This is the profile of the tool that I use to make the watches. Yes, it looks like a scraper, but it does what I want it to do, and it is the only tool that I use. It is made from a 3/4" wide scraper. The only important part of the profile is that the curved edge intersects the straight at a right-angle.
The reasons for the shapes and two (2) cutting edges will become obvious as we go through the steps for making a watch. .
Determine which side of the blank will be the back of the watch, and hold it in a chuck. I am using a Oneway "Stronghold" with the N0. 2 standard jaws attached.
This one is a piece of "Hazelnut".
Turn the end of the square to round. This is a "plunging" cut made straight into the wood with the end of the tool, and the lathe running at 1600RPM. Take small bites until you get a feel for the hardness of the wood and how the tool is cutting. "Hazelnut" is a very hard wood and I had to take 4 bites to make it round.
This round area will give me a reference that I can use later, and cutting it will also give me some insight into the wood.
Trim the face to clean-up. Take a light finishing cut to get the best possible surface finish. "Flat" is good, and no sanding is needed.
Slow the lathe to 400 RPM and drill 5/16" deep with a 1-3/8" Forstner-type bit.
The center point on some of these bits is too long, and it may be necessary to shorten it as shown in the next step.
REVERSE the lathe and cut on the other side of the recess. Clean up any tear-out from the drill. The straight side allows the tool to get down into the corner of the recess. The straight edge can also be used to take a light scraping cut on the sides of the recess if necessary.
Check the depth of the recess again. Look for any tear-out or damaged wood at the top edge of the recess. Now is the time to make these repairs.
This is a step that could be omitted, but someday someone is going to look inside of the watch, and I would like them to see something other than a rough drilled hole. And....
....the smoother surface will give us a place to write our name and the species of wood.
This is important. The user of the watch may like to know, and someday you will be asked what kind of wood it is, and you may not remember.
There are a lot of other ways to hold the watch by the recess in its face, but I prefer this one. It does the job and it is more durable than a jamb chuck, simpler and more positive than a vacuum on the small diameter, and I have a safe access all around the watch.
The only problem with this little expansion chuck is that it is not "self centering" and the piece being held is can be eccentric to the spindle up to about 1/8". It is easy to tell which direction it is "off", and a couple raps with the tool handle will take care of any eccentricity.
When it is running "true" the watch can be twisted to tighten the chuck. Once tightened, there is no problem with it coming loose or moving.
Now you know why I turned that short section to "round".
Turn the watch to just a little larger than its finished diameter.
This is a good time to check whether the two diameters are concentric, and give the wood a little rap with the tool handle if they aren't
Turn the back side with the straight side of the tool. Leave a narrow flat spot about 1/32" wide around the recess. The shape of the tool makes this an easy task.
If you miss making the flat, we'll take care of that later.
Then finish turning the watch. I prefer a simple form that lets the wood grain do the "talking" without having any additional embellishments.
This is the 1-3/8" bit that I use. It is an inexpensive Forstner-type that was included with the little expansion chuck from Penn State Industries.
I ground the center spur back to where it is about 1/16" long with my tool grinder, but this can also be done with a Dremel Tool. Don't worry about a perfect profile as long as there is a short point in the new center. If you choose not to do this, you will have to make a thicker watch or search for a bit with a short center spur..
