Second pen and questions

Re: Second pen and questions

Fred L. - North Carolina

>Very nice pen with very nice accent rings!

Turn the wood just a hair thicker than the bushings, and put a slight taper at the ends with sandpaper. Sanding reduces the diameter.

I never had a problem burning the rings with a wire, but I never turned canary wood either... My suggestion is to just turn a piece into a dowel, and use it to practice. Burning takes friction, maybe the wire is too smooth, or the speed too slow. My wire came from Wal-Mart.

Happy penturning!

Fred

Re: Second pen and questions

Joe Pack, New London, OH

>Compare your bushings with the hardware to check on size match.

As suggested, turn just a hair oversize, then sand down to the bushing. Make the bushing "shine," but not scratched. Then, assuming hardware and bushings are a match, you should have a perfect fit.

Keep in mind that bushings are disposable...if you eventually sand one too small, just replace it. I make a habit of ordering a new bushing set about every 40 items or so, just to have a good set on hand in case I sand to heavy.

Re: Second pen and questions

Scott Greaves, Blackfoot Idaho

>Hey Jim,

This is a fine looking pen! I am impressed by the use of the accent rings! Having a very small lip so that the wood is just a hint larger than the metal parts is not a bad thing! I know some advanced penturners that leave a lip like this on purpose.

I would also propose that bushings are not the precise tools they are touted to be. If you want the wood to meet the pen parts, the way to do it is to invest in a dial caliper - a cheap one will do - and take measurements off the pen parts you want to match. Then turn the wood down to this size.

I still like your pen. Nice use of varying shape and the accent lines. You're on your way!

Scott.

Re: Second pen and questions

YoYoSpin

>I agree with all the responses so far...you're on the right track and doing well. Good job. And, think curves...

best regards,

Ed D.

Re: Second pen and questions

Doug Jones, mid-west Indiana

>Don't sweat the little stuff, Your pens are turning out just fine. Good looking pen.

Re: Second pen and questions

Russ Fairfield

>Some day, you will make a pen with the barrels that are smaller than the fittings. Then you will know that what you are doing is fine.

You can leave the wood slightly larger than the fittings at the tip (the only place you really notice it) on purpose, and break the sharp edge with a touch of the sandpaper. The edge is hardly noticeable and the wood will wear down to a perfect match as the pen is used.

Re: Second pen and questions

jared herbert in ia

>Hello: For the pens I turn, I never pay much attention to the bushings, they seem to wear fast and are sometimes out of round or get that way soon. I got a cheap plastic dial caliper and find I get much better results using it to gauge the size of the wood. I also try to leave the wood parts slightly oversize and then round the edges ever so slightly with sandpaper while the blank is on the lathe. The rounded edge of the wood feels better in your hand then a sharp metal edge as a result of the blank being too small. That is what work for me. Jared Herbert

CALIPERS and MARKING

Fred L. - North Carolina

>Dial and digital calipers are very useful in the shop. However, for pen turning I use an old plain metal caliper, the kind you can get for a few dollars at HF. It looks like a dial caliper without the dial. For small diameters it is easier to use than a regular gage.

You can set the caliper to the size of the pen's tip. Just measure it with a loose fit, and lock it with the setscrew. When it fits snugly on the wood, stop turning and start sanding.

Also, I use this type caliper when turning pens with bulges, hourglass shape, and any beads and coves. It helps me make them all the same diameter. Some of these difference in diameter are only noticed after the pen is assembled, when it is really too late to do anything about it.

When I want to turn beads, coves, and such and make the two barrels come out the same, I use an old cheap metal compass. It has a regular pencil in one of the legs. The metal point has been filed so it is not too sharp. Make sure the legs don't move easily, a hammer on the hinge can fix it if too loose.

I first round the blank to a working diameter, and use the compass to mark positions on the blank, while it is turning. In other words, it is used same way as dividers, just much cheaper and the pencil is already there.

For example, for an hourglass shape, I set the compass to 1/2" and mark a line from each end of the barrels. I then taper from there.

Fred

Turn CLOSE, sand to bushings...

BubbaBob

>

Or...

Joe Pack,New London, OH

>Or use Bubba Bob's method...turn all the way through the wood to the tubes, sand off the remaining wood, glue on a new blank and start all over again. :-)

(Bubba, don't worry that I'm not working, I'm on lunch break now. Of course, I do get a 2 hour lunch.)

Re: Second pen and questions

Peter Teubel

>What I do it sand right down to the bushings (600 grit) then remove the blank from the lathe. I take the bushings off the mandrel and replace them with short lengths of bare 7mm tubes. I then proceed to use MicroMesh. By replacing the bushings with the bare tubes, I can sand (lightly, of course) right past the edge of the blank. From experience, I can get the fit I am looking for and I ever-so-slightly round over the sharp corners.