I watched a YouTube video where someone trimmed the corners of his blank with a band saw, effectively creating an octagonal blank, before turning it on the lathe. I tried it and I guess it took a bit less time to turn the pen but not noticeably so.
Does anyone else do this? If so, why?
Thanks in advance from a newbie.
Depending on what type of wood (hardness) and or type of man-made blank, cutting the corners of the blank on the bandsaw is, in fact, an old technique used by many, some do the same type cuts using the table saw, however, and unless some sort of "jig" is made to hold the blank in place for the cut, manually/holding with your fingers trying to cut the blank corners is most dangerous and can cost you a couple of fingers if not more, sometimes, to save time we do things that are of most crazy nature, some get away with it, some don't...!
I have made a jig for my bandsaw to do just that, I use it only for the Olive wood bulk sales or on some time of my made Resifills (casts) such on some of
these but not so much lately on the casts.
The way I see it, this method will help with the amount of wood to turn from the blank BUT, where it may make the most benefit by having the corners removed is to prevent the "impact" on the square corners of a regularly shaped pen blank, from the cutting tool as it rotates, this may force the turner to tighten the mandrel to prevent "spinning" and therefore causing the tube to come unglued from the blank, among other things.
I believe, the flap disc system with a 40 grit, while the blank is on the lathe, is the fastest way to go from square to ROUND and "fairly" close to the dimensions you require and then continue on with the more "traditional" methods of wood/blank finishing.
So, in resume, removing the square corners on the bandsaw or other, of the blank before turning is not in my view used that often, particularly after the turners feels more confident with the turning process, this means that new turners may see more this as a great way to reduce the amount of material to be removed, with time the method is bypassed and the square blanks turned fully on the lathe and with the use of some new tools such as the carbide tipped tools but not only.
Cheers
George