Hardwood too Hard, Squaring too Square

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Sappheiros

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In a recent post, I had mentioned a friend of mine had given me some gorgeous Brazilian Cherry wood. I've got some questions.

Is it better to turn hardwoods or softer ones? When squaring the blanks, they just didn't want to go down! The squaring tool was practically burning the wood... Is the lathe going too fast? When I was drilling, with my tailstock locked tight, the wood was making an awful screeching (the same thing that happened when I tried the African Blackwood. What causes this? I assumed my tailstock was loose so I tightened it up and it persisted.

Lately, I've been using the squaring tool on my drilling tailstock. I have no problem squaring acrylic, but any wood I've tried just denses up and won't turn down (when using my drill press). I figured, with the lathe I can extend the tailstock and while it does seem to work, I can tell the wood is fighting it. It's also difficult to square to the proper length. I've accidentally squared into the brass tubing. My jeweler files work well in fixing that, but I don't want to have that problem to fix in the first place. What am I doing?
 
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jttheclockman

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The density of all woods varies. As you found some harder than others. Now you are working on end grain. They make cutting boards from end grain for a reason and now you have found out why. I suggest you either switch to a carbide cutter or switch to sanding. You may have to use a courser grit paper at first because all a high grit will do is polish the ends. Most of your exotics are very hard dense woods as opposed to the domestics.

I love hardwoods because they are more interesting grain wise.
 

JimB

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If you are using a pen mill, is it sharp? Depending on the wood and how much material is removed while squaring I touch up the edge of my mill as much as every 3 to 5 pens.

You can get squealing while drilling. Is your drill bit sharp?

As John pointed out, endgrain is tough on tools. You need to sharpen often.
 

magpens

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You want hard wood ? . Try Pink Ivory !

What woods are you working with ?

Your lathe could indeed be going too fast.

And which type of squaring tool are you using ? ... the type (called a pen mill) which has a steel cutting head (and a shaft that goes into your pen tube), or the type that has a flat sanding disc on the headstock and you mount the blank on a rod held in your tailstock (it's actually preferrable to mount the rod off-center as in the jig made by Rick Herrell) ?
 
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1080Wayne

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I guess what you are doing is learning the differences between woods . Some screeching is common when drilling hard woods . I think what happens is that the hole in a hard wood tends to be a little bit smaller than in a softer wood , because the wood fibers in a soft wood are weaker and more apt to tear a bit farther away from the cutting edge . Couple that with the natural tendency of the drill bit to follow the wood grain and you have a situation where the bit is flexing in a very tight hole . It complains . Net result is generation of a lot of frictional heat , which is why hard dense woods are more prone to cracks .
 

More4dan

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I usually sand the end of the blank square. For very hard woods I have to use a lower grit belt (80-120) and be careful I don't burn the end. I also turn the blank 90 degrees every few seconds to take crossing bites into the wood. On really stubborn wood, I turn round between centers, drill, glue the tubes, then chuck it in my lathe and use my cross slide (metal lathe) to face the blank to the brass tube. Sharp tools or sharp abrasives are the only way through that tough end grain.

Jatoba, Desert Iron Wood, Ebony, and Purple Heart all get turned before drilling on the lathe .

Danny
 

magpens

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Hmmm ... looks like a Taig lathe with a small router mounted to the cross-feed.

That's one way to square blank ends on really hard wood.

Can't figure out what the toothpick is for, though ... or the small birch (?) dowel.
 

farmer

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Lathe

Hmmm ... looks like a Taig lathe with a small router mounted to the cross-feed.

That's one way to square blank ends on really hard wood.

Can't figure out what the toothpick is for, though ... or the small birch (?) dowel.

Sorry not really a pen maker, want a be cue maker except really no wood working experience.
Made these pool cue chalk holders or pocket chalkers is what I call them .
So I could learn wood working on my own .
Didn't really want to copy anyone's work, no idea what I am doing but they seem to sale ok .
But for the last 2 years been trying to get caught up on my orders and get my health together enough to make pool cues, I also make allot of pipes .


The tooth pick was trying to point out I have a purple heart ring on the end of the cocobolo that has been trimmed to about 0.004 .

I don't have issue of squaring a end up or cutting hard or soft woods or acrylics .

Having blow out and things like that.
About once ever 3 years I forget to get a piece of wood clamped down good and the router bit catches it and sends it flying mach 10 .

The dowel if for Alinement and strength .




Other then that just in here to learn from you guys on segmenting .
I make about one or two pens a year and kits aren't my thing .

I rather make a kit less..
Or actually make something different every time , pipe one time a pirates ship next then a pen and them something different scaled down frontier wagon, native American Indian flutes ,, native American Peace pipes.

I make and sale a aiming tool for billiards and I buy and sale custom made pool cues and I am a pool cue collector and seller of a high end cue every once in a while .



I have a passion for fine exotic wood workings .
 
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