can you make pens from cross-grain blanks?

Re: can you make pens from cross-grain blanks?

Barry Turner

>I'd try soaking in CA, then using razor-sharp tools and a light touch. Good luck.

Re: can you make pens from cross-grain blanks?

John Lucas

>I don't turn many pens but I think a good glue bond with the brass interior piece will make is fairly strong. I've made pens from a lot of glued up material with grain running different ways and not had a problem.

I agree with Mr. Lucas

Fred in NC

>Of course, very sharp tools and not too deep cuts will help a lot.

Re: can you make pens from cross-grain blanks?

Terry Quiram

>Tom

Angle cut and end grain pens have a very dramatic effect. Go slow, use sharp tools and be careful on the ends. Its easy to blow the end off if you are too agressive.

Terry

Re: can you make pens from cross-grain blanks?

Ed Morris

>I've seen the log that Tom's referencing and those few inches of spalting are amazing. Tom's got some great stuff!

I agree with the process of soaking with CA and turning with sharp tools.

My two cents is to ensure that your cuts are 'downhill' to the grain if it's not completely perpendicular to the axis of rotation to help avoid tearout (if perfectly perpendicular then I guess it doesn't matter what direction you move your knives). Although the CA should keep tearout from occuring, the process of cutting downhill should minimize vibration and reduce the possibility of breaking during turning.

Re: can you make pens from cross-grain blanks?

YoYoSpin

>You might also try using a scraper, and make very shallow cuts. These were made with a 1/2" round-nosed scraper and the beads were cut with a sharp 1" skew.

Crosscut Yellowheart:



Crosscut Padauk



best regards,

Ed D.

the material

Tom Sontag - St. Louis

>>Ed wrote: I've seen the log that Tom's referencing and those few inches of spalting are amazing. Tom's got some great stuff!

Well thanks Ed, but I am afraid I must correct you. You did NOT see this chunk of sweetgum. It has been in my home shop for nearly a year, constantly getting in the way with no known future. A friend offered to make some pens and I thought I'd cut some blanks from my Private Stock. Oooo, that sounds good, "my Private Stock". Aaaah.

Oh, sorry. Anyway, there are 8 or more black lines per inch in this stuff. I could make dozens of blanks with this PS. If you'd like to try your hand at a couple pens, let me know.

Thanks folks! Count me among the most enthusiastic Turning Forum fans that lacks a lathe motor. ;-(

Hey Ed, my email bouncced this morning. Got ???

Dave Smith, Longview, WA

>How big are yoyo blanks. I am selling off my wood stock to improve my cash flow balance and I don't want to leave any scrap unturned.

Dave Smith

Don't got no dogs or yoyos to walk in Longview, WA.

I just turned some alder feather crotch today.

Dave Smith, Longview, WA

>I used an oval skew after turning round with a roughing gouge. Alder is known for end grain tear out and I was asking myself what I was doing trying to turn this blank. Thanks to Larry Hancock I learned how to use a skew and the skew did an excellent job on the alder end grain. I started sanding with 320 because the surface was uneven. If the skew operator was better I would have started with 600. There was no tear out and the surface was smooth albeit a little wavy.

A sharp scraper is a good alternative in my opinion for a beginning turner and one with a couple years in front of a lathe like myself.

Dave Smith

Just call me the skew whisperer in Longview, WA.