I've noticed a lot of guys trying pieces with curved tapered shanks and radiused shank rings lately. This is a fairly difficult shape to execute, and I thought I would share a little trick for creating them.
The most glaring problem I see with many of these is that the end of the shank has been slightly rounded over during sanding. Then when the shank ring goes on, there is a little V-shaped groove all the way around the circumference of the shank.
The way you avoid this is with a disposable (or recyclable) shank cap. Once the pipe is rough shaped, you've squared the shank and cut the small tenon for the ring to fit over, you need to create this "cap." Put it on the pipe and leave it there through the entire process. You can remove it after final shaping to cut and fit the ring, but you want to put it back on for the entire finishing process. Then, once you remove the perfectly finished and waxed pipe from the clean buffing wheel, take the cap off and epoxy the ring into place. You will have perfect 90 degree edges and a perfect fit of the ring.
Here are some example photos below:
Note the cap on the last 3/4" of the shank.
More visible in this shot.
Here's a shot alongside a finished piece with a radiused ring.
And yes, I make one for every pipe I produce with a radiused ring--perhaps 30 or so per year.
If you want a good argument for making all of your mortise/tenon joints in one of two sizes, this is it. A large cap will be used a couple of times before ending up too small to be useful. This is something Lars taught me and the difference in perfection of finish is significant. The importance of focusing on the finer details cannot be overstated.
Todd
