How to Make Round Wood Sticks

Increasing your skills in a woodworking shop allows you to create many items you need for far cheaper than purchasing them at retail value. Before moving on to large projects, however, it is important to master the fundamentals required to make the basic woodworking cuts, one of which is the rounded shape. By learning to make your own dowels with a lathe, you can master this craft.

Instructions

1

Select a suitable piece of wood. It must be larger than the diameter of your desired dowel; however, too much excess means extra work. A good stick will be about an inch wider than your desired dowel diameter.

2

Secure the wood in your lathe, as per your particular model of lathe's instructions.

3

Put on the safety goggles and gloves, and wear them at all times in the creation process.

4

Check that your chisel is sharp; use a sharpening stone if needed.

5

Turn on the lathe, and hold the chisel securely in your hands. Hold the chisel with the blade parallel to the spinning wood, and angled upward in your grip at a 45-degree angle.

6

Move the chisel forward until it makes contact with the wood to begin shaving off pieces of the wood until it is rounded and the approximate diameter desired for the stick.

7

Use the sandpaper to smooth out the stick, and get it down to the required size.