Mini Tree and Snowman Earrings

I love making small project like earrings on the lathe. They can be completed quickly and are great skill builders for developing good technique at the lathe - if you make a mistake and ruin the piece you don't have a lot of time or material invested.

In this Instructable I'll make snowman and tree earrings using different species of wood for each detail.

Materials

Poplar 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 8 inches

• I used a piece with lots of green heartwood

Walnut 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 8 inches

Maple 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 8 inches

Ear Wires

5x11mm Screw Eyelets

Wood Glue

Finish of choice

Tools

Lathe

Skew Chisel, Spindle Gauge, Parting Tool

Drill / Drill Press

Table Saw

Prep

Rip each species of wood to 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch at the table saw or on the bandsaw.

I used a crosscut sled at the table saw to cut each segment to length.

In the pictures you will see I prepared two sets of blanks each for the snowmen and trees. This will give me extra if I make a mistake.

Snowman

1 inch walnut

1 inch maple

3 inches maple

Tree

3/4 inch walnut

1 inch poplar

3 inch poplar

Glue Up

Glue the segments end to end, clamp, and allow to dry overnight.

The stock is chucked at the lathe with a jaw chuck. Begin by rounding each piece.

Next, use a pencil to mark out the major elements (like the 3 body segments and hat for the snowman).

Shape one piece, and then use it as reference to create a matching piece.

In general, you will work from right to left establishing detail before the connection point gets too thin.

Sand if necessary.

Mark the top center of each earring with an awl. This will help keep the drill bit from wandering.

With a 1/16 drill bit chucked in the drill press I hold each earring and move the earring into the spinning bit. You could also drill with a hand drill.

Install the eye screws by hand.

Bend a bit of wire to hold the earrings.

I dip them in an oil based polyurethane, wipe off any excess with a cloth, and hang to dry.

Install the ear wires.

A pair of jewelry pliers is helpful for this.