Looking for a pinnsvarv

[Tristan]

Since the subject of trunnels came up on an earlier post, and since I have seen a Swedish boat builder (Georg Johansson) making lipped juniper trunnels (enpinnar) using a pinnsvarv (Bassholmen, 1978), I would appreciate it if one of our Swedish (or Norske) readers could post a picture of a pinnsvarv so those who think trunnels must be turned on a lath or otherwise mismanufactured could be enlightened. Any enlightened trunnel makers out there?

[Tristan]

Since the subject of trunnels came up on an earlier post, and since I have seen a Swedish boat builder (Georg Johansson) making lipped juniper trunnels (enpinnar) using a pinnsvarv (Bassholmen, 1978), I would appreciate it if one of our Swedish (or Norske) readers could post a picture of a pinnsvarv so those who think trunnels must be turned on a lath or otherwise mismanufactured could be enlightened. Any enlightened trunnel makers out there?

[Tristan]

Since the subject of trunnels came up on an earlier post, and since I have seen a Swedish boat builder (Georg Johansson) making lipped juniper trunnels (enpinnar) using a pinnsvarv (Bassholmen, 1978), I would appreciate it if one of our Swedish (or Norske) readers could post a picture of a pinnsvarv so those who think trunnels must be turned on a lath or otherwise mismanufactured could be enlightened. Any enlightened trunnel makers out there?

[DerekW]

I'm neither a treenail maker, nor discernably enlightened, but I'll offer the observation that a brief google for "stail engine" will likely suggest handy, hand-powered ways to make round wooden pins. Stail engine, AKA witchet, widget, thole reamer, rounding plane.

Oh, and I'm not very nordic either. Just not cutting it, really.

cheers
Derek

[DerekW]

I'm neither a treenail maker, nor discernably enlightened, but I'll offer the observation that a brief google for "stail engine" will likely suggest handy, hand-powered ways to make round wooden pins. Stail engine, AKA witchet, widget, thole reamer, rounding plane.

Oh, and I'm not very nordic either. Just not cutting it, really.

cheers
Derek

[DerekW]

I'm neither a treenail maker, nor discernably enlightened, but I'll offer the observation that a brief google for "stail engine" will likely suggest handy, hand-powered ways to make round wooden pins. Stail engine, AKA witchet, widget, thole reamer, rounding plane.

Oh, and I'm not very nordic either. Just not cutting it, really.

cheers
Derek

[Tristan]

Originally posted by DerekW:
I'm neither a treenail maker, nor discernably enlightened, but I'll offer the observation that a brief google for "stail engine" will likely suggest handy, hand-powered ways to make round wooden pins. Stail engine, AKA witchet, widget, thole reamer, rounding plane.

Oh, and I'm not very nordic either. Just not cutting it, really.

cheers
DerekHi Derek, Well, at least you tried! Ain't a pinnsvarve by a long shot, but I suppose it would work. Using a pinnsvarve (which is temporarily clamped to the workbench), the trunnel blank, an 8" by 1" or so piece of juniper (or oak, locust, or whatever) limb, is driven, by a hand held brace, into a tapered hole in the side of the svarve. The hole has a tapered blade (like a kid's little hand held pencil sharpner) which is set to cut the trunnel to exact size, whereupon the trunnel enters a very slightly oversize hole in the svarve. This hole trues the trunnel and keeps it feeding in a perfectly straight fashion. Trunnel is then pulled out and the driving end is trimmed to leave a slight lip. Because of the lip at the driving end, no wedge is needed there, only at the end that will fetch up against inside the timber. A man could turn out 100 such trunnels, all perfectly the same, in a half hour. Damn, are all the traditional Swedish boat builders off to their vacation stugas drinking aquavit and eating herring?

[Tristan]

Originally posted by DerekW:
I'm neither a treenail maker, nor discernably enlightened, but I'll offer the observation that a brief google for "stail engine" will likely suggest handy, hand-powered ways to make round wooden pins. Stail engine, AKA witchet, widget, thole reamer, rounding plane.

