?
The lathe is one of those very few tools where you can slap a block of wood in it and a few minutes later have a finished project. Upon entering the shop I spied an oddly shaped block of mahogany, a cutoff from a former sign carving project. Aside from a massive horn protruding from one side, it appeared to have a square block in it somewhere and I proceeded to mark it out for trimming on the bandsaw. After removing the excess wood, I squared the ends on the chop saw then marked and punched center on each end. I chucked it into the lathe and off I went.
Well, I did stop to make a template so that I could make each side identical. If they aren’t the yo-yo tumbles sideways because it is out of balance. I also marked out the slot in the middle for the string – it was a little better than a quarter inch. Yes, the yo-yo is all one piece. I decided it would be easier that way. The axle in the center is about 3/8 of an inch thick - I didn’t measure it, I just eyeballed it. I did the same with the profile once I started turning. The result was a classically shaped yo-yo.
After sanding and finishing with a little shellac and wax, I removed the blank from the lathe and used a tenon saw and my bench hook to remove the buttons on the ends. A file and some sand paper cleaned them up just as smooth as sanding on the lathe. I put a couple coats of shellac on, that I burnished using my Dremel and a felt wheel (to try and match the shellac on the edges that was burnished with wood chips). Then I waxed it and buffed with a rag wheel.
I am quite happy with the finished product and it seems to be just the right size. The only problem is that I stole some string from the wife’s sewing room and it is far to narrow for the purpose. I’m going to have to buy string. I’m not sure what kind is best but really thin stuff doesn’t seem to work as well.
The entire project took no longer than an hour to complete. You should have seen Megan’s face when I presented it to her - she lit up like a Christmas tree. I love kids. Life is good. Work wood!
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