Anyone have a quicker way to size blanks?

[TurtleTom]

My shop is in my basement. On those nights where I want to stay late in the shop, but the other 50% of the house prefers to sleep, I do things that don't make noise.

One of those things is cutting the edges off blanks by using a small block plane and a holder made from a scrap of v-block.

View attachment 137962

A few quick passes with the sharp block plane gets to:

View attachment 137963

In this example, I used it to round the edges of a Celtic knot blank, to reduce the chance for a catch and a blow-up.

Worst part is, the other 50% get choice of the pens.

 

[Skie_M]

My shop is in my basement. On those nights where I want to stay late in the shop, but the other 50% of the house prefers to sleep, I do things that don't make noise.

One of those things is cutting the edges off blanks by using a small block plane and a holder made from a scrap of v-block.

View attachment 137962

A few quick passes with the sharp block plane gets to:

View attachment 137963

In this example, I used it to round the edges of a Celtic knot blank, to reduce the chance for a catch and a blow-up.

Worst part is, the other 50% get choice of the pens.

I've no idea what you're talking about .....

I'm not married, but my opinion would be that the love of my life can have anything that comes out of my shop, including me, whenever she wants.

 

[TurtleTom]

I have seen a video where Constance from Lazerline spins them on his lathe and slides his router down them making them the finished size in one pass. He uses a special jig for the router of course but man is it fast.

Yeah, I've seen people do something like this with a duplicator jig and a trim router in place of the bit ....


In my mind, however, something like that is NOT HAND MADE. I'ld prefer to keep my hands on the tools.


I hear a lot lately about turning between centers .... I'll have to try it sometime. I understand that as long as your tailstock and headstock are perfectly aligned, you have nothing to worry about, and you have zero chance of bending a mandrel this way ...

The tailstock and headstock don't have to be aligned to TBC. You have 2 points and a blank inbetween, if it was off a tiny amount no one would ever know it.

 

[Smitty37]

There is quite a range of prices in live centers -- and several on the higher price end are several times the cost of those on the lower end. The higher end ones are still selling well for reasons.

The age old quandary that put Harbor Freight into business. Even when I was working as a machinist I couldn't afford the Starrett tools. I suppose it's because I wasn't union like the workers at Starrett. But. I do know good tools and I'm a little ashamed to have it pointed out to me. Now I can't afford Sorby tools either because I'm retired. Second had Rose I suppose.[/quote]Dating yourself there Tom. Came out in the Zeigfield Follies 1921 - Fannie Brice but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know it from Funny Girl in 1968.:laugh::laugh:

 

[Smitty37]

I think if I were going to make all blanks round before drilling, I'd turn them round in batches - Set up and turn a couple of dozen at a time.

 

[TurtleTom]

I totally agree, division of labor started the industrial revolution.

 

[janet0]

You could have most offered myself a lot to attempt to to consider, thanks a lot a lot. I favor the concept of switching in between centres nevertheless I simply will not have this bushings for the, yet. I favor the concept of making use of brass because Henry may. Metal could be started some sort of wooden lathe Maybe, therefore i may make many TBC bushings this way.

 

[Skie_M]

You can turn some bushings between centers out of commonly available hardwood and then have them replicated in brass. Turn your stock to fit your morse taper first, or turn your stock to fit your spindle arrangement.

Give your bushings cone ends to center the turning between headstock and tailstock. This allows one set to work for all pen turnings. Once you have good working bushings, finish them in CA and give them very good polish. Ask a friend or pay a professional to cast them in brass or aluminum (cheaper) and clean them up with your lathe with light sanding. Use a backing block with the sandpaper to make sure you do not change the critical sizes of your morse taper or your spindle attachment.

Get a good pair of calipers to ensure proper measurement of your pen barrels in diameter and turn to proper size carefully.


(The same, but translated into Portugese via Google Translate.)

Você pode ativar algumas buchas entre centros de madeira comumente disponíveis e , em seguida, tê-los replicados em latão. Transforme o seu estoque para caber seu cone morse primeiro , ou girar seu estoque para caber seu arranjo fuso.

Dê seu buchas cone termina para centralizar a viragem entre cabeçote e cabeçote móvel . Isso permite que um conjunto de trabalhar para todas as aparas de caneta. Uma vez que você tem bons buchas de trabalho , acabar com eles em CA e dar-lhes muito bom polonês . Peça a um amigo ou pagar um profissional para lançá-los em latão ou alumínio (mais barata ) e limpá-los com o seu torno com lixar luz. Use um bloco de apoio com a lixa para se certificar de que você não alterar o tamanho das críticas de seu cone morse ou seu apego fuso.

Obter um bom par de pinças para garantir uma medição correcta da sua caneta de barris de diâmetro e se voltam para tamanho adequado cuidadosamente .

 

[TurtleTom]

I turned mine out of brass stock on the wood lathe using a round carbide cutter.
My most favorite is the set I made for turning tubeless blanks that has 1/2" shoulders x 7mm pins that turns between centers. With the large shoulders I get good friction so I don't have to adjust the tailstock so often. And I can't remember the last time I took the chuck off.

 

[sbwertz]

I make blanks for the center for the blind. They have to be round for them because they can't see the spinning blank. I turn all the full length (5") blank between centers until they are round before I take them to the center. (Donated blanks I bring home and turn round and take back. That way I am not taking up time on their lathes to round the blanks.) When they decide which kit to turn, we cut the blanks to length with a miter saw and drill them, either on the lathe or the drill press. Then tube them and trim and square the ends. They are then ready for the blind turners to make a pen!

 

[sbwertz]

There is quite a range of prices in live centers -- and several on the higher price end are several times the cost of those on the lower end. The higher end ones are still selling well for reasons.

The age old quandary that put Harbor Freight into business. Even when I was working as a machinist I couldn't afford the Starrett tools. I suppose it's because I wasn't union like the workers at Starrett. But. I do know good tools and I'm a little ashamed to have it pointed out to me. Now I can't afford Sorby tools either because I'm retired. Second had Rose I suppose.

I use one of these live center most of the time. I bought it because I make napkin rings, and it spreads the hardwood mandrel to hold the rings in place while turning.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/149168/woodriver-60-degrees-ball-bearing-live-tailstock-center-2-morse-taper.aspx