Acrylic Chipping ????

[tgraytn]

I have a piece of 1 1/2" round acrylic rod that I am turning down for a pen. Obviously at this point I am at the "roughing" stage. While using a 1/2" round nose scraper and my Jet 1014VS lathe speed set at number 4, I am getting a lot of small chips flying out as if I were turning glass. I am definitely glad that I was wearing my safety glasses! I have the tool rest adjusted so that the scraper contacts the acrylic blank just under the center line of the shaft.

Any suggestions, tips or video will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Tom

 

[its_virgil]

Barry Gross turning acrylic pt 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDrR7xocrvQ

Barry Gross pt 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzYu_rEmsPc

There are others on youtube. I use a skew in its normal or standard usage position...just the same as I use on wood. Scrapers can be agressive as can gouges. If you want to continue using the scraper, make some adjustments so have ribbons coming off instead of what you are now experiencing.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

I have a piece of 1 1/2" round acrylic rod that I am turning down for a pen. Obviously at this point I am at the "roughing" stage. While using a 1/2" round nose scraper and my Jet 1014VS lathe speed set at number 4, I am getting a lot of small chips flying out as if I were turning glass. I am definitely glad that I was wearing my safety glasses! I have the tool rest adjusted so that the scraper contacts the acrylic blank just under the center line of the shaft.

Any suggestions, tips or video will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Tom

 

[tgraytn]

Thanks Don!

 

[ed4copies]

Personal opinion:

I would avoid turning anything with my tool below the centerline of the material. With a scraper, I may find my "back" hand rather high in the air, but I am more comfortable with that, where I can easily pull the tool back toward me if there is a catch, than I am with the concept of a catch yanking the tool into the material.

True cast acrylic is tricky, Tom. Don't worry about the method, until you turn down to the part that counts. Of course, if you use the early turning to learn, that's a bonus!!

I turn it very successfully with the same method I show on the YouTube vid I posted a couple days ago. LARGE skew helps dampen the vibration. Once the 1.5" rod is turned to round, riding correctly on your lathe, things get a good deal easier!!

Good Luck---it comes in pretty colors!!! Like BLACK>

 

[jeffnreno]

I had the same problem until I watched this video in the IAP library

http://content.penturners.org/video/epr_sierra_high_res.wmv

Good Luck - It took me a few to get a technique down that works but now it's pretty easy.

 

[tgraytn]

Thanks Jeff for the video link. I will watch it now.

Ed, can you post a link to your YouTube as well?

Thanks Again!

Tom

 

[alphageek]

Heres a link to Ed's post about his video (I didn't just point to the video as there may be good ideas in the post too....

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55580

I will say - My 2 thoughts..
1) FASTER - I turn acrylics at top speed.
2) Consider trying a skew.
3 (bonus and only MY opinion)... Any tool COULD turn an acrylic - it all has to do with sharpness, angle, etc - but IMO unless you know how to sharpen your scraper WAY better than I do, its one of the toughest tools to rough acrylic with (that could just be me, though!)

 

[tgraytn]

Sorry... I just noticed that the link that was posted was Ed's video.

Ed.... PHENOMENAL instructional video! That is really helpful!

Tom

 

[ed4copies]

Tom,

To confuse EVERYONE, there are TWO Eds.

Me (ed4copies) and Ed Davidson (Yo-Yo Spin). We both turn resin very successfully and use completely different approaches to the skew.

Ed D has done far more videos than I have. If you watch us both, hopefully, one of us will give you a method that works for YOU!!

This is one of the major reasons I am trying to make vids. Ed D's way did not work well, for ME!! But I encourage you to try both and get comfortable with your tools--then YOU will turn easily and confidently!