Pens and live center help !

[Scott Donley]

Hello all, After seeing all the great pens turned here I thought I would give it a try. I am new to turning other than a bit of practice making reject bonkers and dog bones. Got the PSI dv, mandrel and kits, then went for it. The first two went pretty good but on the third one I started getting a bit of a wobble in the mandrel. After the frustration and inspection I discovered that the point on my live center was missing, not really missing, it was stuck in the end of the mandrel but no longer a part of the center.
Sooo- what did I do wrong ? I had tightened it just enough for the center to spin. Was this not tight enough ? To tight ?
Any help would be appreciated as this added cost could really take some of the fun out of making these works of art !
Thanks, Scott

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Well, Scott, this happens when the point on your live center is NOT 60 degrees. If your Live Center has a removable center pin, you can get inserts that are 60 degree, otherwise, you will have to either buy the kit that includes a 60 degree or take one of the standard ones and grind it to 60 degrees. The centers are a lot softer than the mandrel, that's why the top wears.

Hope it helps.

Bruce

[Scott Donley]

Well, Scott, this happens when the point on your live center is NOT 60 degrees. If your Live Center has a removable center pin, you can get inserts that are 60 degree, otherwise, you will have to either buy the kit that includes a 60 degree or take one of the standard ones and grind it to 60 degrees. The centers are a lot softer than the mandrel, that's why the top wears.

Hope it helps.

Bruce Thanks Bruce. I thought the one I had was 60 deg but it was used and just took the guys word that I got it from. I orderd a new one from WoodTurningz, should be here Monday, and I shall try again. I would post some pics of the ones I did but after seeing the others here the only people proud of them would be, my mom ( she is almost blind ) my daughter ( she loves me ) my dog ( only if I throw it for him to bring back ) and me :) Thanks for the answer and have a GREAT weekend !

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hey Scott go ahead and post your pens. No body is going to laugh. If anything they may give you ideas of what you could do better or different. Heck only my third bowl I posted was a funnel. :D So don't worry just post'em.

[Andy Hoyt]

Bernie's right, Scott.

Strange as it may seem, that is why we're here.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Scott............I've even posted my lowly Bonkers! Nobody can laugh at my attempts to my face......this is the internet afterall!:rolleyes: But.......the folks that bombed me can see my progresses, as slow as they might be!

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

One thing to remember, Scott is that we ALL started with a "FIRST" pen!

We would like to see your work.

Bruce

[Scott Donley]

Ok, but if you laugh, you have to buy the beer ! I will get better, really ( maybe ) Rosewood and maple

[David Fried]

Scott,

The pens look great! The box is a little distracting - just send it to me and I'll hide it for you :D We all make mistakes and occasionally learn from them. I need to learn welding so I can make something from all the pen mandrels I bent by over-tightening the tail stock! (Don't try this at home!)


Dave Fried

[David Fried]

... that is why we're here.

And I thought you were just here for the ice cream!:D

Dave Fried

[Andy Hoyt]

And I thought you were just here for the ice cream!:D

Dave Fried I am; but don't tell Scott.:D

Nothing wrong with those pens, Scott. I'm kinda tired of all those gold and silver bands so the black ones especially drew my attention.

[John Hart]

Pens look great Scott....nuthin' embarrassing there!!:)

Here's something that I do that protects my live center and the mandrel...I took a piece of a factory-made acrylic pen blank that was perfectly square. Drilled a pinhole through to act as a guide...then on one side, I drilled and tapped a hole that would accomodate the mandrel thread. On the other side, I drilled a countersink hole that would accomodate the live center. My mandrel runs true and I have no metal-to-metal contact. It doesn't seem to wear out either!:)

[Jim Dunn]

And I thought you were just here for the ice cream!:D

Dave Fried

And the song writing:eek::eek::p

[Ernie Nyvall]

Welcome Scott. Those are some nice pens. Thanks for posting.

Ernie

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice looking pens Scott..................first or 100ths!

(I ain't stupid! I'm not buying the beer!:D )

[Corey Hallagan]

Come on Scott, you were toying with us! There is absolutely nothing wrong with those pens! Great work man, looks like you pretty much nailed the bushings and they look good. Better than my first one which was alright but I missed the bushings a bit! Nice job!
Corey

[Bernie Weishapl]

You got to be kidding me Scott. Those pens are great. Not a thing wrong with them. Great work.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Ain't a Daggone this wrong with what I can see of them thar PENS!

Keep it up.

