Stave segmented pens

[Jon Behnke]

Here are two stave segmented pens that I've been working on. First is cherry, holly and black dyed veneer. Second is cherry with black and red veneer. Both are based on 12 segments cut at 15 degrees on the table saw. Getting the angle perfect takes some trial and error but once I got it I cut a bunch of pieces so I can make a few more blanks. Both have 12 coats of CA glue for a finish. Thanks for looking.


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[John Terefenko]

I like . I like. That is what I am talking about. nice work and great thinking outside the box. You can do alot with that design now. The one thing is each pen kit is different so I assume you have to make adjustment with different sized tubes.

[Jon McElwain]

Those are great! Impressively tight joints too. I'd love to see a photo of the fixture you use to cut those small staves on the table saw.

BTW, what is that second pen kit called, and where did you find it? I was looking for one like that recently and could only find a screw-on pen lid style. I was hoping for the magnetic end cap.

Thanks!

[Jon Behnke]

The first pen is a Jr. Gent and the second pen is a Zen with a magnetic cap from Craft Supplies in Utah. I didn't use a jig to cut the segments, set the blade to 15 degrees and ripped the strips. It took a little trial and error to get the saw set at a perfect 15 degrees, once set I cut a bunch of strips.

[Sid Matheny]

I'm not into pens much any more but I really like these. The wider segments would be my pick of the two.

Sid

[James Combs]

For the pen I would take the Jr Gent. Not a big fan of the Zen but both blanks rock.

[Baxter Smith]

Nice looking pens!

[Dan Hintz]

The huge size of the pics hides the work involved in getting such perfectly cut thin staves.

Nicely done!

[Greg Just]

Beautiful pens. I kow what you mean about getting the angle set. I make the staved coffee mugs and once that angle is set on the table saw, I cut a bunch of blanks. I wold love to see pictures of your set-up. I use a sled that I made to cut mine. Thanks for sharing.

[John Terefenko]

I too would be interested to seeing how you cut the staves that small safely. I get cutting one side but are you flipping the board to the other side to cut the thin slices??? Are you using a sled??? There has to be alot of calculating to also be able to add the accent stripes with the staves too. Thanks.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Those are really nice. I really like that staved look.

[Jim Burr]

That is a ton of extremely detailed work Jon...you really pulled it off!

[Doug W Swanson]

And you still have all your fingers?:eek: I'd like to see how you cut such small pieces!

The pens turned out beautiful! The fit and finish is great!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Impressive work Jon!

[Jon Behnke]

I thought about making some kind of jig to cut the staves but I'm not good at that sort of thing. I use a Wixey angle box to set the blade angle, I have a Jet cabinet saw. I made corian zero clearance inserts, they're nice and flat. I start with .375" to .5" thick stock, make the initial cut to set the first edge, flip the board end for end, move the fence (I use a Rockler thin strip cutting jig) so the pieces are about 1/64" thick on the narrow edge and make the next cut...and so on. I use a set of Grippers to hold the stock, works well as I still have all my fingers, I use these on everything. To glue them up, I lay out two pieces of painters tape and lay out the strips with a piece of flat veneer between each, then run a line of wood glue between each piece and roll it up using the tape to hold it together. If everything is fitting perfectly I use rubber bands to clamp them until dry, then drill and turn as usual.

[John Terefenko]

I thought about making some kind of jig to cut the staves but I'm not good at that sort of thing. I use a Wixey angle box to set the blade angle, I have a Jet cabinet saw. I made corian zero clearance inserts, they're nice and flat. I start with .375" to .5" thick stock, make the initial cut to set the first edge, flip the board end for end, move the fence (I use a Rockler thin strip cutting jig) so the pieces are about 1/64" thick on the narrow edge and make the next cut...and so on. I use a set of Grippers to hold the stock, works well as I still have all my fingers, I use these on everything. To glue them up, I lay out two pieces of painters tape and lay out the strips with a piece of flat veneer between each, then run a line of wood glue between each piece and roll it up using the tape to hold it together. If everything is fitting perfectly I use rubber bands to clamp them until dry, then drill and turn as usual.


OK Jon I sort of figured the flipping thing. I now get that you are building the blank before you drill. I thought you were buiding it around the tube. I still would love to see a photo of the gripper and method used to cut these safely. I ask because I wanted to do some bottle stoppers awhile ago but could not figure out how to hold the small pieces because I was making compound cuts. Your method maybe the answer. Sure hope you take a couple photos. Thanks


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/JTTHECLOCKMAN/IMGP0495.jpg

[Ken Glass]

Jon,
Very nice Pens. Colors are super and well matched. Nice Work.

[Jon Behnke]

OK Jon I sort of figured the flipping thing. I now get that you are building the blank before you drill. I thought you were buiding it around the tube. I still would love to see a photo of the gripper and method used to cut these safely. I ask because I wanted to do some bottle stoppers awhile ago but could not figure out how to hold the small pieces because I was making compound cuts. Your method maybe the answer. Sure hope you take a couple photos. Thanks


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/JTTHECLOCKMAN/IMGP0495.jpg
You've got the idea, that's what the blanks look like once assembled except I'm using 12 segments cut at 15 degrees. I'll see if I can take some pictures in the next couple days, the toughest part is getting the saw set up perfectly at 15 degrees. I do trial cuts with MDF to check the angle. You can use thicker wood to get a larger diameter blank, I have a larger blank built that I'm going to use for a pizza cutter.

[Billy Tallant]

Those pens are outstanding... Would not want to even think about the work involved in cutting those small strips on the table saw. Great job!!!

[Jon Behnke]

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You can see in the first pic my set up for cutting the segments. Blade set at 15 degrees, Rockler thin strip cutting jig and test piece of MDF. Second pic shows the Gripper in use. Third pic is 12 segments layed out on tape. Fourth pic is rolled up segments, fifth pic shows how the test pieces fit. Once you have the correct angle, the pieces fit perfectly. You can see that the fence is on the left side of the blade, with a right tilt saw this is necessary so the cut piece doesn't drop into the blade.

[Jim Burr]

That makes me want a table saw again! Mucho thanks for the post Jon!!

[John Terefenko]

Thanks for the photos. That helps alot. With that angle it is not too severe to get those small pieces trapped under the blade so works well.

Not sure if you had seen my segmented pen I shown recently which I made using a router. But basically the same results. Thanks again for showing.