Modified Slimline Failure

[Dehn0045]

I have made about 15 "modified" slimline pens using a single barrel. One of my early ones was made from pecan hickory and I gave to to a friend at work. It was always a little tight on the twist, but was manageable. He has used the pen daily for about a month and always comments about it, today he brought it to me and said he couldn't twist it at all. It took a pliers to get it apart. After some inspecting, I noticed that there is a slight bow in the hole. It is possible that it was an unstable piece of wood. I have considered using an 8mm tube for the lower portion on future modified slimline pens to hopefully eliminate this type of problem.

Has anyone else had this happen? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mark james]

If it was not stabilized it may still move as it dries further after being drilled, or will shift due to levels of humidity.

There may also be variables with drilling, as well as your mandrel (if not TBC).

I have had unstabilized wood shrink considerably away from components, as well as cracking over time.

You may want to coat the inside of the drilled blank with thin CA, let dry, then redrill before gluing in the tube. This will help to stabilize the inner most wood, which is what you will end up with.