DIYbanter - View Single Post - Pen Barrel Trimmer chews up end-grain

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wrote:
I just tried making my first pen. When I used the barrel trimmer
(Woodcraft.com p/n 146139), it chewed up the end grain on my pen blank.
It was far from a nice clean cut. What's the best way to prevent this
from happening?

--Scott

When I used to make pens, I made sure of two things and never had
problems. First, made sure the cutter was a clean as a whistle, and
sharp. These are easily shapened with one of those flexible diamond
files.

Second, make sure you trim the blank BEFORE you turn it for size
(diameter). That way small, brisk cuts with your trimmer have plenty
of meat to cut and won't be able to chip most woods. If the wood is
punky or prone to chip, drip some water thin CA on the ends to be
trimmed and let it set up. Then trim.

But for me, when I was making pens for $$ I wanted speed. I inserted
and seated the tubes in the blanks and let th glue set up. Then I took
the blanks over to the miter saw with thin kerf 80 tooth blade on it,
and cut it there. Trimmed that wood really smooth and square to the
barrel, and occasionally it even trimmed up the brass tube. I quit
using my barrel trimmer except to give a quick twist or two after the
miter saw to make sure I didn't leave any burrs on the tube. Trimmed
on the miter saw, the smooth end cuts fit perfectly on the bushings of
the mandrel.

The small amount of brass you might trim won't hurt your blade if it is
carbide. If you try it, just make sure you use a thin kerf with a lot
of teeth.

Robert