Finally got my centers lined up - and a penturning gloat!

[Jim Underwood]

I got some new centers and some custom slimline bushings from Johnny CNC over on the IAP forums... ( PenturnersProducts.com ) Fantastic! Very good looking centers and custom bushings for turning pen barrels dead concentric!

It was then I realized I couldn't really use them until I got my centers to line up...:(

To their credit, Jet has sent me two new tailstocks to solve the problem, but the last one was the worst, so I just gave up and lived with it.:o But this past weekend, I chose the best of the three and filed and scraped and tested,
lather, rinse, repeat...... until the dang tailstock set level, and the centers lined up! I felt like the world was lifted off my shoulders. Finally!:)

So you can see the centers lined up, and the new centers, and the new bushings for turning pens.

[Jim Underwood]

And then I turned a pen with this setup. Nib end was dead concentric! The cap/clip end was pretty good too, but I'm not sure that I got the centers dead perfect- I thought I detected a little wobble. It's really hard to tell when you get it that close...
My only problem was that the comfort band bushing was a little small, so the band now looks a little big on the pen. I didn't measure the center band and the bushing, but I intend to when I get back to the lathe for another go at it.

This is a MadrePerlato bergundy blank from Exotic blanks on a Fancy Slimline w/ comfort band.

Love that color!

[Michael James]

Congratulations! I got a couple of sets of steel and delrin from Johnny a while back, and really enjoy using them. Not as fast on a 2 piece pen but better pieces for sure. Good looking pen ya got there too!
mj

[Jim Underwood]

I should probably mention a very belated gloat and thanks... I used one Jeff Nicol's short "comfort" rest to turn this pen. I was initially unsure of the JB Weld* holding the drill rod on, but these tool rests have been really great. This short rest was just the ticket for this small turning.
Thanks Jeff!

* (had unsatisfactory results with it as a youngster- but that was probably my fault)

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is great Jim that you finally got the problem solved.

[Donny Lawson]

Nice to see you solved the problem. Was the tailstock just to low/high? Great looking pen too.

[Roger Chandler]

HU-Ray! Jim, if you are like me, when something is not like it should be, it just gnaws at me.............glad you got that problem solved...........it should make turning more of a pleasure for you!

[Eric Holmquist]

Good job on getting everything lined up! Enjoy the between centers bushings, I've made them for all the pen kits I make and really like that method.

[Bill Bulloch]

Nice looking pens......did you go over to Ken's too? I know how aggravating it can be trying to level an unlevel lathe. I had mine nice and level until it tried to get away from a large unbalanced blank and walked across the floor. Why don't make garage floors level?

[Jim Underwood]

Was the tailstock just to low/high?

Which tailstock?:D

The first two were low, and the further the quill was out, the lower they got. The second one was about half the amount of the first one, so that's the one I wound up fixing. The third and last one was almost level, but so far out front to back, that no amount of leveling or tweaking of the legs would make it come back in line. :mad:

Anyone want another tailstock?:p

[Jim Underwood]

Nice looking pens......did you go over to Ken's too? I know how aggravating it can be trying to level an unlevel lathe. I had mine nice and level until it tried to get away from a large unbalanced blank and walked across the floor. Why don't make garage floors level?

Generally they are level since water seeks the lowest spots, it's just specifically they aren't, because the concrete finishers are using tools to sweep it out, and there are still ripples in it... So when you put a machine on it, you'll always need leveler legs to get it to quit rocking. All you need is just one spot to be higher then another to make it rock... That's why three leg stools and tripods are so effective.

Who is Ken? What Ken? Fitzgerald?

[Jim Burr]

Nice work Jim! I have a lot of bushings from John and just ordered another set yesterday! They can't be beat.