Pen Blank Squaring Jig....

[Corey Hallagan]

How do you guys trim your pen blank Barrels. I have the PSI barrel trimmers but I find that they are good for about half a dozen swipes on a hard blank and they don't cut cleanly at all. Anybody use the squaring jig from PSI on a disk sander or have plans to make one?

Thanks,
Corey

[Bernie Weishapl]

Corey I made my own. I have the 4 X 36 with a 6" disc sander. I screwed a piece of wood on my mitre so that the wood just misses the disc by 1/8". I clamp the mitre in place and square it with my machinist square. Then just slide the blank into the wheel. Works great.

[George Summers]

Mine is basically the same as Bernie's.

George

[Corey Hallagan]

Maybe it doesn't make that big of difference but if your blanks aren't really square which many aren't then they won't be square really will they? The PSI jig has a rod that the tube slides over then up to the disc. Like I said, maybe it doesn't make that big of difference.

Corey

[Pat Salter]

Corey, I think it would make a differance. When you put the pen together you want it to fit even all the way around. If your holes are always straight through the blank (yeah, right:p ) then it wouldn't matter, but if they are off even slightly then you would need the barrel trimer or the PSI jigamathingy. Just depends how staight your holes are.

[Corey Hallagan]

Pat that is true as well on the drilling, if the whole isn't straight, then it to wouldn't be square either. What to do.... :)

Corey

[Andy Hoyt]

I haven't done a pen in a year or two, but all this talk is getting me anxious to have another go at it.

Lemme propose an idea for warped, twisted, gnarly, pen blank stock. Could you slap it up on the lathe between centers and turn it round and straight. And then take it off for drilling, squaring of the ends, etc.

If this would work then the jigamathingy gets really easy, wouldn't it?

[Corey Hallagan]

That is probably not a bad idea Andy when you have a piece of wood like that. I was told by a guy that is how he prepares his deer antler for turning cause that is pretty difficult to get ready to drill center properly.

Corey

P.S. if you saw my post over in flat land, my drill press shot craps tonight as well!! Good thing I got blanks drilled out for this weekend!

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I use a pen mill. It does a good job of squaring the ends. When it gets a little dull, i give it a quick tune-up wuth a fine little flat file and go again. I do mostly HARD woods, including IPE and Black Locust. I get about 100 pens before I have to dress it again.

Bruce

[Corey Hallagan]

Bruce, your a better man than me. I pulled out a brand new barrel trimmer from PSI and did 4 holes and it was dull and would cut allready. Four blanks and it started chattering and it only had 1/32nd or less to trim as well.

Corey

[Andy Hoyt]

Corey - Try changing the rotation of the drill:eek:

[Pat Salter]

Corey - Try changing the rotation of the drill:eek:
Ah Andy, you're a cruel heartless man. Funny, but still heartless.:D

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Corey, you might have gotten a bad one. Have you tried sharpening it? Take the mill portion off the center post, so you can get to the angle easier. If that doesn't work, call PSI and see if they will replace it. Mine is a PSI unit that we sell at Woodcraft.

Bruce

[John Hart]

Corey...For what it's worth, this is what the guys at Berea Hardwood showed me when Blake McCulley and I went there....

Take your blank, after you've glued the tube in...and mount it on the mandrel and get it fairly tight. Rough turn it down to a nice cylinder. Now the outer diameter is concentric to the inner diameter. Take it off the lathe and use the disc sander jig. Comes out perfect every time.

[Ed Lang]

I do exactly what John said above.

It does work great.

I just clamp a block of scrap to my disk sanders table and let it guide the blank.

[Corey Hallagan]

Thanks guys for your help! I appreciate it. Looks like I have a couple options to try.

Corey

[Chris Barton]

There are multiple way to do it and i have used the disc sander technique as well as the barrel trimmers and the later are my favorites hands down because they are always perfect. Unless you have all you set up perfect on the disc sander there can be problems. I have never had to sharpen my trimmers yet...

[Corey Hallagan]

Man, I don't know how you guys get these trimmers to cut. Mine just didn't cut worth a dang. I bought the 7mm trimmer from PSI and then got the $35.00 set with the 3/4 trimmer and not much better luck. It wanted to chatter after 4 barrells.
Anyway, I will figure something out! Thanks guys.
Corey

[Dale Thompson]

Corey,
Put a 6" cylinder on your assembly press and crank your compressor up to 400 psi. :eek: I GUARANTEE that the parts will align properly! ;) :)

Seriously, though, I also use the belt sander thing. It has always worked well for me. If you have a good drilling jig, you should not have problems with "crooked" holes. If you have a problem with the bit "wandering" it may be that it needs sharpening or replacement. Although this flies in the face of "common practice", I have actually had very good luck with plain old twist drills as opposed to the brad or "bullet" points. In a lot of materials, I think that they may generate less heat. :confused: Try backing off on your drilling feed rate. ;)

As has been mentioned, antler can be a REAL problem. I drill those puppies at a VERY slow rate and use a hypodermic needle (I talked my doctor, or was it my drug dealer, into giving me a prescription) to inject water into the hole. If the blanks appear to be a bit "off" on the lathe, they are worth removing and going back to the belt sander. When the end of the tube is "shiny" all the way around, you should be pretty close. :cool: :) :D Good Luck!! :D

Dale T.

[Corey Hallagan]

Thanks Dale , no problem drilling straight holes in my jig. That is fine, just having trouble with the barrell trimmers. I am going to try the PSI jig for the disc sander.
Thanks,
Corey