Press-fit Plate

An exercise made to test my skills in square filing, drilling, and lathe work.

First, the base plate was cut and filed to dimension, then drilled with three holes precisely placed along the center. For the finish of the base I chose an off-angle straight graining and rounded bevels on the edges.

Three different posts were then made for the plate: a flat post, a male cone, and a female cone. The male cone was turned using the lathe cross slide, but the female cone was turned entirely by hand with just the graver and tool rest. This is a skill used to form an initial guide cone when drilling holes in very small pieces and situations where the drill bit cannot deviate from center, such as re-pivoting a staff. These posts were made to be press-fit into the plate, which meant a diameter 0.02mm - 0.03mm larger than the drilled holes, pressed firmly into place for a strong joining.