Bruce

[Scott Donley]

( Hand clapping ) Thank you, thank you all :) It really is all you guys fault that I even tried this. For that matter, that I even got a lathe A year ago a lathe was not even in the plans then I made the mistake of reading this forum once in a while. You know the rest of the story. Who knows what is next, a platter, bowl, HF, maybe an ity bity ?I think I shall just practice on pens and bonkers for a while. So thanks to all, now who do I send all these new bills to :)

[Anthony Welch]

Mr. Hart, the end you drilled into the acrylic blank, is it a 60 degree countersink or does it matter. I'm into my second live center(which has the end of it cut out too) and 4th mandrel and still having a wobble on the live center end.

[John Hart]

Mr. Hart, the end you drilled into the acrylic blank, is it a 60 degree countersink or does it matter. I'm into my second live center(which has the end of it cut out too) and 4th mandrel and still having a wobble on the live center end.

It really doesn't matter much Anthony...as long as it has a pretty close bevel. I just used a 1/4 drill bit for the countersink. In fact, I can even use a worn out live center with this thing. It'll find its home and true up.:)

[Corey Hallagan]

Scott, yup that is why this forum exsists for sure and there are several ringers here that are on the payroll of the major lathe and turning accessory suppliers to pump up the turbo on the vortex machine and suck us all in! Just takes a couple looks into this forum and the spinning motion is in place already. Great stuff Scott, looking forward to more from you.
Corey

[Paul Douglass]

Scott, I haven't done a pen yet,if my first ones turn out as good as yours I will be more than happy!

John, could you possibly post a close up picture of your acrylic what-a-ma-dingy you are talking about? I think I know what you mean, but want to be sure.

I am ordering a mandrel this next week, Is the PSI maxi mandrel a good one?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Gee Scott, I think you better have your Mom's eyesight checked, because she is not blind at all, those look great!

BTW, I'll buy the beer, but you have to come and get it!

:D

Cheers!

[John Hart]

...John, could you possibly post a close up picture of your acrylic what-a-ma-dingy you are talking about? I think I know what you mean, but want to be sure....

I just took some pictures....Sorry, I have a vase on the lathe right now so I couldn't mount it all up for you.
The acrylic blank was one that exploded while I was drilling it for the tube....which worked out by the way, because it allowed me to tap a thru-hole rather than a blind-hole.

I hope you can get the gist of this from these pictures.

Here's the tapped side
34268

Here's the beveled side. As you can see, it is well-used.
34269

Here's the thingie being screwed on to the mandrel
34270

Here's the whole assembly
34271

[Scott Donley]

John- I see a new business venture in your future, a great idea, no need for the 60 degree center or replacing one at 20 bucks a pop.
Stu- I can only afford a one-way ticket, is there room in the dungeon for a cot ?
Corey- you must be right, you all must work for the venders, this stuff should be illegal, it's way to addicting.
Paul- If you are at all like me ( confused ) get the PSI free dv, it helped a lot, then to make it easy I got the basic starter kit they sell. It had everything you need to get started. A little pricey but not to out of line. At the same time I ordered a couple kits from Woodturningz. Good luck

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Stu- I can only afford a one-way ticket, is there room in the dungeon for a cot ?
Sorry, no cot, but I do have a comfy chair....

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/ye_ole_comfy_chair.jpg

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/bit_O_heaven1.jpg
looks comfy, don't it...? :D

[Paul Douglass]

Thank you John, that is what I was picturing but wanted to be sure. Would a piece of hard wood work as well? or some plexiglass?

Scott, got that video and also got "Basic Pen Turning with Bill Baumbeck". Just waiting to get some upcoming bills out of the way before I spend on hobbies.. Darn land taxes.........

[John Hart]

...Would a piece of hard wood work as well? or some plexiglass?..........

Yeah Paul. As a matter of fact, my first one was 3/4 inch plywood. I just force screwed it on to the mandrel and it lasted a while but eventually wore out. I just switched to acrylic cuz I had some laying around.

[Robert E Lee]

Great tip John, If you made the threads long enough could you do away with the brass nut. Mine uses a 1/4 nut and I keep losing it in the shavings. That would be eaiser to find.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Hey John, just re-read this thread. Your approach to the problem is definitely original AND innovative. I like it. Wonder if it would work with Hard Maple. Don't see why not.

Bruce

[John Hart]

Great tip John, If you made the threads long enough could you do away with the brass nut. Mine uses a 1/4 nut and I keep losing it in the shavings. That would be eaiser to find.

Just my first gut reaction Robert is that the assembly of blanks and bushings require quite a bit of pressure to keep from spinning on the mandrel. A plastic or wooden thread may not hold up over time. But that's just a guess.

Bruce, I would think any hard hard wood would work ok as long as it wouldn't split from the pressure of the bevel of the live center.