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harryc
 
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Default Pen Turning?

I recently purchased a book on pen turning. And, I find very little in the
book about cutting the pen blanks. I have two questions(1)what are the
measurements for cutting blanks in half and how best to cut them ? (2) do
you drill the blanks after they have been cut in half or before they are
cut?

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Harry


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Bruce Barnett
 
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"harryc" writes:

I recently purchased a book on pen turning. And, I find very little in the
book about cutting the pen blanks. I have two questions(1)what are the
measurements for cutting blanks in half and how best to cut them ? (2) do
you drill the blanks after they have been cut in half or before they are
cut?


The blanks have to be slightly longer than the brass tubes. If they
are longer, it takes more time to use an end mill before you get to
the brass tube.


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william kossack
 
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most drill bits are not long enough to drill the pen blank without
cutting the blank to length for the tubes.


1) Mark the length of the brass tubes on your blank leaving some extra
at the ends. Not all brass tubes are the same length. It depends on
the kit and style your using.
2) before you cut the pen blank mark the wood so you can tell what ends
go together. The challenge is to have any grain pattern match at the
center of the pen. I draw 2 or 3 lines one a couple different sides
near the cut before I make the cut.

I use my bandsaw to cut the blanks in "half". If you don't have a
bandsaw then a miter box with a thin fine toothed saw would work. I
think using a tablesaw without a properly constructed jig would be
asking for the loss of some fingers and the blade would take too much
wood...remember that the challange is to have any grain pattern match at
the center of thepen. The more wood you take from the center the more
it will seem to be off.

3) Drill from the center out. You sometimes get breakout when the bit
punches through the other side. Any punch out is hopefully less than the
extra wood you gave your self for each half
4) Check that your brass tube fits all the way in before you try to
apply glue. If it gets stuck a pencil or your trimmer will get it out.
5) Apply glue and push the tube in from the center (I use a sharpened
pencil). You want the tube to be just inside the center end. Do not
make it flush because if your cut is not square you can correct it with
your trimer without taking off too much brass.


harryc wrote:
I recently purchased a book on pen turning. And, I find very little in the
book about cutting the pen blanks. I have two questions(1)what are the
measurements for cutting blanks in half and how best to cut them ? (2) do
you drill the blanks after they have been cut in half or before they are
cut?

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res055a5
 
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The blanks have to be slightly longer than the brass tubes. If they
are longer, it takes more time to use an end mill before you get to
the brass tube.
each pen kit style has different bushings and tubes associated with it.

but generally the blanks get cut to about 2 and 1/8" long....that's why you
measure the tube length before cutting.
blanks do not have to be made from one type of wood only. you can glue
together different colors and types of wood. some species work for pens
better than others.
if you are making thinner pens, then the type of wood used is more critical
because you can end up peeling the wood off the brass tubes or the wood
can end up cracking.
I like to make fatter pens to show off the wood grain and colors. this is
especially
true with a wood species that varies in color, but in wider bands. find the
tightest figure/burl/colors in a piece of wood and use it for blanks. you
will be
amazed at the difference. Example; aromatic cedar (tennessee red) varies in
color (whites and reds). it has plenty of knots and flaws usually. but
these
variations occur quite a distance apart usually and a pen turned from a
sample
will turn out white or red, or with the dividing line along it. throw in a
knot
and the difference helps. throw in a lot of figure and the pen really takes
on
character. the same is true of almost every wood species. birdseye maple
is great if the birdseyes are really close together....but if only one or
two show
up, then what is the use of using it?
slimline pen kits are the cheapest kit, but you can't easily make a fatter
pen with
it and I can't find the parts to change it to a fatter style pen separately.
I am
resorting to making my own bands and bending the clips to fit and scavenging
pen clips from other pens. keep your eyes open for places that sell kit
parts
for your own use later on...eventually you will tire of making thin pens.
have fun,
rich


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Rob McConachie
 
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Ahhh, the questions... I remember starting with pens not all that long ago
and the problems I had then. I think I tried just about everything that I
could get to work.

What really worked for me was a black magic marker drawn in the middle of
the blank on one side lengthwise starting from 1" from the end and ending 1"
from the end. That way, when you cut it, you know the orientation to it and
are able to follow the grain and you know where the middle is. However,
after you glue your tubes in, I put a marker mark in the "outside" end on
the inside of the brass tubes (for about 1/2 inch) to indicate the grain
orientation (after turning) and when you finish turnign them, you can then
realign the grain easier. Also, because you are on the "outside" ends, when
you press the ends in place, they go over (and obscure) the marker marks on
the ends of the pen. That way, you can easily keep orientation correct for
the grain and not have a mark on the outside of the pen.

Also, when you put the half of the blank in the clamp you are using, rotate
the other half 180 degrees clockwise. this will compensate for any
misalignment of the drill press. by this, I mean if your bottom blank has
your marker mark on the side of the drill press table facing the vertical of
the drill press (away from you), the other half will have the marker line
facing you. to test your alignment, insert the brass tube halfway into the
bottom and top blanks and push them together (without glue) and see how it
lines up. it will be pretty obvious to you after you do it. Also, if you
dont have a pen clamp, you can use a wood clamp to hold the blanks. if you
attach your clamp to the drill table, you will get a consistent orientation
with regard to your holes.

if you have questions, you can email me by removing hte "nozpam" from my
address.

hope this helps.

Rob

p.s. Dick Sing has a really nice book that helped me out when i was getting
started.

"harryc" wrote in message
...
I recently purchased a book on pen turning. And, I find very little in the
book about cutting the pen blanks. I have two questions(1)what are the
measurements for cutting blanks in half and how best to cut them ? (2) do
you drill the blanks after they have been cut in half or before they are
cut?

--
Harry



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