September Newsletter
Exercise clubs
For a friend’s August birthday, I finally got around to making something that has been on my list for a few years now, an Indian swinging club. The first one I ever saw was in a collection of wooden antiques. I though it was a too-tall bowling pin. Years later at a gym, I recognized the form and asked a trainer what they were for and he showed me how they can be used for low-impact conditioning of the shoulders. Modern clubs are usually made of plastic with a steel core, but Victorian era clubs were made of wood.
When one of my woodturning heroes posted photos of a batch that he made, I knew I could make one too.
Using kiln-dried cherry wood, the first one that I made was 18” tall and about 3” diameter. I added two sets of grooves on the barrel for decoration. For a first attempt, I think it’s ok. I should have thinned out the handle a bit more, but I could probably put it back on the lathe with minimal marking. The final weight is a pound and a half. In the hand, it feels too light and the weight is too evenly balanced to be effective.
The second one I made was for an urgent birthday gift needed for a guy turning 50 who loves home improvement projects. This time, I decided to try adding weight to the barrel. Working with cherry again, at 18” long, I drilled a 2 1/4” hole into the end about 4” deep. A precarious task to take on, I kept the lathe speed under 200 RPM for safety and to minimize centripetal force while drilling the cavity.
For the added weight, I brought my digital scale to the big box home improvement store and bought enough large washers, a nut and a bolt to secure them with. These fit snuggly into the cavity and a simple plug covers them up on the bottom. With an oil wax finish, the gift was good to go. There are other options that I could have used for adding weight, such as sand or lead shot, but the washers worked well and didn’t need to be glued in place.
Usually these clubs are used in pairs, but one will have to suffice this time around.
The weight on this second one is 2 and a half pounds and it feels much more effective for a shoulder workout. I already have ideas for future iterations, including maybe a baby rattle swinging club? I’ll have to try that out.
Upcoming events at Brookfield Craft Center
October 12 - 4pm, Open House - I will be demonstrating the lathe
October 26th - 10 am to 2 pm, Rolling Pin Workshop - Learn how to make a French-style rolling pin with me.
November 30th - 10 am to 1pm, Holiday Ornaments Workshop
Shop my work at Rivertown General, in Dobbs Ferry, NY
What a great idea… and more reasons to buy a lathe!