Going to try my first segmented pen

[tbfoto]

I have plans to try my hand at a segmented pen. Never attempted it before. I have taken 4 pieces of Corian and glued them together. My plan it to slice the Corian into slices then turn each slice slightly when gluing it back together. I know nothing special but something new for me.
My question is....Do I drill the blank for the tube before cutting the slices or after I glue it all back together???

 

[jttheclockman]

It is a little hard to tell from the photo but one thing that is important when doing some thing like that is that all 4 pieces are equal and square. Looks like they are wider left to right than north to south. Like I said hard to tell from photo.

In this case it is better to slice the pieces and build it. easier to line up the seams. You may have to true the ends so they line up properly. Glue all together and then drill dead center. Good luck. Look forward to seeing the results.

 

[tbfoto]

Its been hard for me to look at finished segmented pens and know how they were done so I'm sure there will be mistakes on this one.

 

[jttheclockman]

That is how you learn.

 

[tbfoto]

Thank you for the advise. I came out to my shop and sliced it up and glued it all back together. What a mess! Complete failure. I fully understand now what you meant by having the pieces equal and square. I'm not even goint to attemp to turn it as I know it is no where near straight.
So...first lesson learned. Tomorrow I'll start over. I'll have to find a real simple design and start slow on this.
I really like that pen you posted. Nice!

 

[bobleibo]

There are many methods. I like to drill first so that I can reassemble on the tube and spin accordingly. As John said, drilling dead center is an absolute must. I think this one is somewhat like the one you are working on. Pictures are worth a 1,000 words. Give it a shot, you'll probably be very surprised with how well you do.
Good luck~
Bob

 

[magpens]

If you drill first and do that accurately, then you can use the brass tube to help you align the slices, as Bob said above. I recommend that you use a drill that gives you a hole size only just big enough to let the tube pass through. You don't want the hole any bigger than absolutely necessary ... tiny misalignments will show !! If you are building a slimline, the recommended standard drill size is 7mm, which may be a bit too big for this purpose. . Maybe try a 17/64" drill ... you might have to enlarge the hole in each slice using a small round file (rat-tail file).

It is crucial that you cut your slices accurately and to the right thickness. Measure, measure, measure .... using a good set of vernier calipers (digital readout).

 

[tbfoto]

There are many methods. I like to drill first so that I can reassemble on the tube and spin accordingly. As John said, drilling dead center is an absolute must. I think this one is somewhat like the one you are working on. Pictures are worth a 1,000 words. Give it a shot, you'll probably be very surprised with how well you do.
Good luck~
Bob

Yes this looks like what I had in mind. Very nice! I'm sure I'll have to start over tomorrow but maybe I'll go ahead and drill this one and put a tube in it and give it a turn to see the results. I can always just turn the Corian completely off the tube and start over after that.

 

[bobleibo]

If you get it right the first time, you've outdone me. If you look at the picture of the finished pen, you'll notice where I spun the last piece too far and did not notice it until it was too late. The technical term for that is "experienced screw ups". I won't sell a pen like that so it is still in my collection of goofs.

 

[WriteON]

What a mess! Complete failure.

That's quite ok. The first step to anything is get started. Mistakes, errors, failure are part the plan. You'll be fine. Each time it's get better. Stick with it.

 

[jttheclockman]

Did not realize the pen you were trying to do was what Bob posted as opposed to the one I posted. But either way square wins the race. Yes in that situation it is better to drill ahead of time and build the blank on the tube. Good luck. It gets easier.