Problem Pen Turning

Alan Holbrook

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Oct 6, 2021, 10:33:28 AM10/6/21

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I am a total newbie both to pen turnung and to the lathe in general and I'm
having a problem. Drilling the blank went just fine. Gluing in the
barrels and trimming the blanks went just fine. The problem came in when I
mounted the trimmed blanks on the mandrel and tried to turn them. As soon
as I bring the tip of the chisel into contact with the blank, the blank
stops turning. The mandrel continues to turn, but the blank just stops.
I've got the knurled knob on the mandrel tightened down very tight, and
I'm turning at 800 RPM. Can anyone give me any idea of what might be
wrong?

Thanks...

DJ Delorie

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Oct 6, 2021, 12:54:35 PM10/6/21

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If the whole blank is turning on the mandrel, "very tight" might not be
tight enough. Worst case, use some tape on one end of the blank to get
the other end turned, then move the tape and do the other end, until
it's at least round and smooth and you can get by with lighter cuts.

Make sure the mandrel is free of oil or other lubricants.

Make sure you use the barrel trimmer enough that the exposed end of the
brass tube is flat and shiny.

If the wood is turning on the brass tubes, sand the brass tubes with 80
grit before gluing so the glue has something to grab on to.

Mac Davis

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Oct 6, 2021, 12:55:21 PM10/6/21

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On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 09:33:23 -0500, Alan Holbrook <no.t...@lets.not>
wrote:

Assuming you have bushings mounted also?
Just checking, as it's hard to mount the blank without bushings...
Other than that, I'd suggest a higher speed, maybe 1,200 or more if
that's comfortable...
Use very little chisel pressure, especially when the blank is still
square...

Two "musts" in turning anything are LIGHT CUTS and SHARP TOOLS...

Alan Holbrook

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Oct 7, 2021, 6:17:01 AM10/7/21

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Mac Davis <M...@bajawoodcraft.com> wrote in
news:atkrlg9f8ssccsk0q...@4ax.com:

Thanks to both of you who replied. I did a little digging and trial and
error (lots of errors!)and figured out most of what I was doing wrong. The
most relevant thing was turning speed. A reference I read on a web site
said to start at a slow speed when roughing the blanks, thus 800 RPM.
Another site said "as fast as possible", so I went up to about 3400 RPM.
Worked wonders. That, and removing a couple of bushings so that there was
only one at either end and one in between the blank halves, seems to have
done the trick.

Mac Davis

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Oct 7, 2021, 12:19:19 PM10/7/21

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On Thu, 07 Oct 2021 05:16:56 -0500, Alan Holbrook <no.t...@lets.not>

wrote:

>Mac Davis <M...@bajawoodcraft.com> wrote in
>news:atkrlg9f8ssccsk0q...@4ax.com:
>
>> On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 09:33:23 -0500, Alan Holbrook <no.t...@lets.not>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Assuming you have bushings mounted also?
>> Just checking, as it's hard to mount the blank without bushings...
>> Other than that, I'd suggest a higher speed, maybe 1,200 or more if
>> that's comfortable...
>> Use very little chisel pressure, especially when the blank is still
>> square...
>>
>> Two "musts" in turning anything are LIGHT CUTS and SHARP TOOLS...
>>
>
>Thanks to both of you who replied. I did a little digging and trial and
>error (lots of errors!)and figured out most of what I was doing wrong. The
>most relevant thing was turning speed. A reference I read on a web site
>said to start at a slow speed when roughing the blanks, thus 800 RPM.
>Another site said "as fast as possible", so I went up to about 3400 RPM.
>Worked wonders. That, and removing a couple of bushings so that there was
>only one at either end and one in between the blank halves, seems to have
>done the trick.

Yes, I turn most pens at 3,000... The slower the speed, the longer
the corners are exposed, if that makes any sense.
You have to adjust as you learn, I was taught "As fast as you're
comfortable with"

I hope you have many happy years of wood turning...
"Do a good turn every day"
Mac

Dave Leader

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Dec 12, 2021, 2:56:52 PM12/12/21

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Is it possible that the glue on the brass has failed and the blank easily stops when the tool is applied?

Alan Holbrook

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Dec 13, 2021, 5:02:06 AM12/13/21

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Dave Leader <dave....@gmail.com> wrote in
news:77bb3cb2-aa41-458c...@googlegroups.com:

David,

Thanks for the reply, even if it's a little late :-). That was indeed the
problem, as I eventually found out. I'm now being a lot more careful to
rough up the blank than I was and and to use a sufficient amount of glue.
I also found out that Gorilla brand CA doesn't appear to hold as well as
other brands.

Alan

Dave Leader

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Dec 14, 2021, 11:31:26 PM12/14/21

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I learned a trick? from another pen turner online. Since you have the bushings out ready to use anyway.... why not put the brass tubes on the lathe and rough them up with sand paper whilst spinning slow speed. After 10 years of pen making this old dog learned a new trick. Easy peasy and works well every time. Also, a lot of pen makers prefer glues to CA.

Dave

Alan Holbrook

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Dec 15, 2021, 6:52:45 AM12/15/21

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Dave Leader <dave....@gmail.com> wrote in

news:d69e41bb-363c-4a4d...@googlegroups.com:

> I learned a trick? from another pen turner online. Since you have the
> bushings out ready to use anyway.... why not put the brass tubes on
> the lathe and rough them up with sand paper whilst spinning slow
> speed. After 10 years of pen making this old dog learned a new trick.
> Easy peasy and works well every time. Also, a lot of pen makers
> prefer glues to CA.
>
> Dave
>

Now, this is what the net is for! Thanks for the tip, Dave. I've been
sanding the tubes by hand like I imagine 99% of pen turners do but this
sounds like a great idea.

Alan