End milling

[Dario]

What is your favorite way to mill the ends of your barrel (tubed blanks)?

 

[kent4Him]

What is "other"?

My sander isn't square enough to do it with a squaring jig.

 

[ctwxlvr]

aye what are some of the other methods of squaring the end of the blank with the tube?

 

[Jerryconn]

I use the end mills but am working toward having a sander with a squaring jig. I dislike using the end mills [B)]

 

[LEAP]

I don't know if this counts as other but a piece of self adhesive sand paper on the flat end of the end mill works good on soft or grabby wood.

 

[Randy_]

I voted for the barrel trimmer; because that is all I have. If I had a disk sander, I would build a jig and use that; but I can't justify the cost of a sander just to sand a few blanks.

I've been toying with the idea of mounting a sanding disk on my lathe; but haven't solved the problem of a simple-to-use jig to hold the blanks. It will probably be something mounted on a 5/8" post that can go in the banjo. Real problem is getting the alignment just right.

 

[bob393]

I use a barrel trimmer 99.9% of the time however
the last one I did I rough turned the blank to 5/8" diameter,
put in in a collet chuck, and squared it with a skew.

Why you say? Because I didn't have a 10mm barrel trimmer!

Crazy huh.

 

[ctboy]

I just cut the ends square to begin with. Just kidding, I use a barrel trimmer.

 

[stevers]

I like the barrel trimmer as long as the pen kit allows it. Then I run into trouble. Thats when I need to make a squaring jig.

 

[toolcrazy]

I also use a barrel trimmer, what it don't fit, I make the tubes so it does fit.

 

[soundman]

I use a pen me the vast majority of the time..... it does help to keep it sharp.
On larger pens that I dont have an adaptor for, assuming the blank is regular and square..... and i've drilled it straight... I'll trim up on the drop saw ( which always has a very fine blade on)

cheers

 

[bradh]

Already had a sander, so I built a squaring jig from scrap and saved money on a trimmer.

 

[bradbn4]

I never had good luck with the squaring jig - but then the jig needs a bigger post so it fits snug in the tube
I guess I will have to buy / make some adapters. I hope soon to start playing with some closed end pens - and with
non square / round pen blanks - makes it hard to use a jig.

Bradbn4 having fun in Colorado

 

[byounghusband]

I use a barrel trimmer on almost every pen. On laser cut kits from Kallenshaan Woods, I use my disk sander and a piece ot snad paper on my bench to clean it up. That way I don't get a catch when the trimmer is dull. DAMHIKT!![B)]
I turned my own adapters for most of the pens I turn and when I try a new one, I turn an adapter first. We are woodturners right??[:0]

 

[huntersilver]

For the larger pen kits I use a disk sander, seems to work well[]

 

[DocStram]

I voted "Other". Lately, I've been using the PSI Pen Blank Cutting and Sizing Jig. Once it's set up properly, there is no need to trim or sand the end of the blank. However, I have also used everything else in the list.