Using the Sherline milling machine for woodturning

Ken Grunke

With the headstock locked in horizontal position, a toolrest bolted to the worktable, and a lockpin chuck to hold the work, all you need is a predrilled wood blank to turn a bottlestopper, Christmas tree ornament, gearshift knob, a mushroom, etc.

The lockpin spindle is held in an endmill holder with a setscrew. It has a flat milled on it for the lockpin, to the same depth as the diameter of the pin.

Look, ma, no wrenches! Just a turn of a dial adusts the height of the spindle, and distance of the toolrest from the work.
The toolrest is simply a flat 1/4" steel plate bolted to a short piece of 2" angle iron. It is rounded on the outside edge away from the work, smoothed, and polished.


A screw chuck--a hardened masonry screw epoxied into an aluminum shank, held in the endmill holder. Good for turning beads, Christmas ornaments, and other small items.

A cute little faceplate for turning cute little bowls, machined from 1 1/2" aluminum rod.



A bottlestopper, 1 1/2" diameter, 2 3/4" long


A little natural-edge bowl
3 1/2 inches dia.
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