Oh, and I'm not very nordic either. Just not cutting it, really.

cheers
DerekHi Derek, Well, at least you tried! Ain't a pinnsvarve by a long shot, but I suppose it would work. Using a pinnsvarve (which is temporarily clamped to the workbench), the trunnel blank, an 8" by 1" or so piece of juniper (or oak, locust, or whatever) limb, is driven, by a hand held brace, into a tapered hole in the side of the svarve. The hole has a tapered blade (like a kid's little hand held pencil sharpner) which is set to cut the trunnel to exact size, whereupon the trunnel enters a very slightly oversize hole in the svarve. This hole trues the trunnel and keeps it feeding in a perfectly straight fashion. Trunnel is then pulled out and the driving end is trimmed to leave a slight lip. Because of the lip at the driving end, no wedge is needed there, only at the end that will fetch up against inside the timber. A man could turn out 100 such trunnels, all perfectly the same, in a half hour. Damn, are all the traditional Swedish boat builders off to their vacation stugas drinking aquavit and eating herring?

[Tristan]

Originally posted by DerekW:
I'm neither a treenail maker, nor discernably enlightened, but I'll offer the observation that a brief google for "stail engine" will likely suggest handy, hand-powered ways to make round wooden pins. Stail engine, AKA witchet, widget, thole reamer, rounding plane.

Oh, and I'm not very nordic either. Just not cutting it, really.

cheers
DerekHi Derek, Well, at least you tried! Ain't a pinnsvarve by a long shot, but I suppose it would work. Using a pinnsvarve (which is temporarily clamped to the workbench), the trunnel blank, an 8" by 1" or so piece of juniper (or oak, locust, or whatever) limb, is driven, by a hand held brace, into a tapered hole in the side of the svarve. The hole has a tapered blade (like a kid's little hand held pencil sharpner) which is set to cut the trunnel to exact size, whereupon the trunnel enters a very slightly oversize hole in the svarve. This hole trues the trunnel and keeps it feeding in a perfectly straight fashion. Trunnel is then pulled out and the driving end is trimmed to leave a slight lip. Because of the lip at the driving end, no wedge is needed there, only at the end that will fetch up against inside the timber. A man could turn out 100 such trunnels, all perfectly the same, in a half hour. Damn, are all the traditional Swedish boat builders off to their vacation stugas drinking aquavit and eating herring?

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Here is a supplier. http://web.onetel.com/~ashemcrafts/images/animated_logo.gif (http://web.onetel.com/~ashemcrafts/prices.htm)

I built one of these in wood in 1973 based on a "back-of-a-fag-packet" sketch, it worked fine - took me about two hours and the handles were the very first things I ever turned in timber.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Here is a supplier. http://web.onetel.com/~ashemcrafts/images/animated_logo.gif (http://web.onetel.com/~ashemcrafts/prices.htm)

I built one of these in wood in 1973 based on a "back-of-a-fag-packet" sketch, it worked fine - took me about two hours and the handles were the very first things I ever turned in timber.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Here is a supplier. http://web.onetel.com/~ashemcrafts/images/animated_logo.gif (http://web.onetel.com/~ashemcrafts/prices.htm)

I built one of these in wood in 1973 based on a "back-of-a-fag-packet" sketch, it worked fine - took me about two hours and the handles were the very first things I ever turned in timber.

[Tristan]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:

I built one of these in wood in 1973 based on a "back-of-a-fag-packet" sketch, it worked fine - took me about two hours and the handles were the very first things I ever turned in timber.[/QB]Thanks for the post. Guess it works OK, the blade turns instead of the trunnel blank. Would love to get a photo of the kind I saw in Sweden posted though. Damn, where are those wretched Scandinavians when you want them?

[Tristan]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:

I built one of these in wood in 1973 based on a "back-of-a-fag-packet" sketch, it worked fine - took me about two hours and the handles were the very first things I ever turned in timber.[/QB]Thanks for the post. Guess it works OK, the blade turns instead of the trunnel blank. Would love to get a photo of the kind I saw in Sweden posted though. Damn, where are those wretched Scandinavians when you want them?

[Tristan]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:

I built one of these in wood in 1973 based on a "back-of-a-fag-packet" sketch, it worked fine - took me about two hours and the handles were the very first things I ever turned in timber.[/QB]Thanks for the post. Guess it works OK, the blade turns instead of the trunnel blank. Would love to get a photo of the kind I saw in Sweden posted though. Damn, where are those wretched Scandinavians when you want them?

