Bob Janka
04-04-2003, 3:23 PM
Folks,
As some of you all may know, our company is having an Arts & Crafts sale later this month during national "Turn Off TV Week" (21-27 April). I turned my first pen about a week after they announced the sale. I am in the midst of turning out enough "good" pens that I can make a decent showing.
Last night, I had 4(!) "oops" and 1 "good". I had previously built a band-saw sled to make cutting the blanks to length easier. That worked wonderfully last night as I prepped 8 blanks for Flat-Top Double Twist pens, 15 blanks for 7mm twist pens, and 5 blanks for key rings (half of each for fob and toothpick holder styles). I now have a selection of stop-blocks to guide my blank cutting.
On to the "boring" part (pun intended ;-). I finished up a gate jig I saw in "Turning Pens and Pencils" by Kip Christensen and Rex Burningham. (GREAT book, I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in pen-turning!) I need to bore through the bottom at the "V" intersection to allow for chips to fall through. I learned this by blowing out not one, but TWO blanks. This probably occurred because I was not clearing the chips often enough.
So, I switched back to my previous technique of mounting the half-blank in a scroll chuck on the headstock and the drill bit in a drill chuck on the tailstock. I'm using a Jet mini. I just push the tail stock towards the head stock until I bore out the hole.
Now for the other two "oops". One blank was fighting me, started spinning the drill chuck, and popped it out of the tailstock! If you have never seen a drill chuck flying through the air, DON'T! :o
No injuries, just very startled. A little while later, it happened again! (I will admit that I was trying rushing through these steps. Note to self: Patience, Bob!). The second time made me a not so proud owner of a BENT "J" letter drill bit. (Thankfully, Berea Hardwoods is open today and they are sending a replacement in the mail).
Although it occurred first, I saved the "good" for last. My wife works in the ceramics studio while I work in the woodshop. She had received something from one of the other potters and wanted to give her something in return. She asked me if I had any key rings. I didn't, so I let her friend pick one of the two 7mm pens I had with me. Her friend is my first "customer"!
I'll take some pictures and post them sometime. It may be a while as I am busy trying to turn out enough "good" pens for the sale. :)
Cheers,
Bob Janka
pen-turner who is remembering patience
As some of you all may know, our company is having an Arts & Crafts sale later this month during national "Turn Off TV Week" (21-27 April). I turned my first pen about a week after they announced the sale. I am in the midst of turning out enough "good" pens that I can make a decent showing.
Last night, I had 4(!) "oops" and 1 "good". I had previously built a band-saw sled to make cutting the blanks to length easier. That worked wonderfully last night as I prepped 8 blanks for Flat-Top Double Twist pens, 15 blanks for 7mm twist pens, and 5 blanks for key rings (half of each for fob and toothpick holder styles). I now have a selection of stop-blocks to guide my blank cutting.
On to the "boring" part (pun intended ;-). I finished up a gate jig I saw in "Turning Pens and Pencils" by Kip Christensen and Rex Burningham. (GREAT book, I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in pen-turning!) I need to bore through the bottom at the "V" intersection to allow for chips to fall through. I learned this by blowing out not one, but TWO blanks. This probably occurred because I was not clearing the chips often enough.
So, I switched back to my previous technique of mounting the half-blank in a scroll chuck on the headstock and the drill bit in a drill chuck on the tailstock. I'm using a Jet mini. I just push the tail stock towards the head stock until I bore out the hole.
Now for the other two "oops". One blank was fighting me, started spinning the drill chuck, and popped it out of the tailstock! If you have never seen a drill chuck flying through the air, DON'T! :o
No injuries, just very startled. A little while later, it happened again! (I will admit that I was trying rushing through these steps. Note to self: Patience, Bob!). The second time made me a not so proud owner of a BENT "J" letter drill bit. (Thankfully, Berea Hardwoods is open today and they are sending a replacement in the mail).
Although it occurred first, I saved the "good" for last. My wife works in the ceramics studio while I work in the woodshop. She had received something from one of the other potters and wanted to give her something in return. She asked me if I had any key rings. I didn't, so I let her friend pick one of the two 7mm pens I had with me. Her friend is my first "customer"!
I'll take some pictures and post them sometime. It may be a while as I am busy trying to turn out enough "good" pens for the sale. :)
Cheers,
Bob Janka
pen-turner who is remembering patience