Help! Forgot to trim my blanks before turning!

[putnamm]

So I am making an over under shotgun rollerball. I've got a nice piece of wood that I cut, drilled, and glued the tubes in to. I put it on the lathe and turned the blanks down. And when I went to start sanding, I realized... I never trimmed these!

What is the best way to trim these barrels now that they are turned, so that I don't break or creak them??

 

[jttheclockman]

Sand them. I am sure you have read the many ways people sand the blanks. If you have a good barrel trimmer you could use that too. Means nothing except you may have to re turn because you measurements are off according to busing or kit parts. Very easy.

 

[RustySocket]

At that point I'd likely just put them back on the lathe at trim them a bit at a time with a chisel until they are close enough to sand.

 

[Curly]

Sand them. Get a faceplate an attach some MDF, Corian, plastic etc., and face it flat. Put some stick on sandpaper on it. Put the Jacobs chuck in the tail stock with a tube sized transfer punch in it. Once trimmed seal the end with thin CA.

What John said. I don't type fast.

 

[magpens]

What Curly didn't say is that you put your turned blank on the tube-sized transfer punch (which is mounted in the Jacobs tailstock chuck) and slide it towards the rotating sanding disc until the turned blank end gently touches the sandpaper. . By "tube-sized" he means the largest size that you can easily slide your tubed and turned blank onto. . :biggrin:

But if I had been first to answer your query, I would have advised you to go out and buy a metal-working lathe with a 4-inch or bigger headstock chuck. . Mount your pen barrel in the chuck and, using a carbide-tipped tool in the tool post, carefully advance the tool towards the end of your pen barrel and trim off the excess material. . :biggrin: . I do this with every pen I make. . :biggrin:
Of course, it is best and most accurately done when the turned blank is cylindrical, before you have put any bulge or shape in it.

 

[Dale Lynch]

turn the barrels between centers,use the skew to true up the ends.

 

[jcm71]

If you haven't already, make your own tube sleeves for the two size barrels, using scrap wood and 7mm tubes. Slide your barrels over them and, as stated earlier, use a disk sander to trim off the excess. If you don't have a disk sander, reverse a barrel trimmer head on its shaft, tape some sandpaper to the flat side of the trimmer head (use a hole punch to make the hole to slide over the shaft), and trim away. Depending on how much you have to trim, you may need to swap out sandpaper several times. Credit for these ideas goes to other members here.

 

[putnamm]

Thanks, all. I managed to get them sanded with a Jacobs chuck and sanding disc. I panicked for a bit because this was my first time making this type of pen and it was for an important person. The pen itself turned out okay but with one big (unrelated) defect. So I'm going to have to make a new one anyhow.

 

[JimB]

Thanks, all. I managed to get them sanded with a Jacobs chuck and sanding disc. I panicked for a bit because this was my first time making this type of pen and it was for an important person. The pen itself turned out okay but with one big (unrelated) defect. So I'm going to have to make a new one anyhow.

Many defects can be fixed. Post the problem and maybe you will get a solution.

 

[putnamm]

Thanks, all. I managed to get them sanded with a Jacobs chuck and sanding disc. I panicked for a bit because this was my first time making this type of pen and it was for an important person. The pen itself turned out okay but with one big (unrelated) defect. So I'm going to have to make a new one anyhow.

Many defects can be fixed. Post the problem and maybe you will get a solution.

Thanks, Jim. I'll post it over in the "Finishing" forum, as I think it is really the result of a CA application error.

 

[JimB]

Thanks, all. I managed to get them sanded with a Jacobs chuck and sanding disc. I panicked for a bit because this was my first time making this type of pen and it was for an important person. The pen itself turned out okay but with one big (unrelated) defect. So I'm going to have to make a new one anyhow.

Many defects can be fixed. Post the problem and maybe you will get a solution.

Thanks, Jim. I'll post it over in the "Finishing" forum, as I think it is really the result of a CA application error.

A CA problem isn't usually the end of your turned pen. You can usually just sand it off or turn it off and start again.