[Keith Wilson]

Oh, just an ordinary pinnsvarv! Why don't you ask for something unusual? ;)

Lee Valley (of course!) makes something very like. Look here. (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288) They also have a version that's designed to work in a power drill, but it's a lot more expensive and seems less versatile

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/projects/05j6001-dsp.jpg

[Keith Wilson]

Oh, just an ordinary pinnsvarv! Why don't you ask for something unusual? ;)

Lee Valley (of course!) makes something very like. Look here. (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288) They also have a version that's designed to work in a power drill, but it's a lot more expensive and seems less versatile

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/projects/05j6001-dsp.jpg

[Keith Wilson]

Oh, just an ordinary pinnsvarv! Why don't you ask for something unusual? ;)

Lee Valley (of course!) makes something very like. Look here. (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288) They also have a version that's designed to work in a power drill, but it's a lot more expensive and seems less versatile

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/projects/05j6001-dsp.jpg

[Tristan]

Originally posted by Ironmule:

Whether you make a witchet with handles like this, or just bolt it to the benchtop, the cutting area would work the same. Make a tapered square socket to go in the end of a brace as a means of power and you could spin square stock round pretty quickly.

Jeff SmithGreat photo. What you say is absolutely correct. The Trunnel stock I saw being made into trunnels was, as I mentioned, juniper and fairly green juniper at that. It cut beautifully but the end had to be squared off with four strokes of a knife so as to fit the square driving bit. I think the beauty of the larger, bench mounted, version is that the hole for the finished part of the trunnel is several inches long and allows the stock to feed perfectly straight with no side wobble.

[Tristan]

Originally posted by Ironmule:

Whether you make a witchet with handles like this, or just bolt it to the benchtop, the cutting area would work the same. Make a tapered square socket to go in the end of a brace as a means of power and you could spin square stock round pretty quickly.

Jeff SmithGreat photo. What you say is absolutely correct. The Trunnel stock I saw being made into trunnels was, as I mentioned, juniper and fairly green juniper at that. It cut beautifully but the end had to be squared off with four strokes of a knife so as to fit the square driving bit. I think the beauty of the larger, bench mounted, version is that the hole for the finished part of the trunnel is several inches long and allows the stock to feed perfectly straight with no side wobble.

[Tristan]

Originally posted by Ironmule:

Whether you make a witchet with handles like this, or just bolt it to the benchtop, the cutting area would work the same. Make a tapered square socket to go in the end of a brace as a means of power and you could spin square stock round pretty quickly.

Jeff SmithGreat photo. What you say is absolutely correct. The Trunnel stock I saw being made into trunnels was, as I mentioned, juniper and fairly green juniper at that. It cut beautifully but the end had to be squared off with four strokes of a knife so as to fit the square driving bit. I think the beauty of the larger, bench mounted, version is that the hole for the finished part of the trunnel is several inches long and allows the stock to feed perfectly straight with no side wobble.

[Tristan]

Originally posted by Keith Wilson:
Oh, just an ordinary pinnsvarv! Why don't you ask for something unusual? ;)

Lee Valley (of course!) makes something very like. Look here. (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288) They also have a version that's designed to work in a power drill, but it's a lot more expensive and seems less versatile
Looks like you could turn out trunnels pretty well with these. Now, how many are going to sign up to build a trunnel fastened Snippa or Julle?
;) ;)

[Tristan]

Originally posted by Keith Wilson:
Oh, just an ordinary pinnsvarv! Why don't you ask for something unusual? ;)

Lee Valley (of course!) makes something very like. Look here. (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288) They also have a version that's designed to work in a power drill, but it's a lot more expensive and seems less versatile
Looks like you could turn out trunnels pretty well with these. Now, how many are going to sign up to build a trunnel fastened Snippa or Julle?
;) ;)

[Tristan]

Originally posted by Keith Wilson:
Oh, just an ordinary pinnsvarv! Why don't you ask for something unusual? ;)

Lee Valley (of course!) makes something very like. Look here. (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52401&cat=1,180,42288) They also have a version that's designed to work in a power drill, but it's a lot more expensive and seems less versatile
Looks like you could turn out trunnels pretty well with these. Now, how many are going to sign up to build a trunnel fastened Snippa or Julle?
;) ;)

[Tristan]

Originally posted by norseman:
Here is another example, you could glue in a dowel on the opposite side and spin the pinnsvarv or naglelo(west Norway) around the trunnel. The bottom drawing shows a "naglehovudutskjær". A WHAT?? :D From Vestlandsbåtar, T.Færøyvik.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/p31e3ce787aab7c681d5edc824aa48b43/ef95343f.jpgWell I sure as hell can't find the naglehovudutskjar in my Swedish Dictionary, but my Danish dictionary (closer to Norsk) suggests it's literal translation is "A plane that makes nails." :rolleyes: This (upper drawing) IS, however a drawing of a small pinnsvarve! :D

