Petricore
Member
I have tried 2 black palm stabilized blanks and had no luck with either. First one cracked while drilling so I CA'ed it and turned it pretty close to finish and it split again in half this time. Second one I drilled most of the way, cut off the end and the blanks were fine. I was turning at 3K rpm and using a newly sharpened tool. taking extremely small cuts I still got some tearout that ruined the blanks. I think part of the problem is Im using a 3/4" blank and cutting it out for a jr gent pen, leaving little material in some spots to cut.
Are there any tips that I can do, or should I give up and make them pick a new wood ?
Are there any tips that I can do, or should I give up and make them pick a new wood ?