Need help with pen turning

[Jack Hogoboom]

I've been having a serious problem with blowing up pen blanks. I had been trying to use a skew, but kept chipping the ends out. I thought it might be because I was using burl wood, but I've had the same problem with some pretty solid cocobolo. Today, I was trying to help one of my kids' friends turn a pen. I was using a roughing gouge and cocobolo blanks I cut myself. I blew up five in a row before I finally quit. These would just split down the middle.

I don't know if I'm taking too heavy a cut, using the wrong tool or whatever. But I am being driven to distraction by my inability to turn the blanks correctly.

Any thoughts and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack

[Joe Horne]

Jack, try a small spindle gouge and a round nose scraper. I have turned 100's of Pens, and I can count on one hand the ones I blew up. Make sure the tube is glued in well, and take light cuts with a SHARP spindle gouge..........and refine the cut, or do your finish cuts with a round nose scraper. Make sure you have the proper lathe speed as well. I turn 'em fast on a VS Jet Mini.........I seem to get better cuts at a higher speed. I would think you are on the right track to your problem. Take lighter cuts using the tools mentioned above, and I think you will be back on track before ya know it. Don't get discouraged........but I know how it can be.........especially when you're losing NICE blanks like Cocobolo. :eek:

[Tom Seaman]

If you're not already using it, I've had better results using epoxy rather than CA glue for gluing in the tubes (some people have good results with Gorilla glue also). I've blown out far fewer blanks since making the switch to epoxy.

[Robert Cepek]

Try the round nose scrapper, Make sure you have a good edge on it (sharpness makes all the difference) and I can't which glue works better (CA/Epoxy) as I have used them both and neither one has ever given me a prob.

[Joe Horne]

Excellent point Tom. I have been using Gorilla Glue for some time now, and I really like it. I scuff up the tubes with some 120 grit paper, wet the interior of the drilled pen blank with a moistened Q-Tip (Water helps Poly Glue cure) and spread some glue on the tube, then insert it into the blank. I always let my blanks cure for 24 hours before I trim and turn. Works for me! ;)

[Jim Becker]

Having just spent the day turning pens (something I don't do usually) I can appreciate your situation, Jack! Most of my blowouts were due to poor glue coverage which I fixed by being more generous with the CA I was using. (No poly glue availabl in my shop and I'm impatient anyway)

Once I got up to speed, I found the combination of my roughing gouge to round the blanks and take them down most of the way and then finishing them off with shearing cuts with my Ellsworth gouge was just the ticket. I had it down to about 5 minutes per pen for the actual turning this afternoon.

[Harry Pye]

Run the lathe as fast as you are comfortable with. Take it easy. Unless you are a production turner finishing a blank in ten minutes instead of five minutes doesn't really matter. Use sharp tools. This is so important and you don't realize how many of your problems are being caused by a dull tool.

I glue the tubes in with polyurathane glue. Gorilla glue is the high priced example. I rough turn with a 3/4" roughing out gouge and do most finishing with a 1" skew. I do very little scraping.

[Fred Floyd]

I've made about 200 pens over the last six months. I haven't had a single blowout. Here's what I do.

1. Make sure drilling is straight, using one of the drilling vises you can get from woodcraft or Craft Supplies USA

2. Use gap-filling CA glue. Put 3 beads the length of the tube and insert the tube. Turn and plunge the tube to disburse the glue and thereby get a good bond.

3. I start turning at about 1500 RPM using a mini gouge (with an Irish grind).

4.. When round, increase speed to 3000 RPM and complete the detail turning. Be sure to take very fine cuts.

5. Sand to 600 grit.

6. Finish of your choice.

Hope this helps...

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Everything above is good information. Since I've been doing a lot of Cocobolo lately, I can feel for you. With it being as hard as it is, it will have a tendency to chip off at the ends. There are Three things I do to counteract it.

1. Take LIGHT cuts!

2. Make sure you are rubbing the bevel. (btw - Depending where I am I use either a 1-1/2" roughing Gouge or a 1/2" spindle gouge all the way!)

3. When I get close, I start working from the bushing into the blank. If you are careful, you can rub the bevel of the gouge and not cut into the bushing.

I make sure that my tools are VERY Sharp and I run my lathe at high speed (3900-4000 rpms) for everything but finishing.

Hope this helps.

Bruce ;)
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[Matthew Poeller]

I have had some blowouts. Interestingly enough I think that some of mine have been from poor glueing technique but I have found one other reason.

When I do not tight my mandrel properly I will get some funky vibrations. This has caused a couple of blowouts. The blowouts are technically caused by excessive circular runout. Put a dial indicator on the mandrel and check it just to make sure. I like to see less than .010" FIR.

As far as the glue goes I have not had good luck with CA glue. I will now only use Gorilla or Epoxy.

[Keith Burns]

When I started turning pens I would have blowouts when I cut from the bushings in toward the center. I now turn from the center out toward the bushings and it eliminated the problem.