Originally posted by dscm1
mainly happens before round
You have pinpointed your problem.
The solutions are many.
1)Chicken out: Sand off the edges with a belt sander before you try to turn>
2)High-speed chicken: Use round-over bit on your router table - make jig to hold blank so as not to lose fingers.
3)Turn off the edges: plan on spending a few bucks for blanks, you WILL ruin a few. Use a large tool- skew or roughing gouge. The easiest material is CSUSA or BearToothWoods acrylics (CSUSA calls them celluloid mix - yeah, right!!) If you are breaking off chunks, you are probably using one of the polyresins (whether you know it or not)
A) As you turn, be CAREFUL at the ends. ROLL your tool, over the end of the blank (all 4 ends on a two-piece pen).
B) SOMEDAY learn to use a skew. All of this is EASIER, once you have "tamed" your fear of a skew, which only happens after MUCH success.
Good luck and remember, we are having FUN. May want to go back to wood for a while and develop the above skills on a more "forgiving" medium.[:0][:0][:0]