As a child I played jacks – the game where you scatter the six prong pieces. Then throw the ball and let it bounce. But before the second bounce, pick up a quota of jacks pieces. The quota starts as onezies, the twozies, and so on.

Then when I saw a large metal jack piece in a friend’s office I had to make my own. Years ago, I saw Max Brosi turn an octahedron form and then turned several of my own. Things clicked. The process to turn a jacks piece is very similar to the octahedron piece with a few critical adaptations. The octahedrons preferred green wood and hollow cylinders. My jacks piece will be dry wood and solid cylinders. In addition, four of the arms are cross grain and will break while turning.

My solution is to bore holes for dowels in the arms and glue in the dowel to reinforce the arm. An easy solution.

The earlier octahedrons required some carving to refine the center where the arms intersect. So, remembering the octahedrons, I thought I would need to carve. However, carving was not necessary. Slight intersections only needed 400 grit sandpaper to make them disappear.

Then, I just had to turn another.

By the way, you may see in this video demonstration that it starts with a turning a sphere. If you have not yet mastered this basic skill, please see my sphere videos including:
A Woodturning Primer Basic Sphere Process

Then arms are capped with walnut pieces. Each has a short tenon to fit the hole in the end of the arm.

I love them.

Enjoy.

BTW, If you happen to have technical difficulties, this video is also posted on YouTube. But it is best right here. So stick around.