How good is gap fill CA

[BobRad]

I have several Stick Pen kits in my box of old stuff and I never made one yet

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,250,43243,43244,32848&p=32848

When I drill 1/4" the tube seems to be looser than it should be so I dumped a bunch of gap fill CA on it - is that going to be enough?

How much play should there be in a tube fit?

It could be that I worked the drill too much and hole got enlarged - it requires drilling a 4" deep hole in the blank and that means several up and downs to clear the chips

 

[mbroberg]

I would have used Gorilla Glue, which expands. Better yet, if you have any more kits you are going to make, measure the tube with digital calipers (if you don't have any, get some they are indispensable) and choose your drill bit accordingly.

 

[BobRad]

OK, I had a fresh bottle of Gorillla glue next to the CA - I just don't like waiting 24 hours for it to set up but if I have the same problem next time I'll use it

I have calipers but I would not want to spend the money on a specialized drill bit just to make a few kits. I would need a long drill and t would be something like 17/64" or 33/128"

 

[Old Lar]

I use the white Gorilla glue and can usually turn in a couple hours

 

[joeatact]

Might it be a 7mm hold instead of a 1/4"

 

[DurocShark]

7mm is bigger than 1/4". And those kits require 1/4".

BobRad, are you drilling on the lathe or a drill press? Accuracy over long drilled holes isn't common among drill presses. Drilling on the lathe may solve your problems.

BTW: How are those kits?

 

[jskeen]

Interesting kit, had not seen them before. Only problem you may have is breaking through the wood to the glue when you turn down to the nib, if the hole was too big. Short of that, I don't see a real problem, you can turn the rest of the body any size you want. But I agree, drilling on the lathe is the best way to get a 4 inch hole in a blank and have it sized at the top correctly, and centered in the blank.

 

[BobRad]

I thought break through might be a problem but it is not, even using a 1/2" blank there is plenty of wood to remove. More of an issue is the fact the tube is not quite centred at it's really only mounted on the lathe with a screw mandrel at one end, the other end was around 1/16" off centre, so I levered it into place on a live center at the tail stock.

I just finished it and it worked out fine. Probably the simplest pen you can make.