[ 04-03-2006, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

Originally posted by norseman:
Here is another example, you could glue in a dowel on the opposite side and spin the pinnsvarv or naglelo(west Norway) around the trunnel. The bottom drawing shows a "naglehovudutskjær". A WHAT?? :D From Vestlandsbåtar, T.Færøyvik.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/p31e3ce787aab7c681d5edc824aa48b43/ef95343f.jpgWell I sure as hell can't find the naglehovudutskjar in my Swedish Dictionary, but my Danish dictionary (closer to Norsk) suggests it's literal translation is "A plane that makes nails." :rolleyes: This (upper drawing) IS, however a drawing of a small pinnsvarve! :D

[ 04-03-2006, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

Originally posted by norseman:
Here is another example, you could glue in a dowel on the opposite side and spin the pinnsvarv or naglelo(west Norway) around the trunnel. The bottom drawing shows a "naglehovudutskjær". A WHAT?? :D From Vestlandsbåtar, T.Færøyvik.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/p31e3ce787aab7c681d5edc824aa48b43/ef95343f.jpgWell I sure as hell can't find the naglehovudutskjar in my Swedish Dictionary, but my Danish dictionary (closer to Norsk) suggests it's literal translation is "A plane that makes nails." :rolleyes: This (upper drawing) IS, however a drawing of a small pinnsvarve! :D

[ 04-03-2006, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

Originally posted by norseman:
A direct translation would be something like a nail-head cutter. Reamer?? Anyway, you bore a hole to the trunnels' diameter and cut the bevel with the cutter ;) Ah yes, I just realized you are posting from Norway. Tack so mycket for your enlightened posts. Finally a real viking responds and all these uninformed souls know how trunnels are supposed to be made! And they are trunnels with a lipped head too!
:D :D :D :D

[ 04-04-2006, 07:38 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

Originally posted by norseman:
A direct translation would be something like a nail-head cutter. Reamer?? Anyway, you bore a hole to the trunnels' diameter and cut the bevel with the cutter ;) Ah yes, I just realized you are posting from Norway. Tack so mycket for your enlightened posts. Finally a real viking responds and all these uninformed souls know how trunnels are supposed to be made! And they are trunnels with a lipped head too!
:D :D :D :D

[ 04-04-2006, 07:38 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

Originally posted by norseman:
A direct translation would be something like a nail-head cutter. Reamer?? Anyway, you bore a hole to the trunnels' diameter and cut the bevel with the cutter ;) Ah yes, I just realized you are posting from Norway. Tack so mycket for your enlightened posts. Finally a real viking responds and all these uninformed souls know how trunnels are supposed to be made! And they are trunnels with a lipped head too!
:D :D :D :D

[ 04-04-2006, 07:38 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by norseman:
[QB]Lipped , that's the word ;) Thanks.
I knew I had one somewhere, it's been through a few "updates" and life-extension programmes ;) The iron was used for other purposes...
The first photo above suggests that a steeper angle would be an improvement.

Yep, that's it. Seems like the "run-out" hole might be longer to provide more of a support to keep the trunnel straight. Anyhow, you got it, and for this you get a breakfast of seven kinds of herring, coffee, and hardboiled eggs! Tack skall du har! :D :D :D :D

[ 04-05-2006, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by norseman:
[QB]Lipped , that's the word ;) Thanks.
I knew I had one somewhere, it's been through a few "updates" and life-extension programmes ;) The iron was used for other purposes...
The first photo above suggests that a steeper angle would be an improvement.

Yep, that's it. Seems like the "run-out" hole might be longer to provide more of a support to keep the trunnel straight. Anyhow, you got it, and for this you get a breakfast of seven kinds of herring, coffee, and hardboiled eggs! Tack skall du har! :D :D :D :D

[ 04-05-2006, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]

[Tristan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by norseman:
[QB]Lipped , that's the word ;) Thanks.
I knew I had one somewhere, it's been through a few "updates" and life-extension programmes ;) The iron was used for other purposes...
The first photo above suggests that a steeper angle would be an improvement.

Yep, that's it. Seems like the "run-out" hole might be longer to provide more of a support to keep the trunnel straight. Anyhow, you got it, and for this you get a breakfast of seven kinds of herring, coffee, and hardboiled eggs! Tack skall du har! :D :D :D :D

[ 04-05-2006, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]