Need pin chuck for closed-end Jr Gent -- Gent

[redfishsc]

I have a commissioned closed-end Jr Gent that I need to order a well-made pin chuck for (for the smaller tube), and would also like one for the big Gent pen.

If I recall there is someone here that makes them. I have made a couple "pin" chucks out of scrap hardwood dowels but the pens did not come out as nice as they would have if I had a nice metal pin.

Thanks!

Matt

 

[wood-of-1kind]

"FANGAR" IS YOUR MANN. He makes very fine pin chucks. Shoot him an e-mail, he may still have some stock.

-Peter-

 

[Dario]

I agree... Fangar is your Mann []

I wonder how he is though...haven't seen him for a while.

 

[vick]

Not sure if he still does them but Lamar made all of mine, he has an e-mail address on his contacts page.
http://www.sitekreator.com/sherrillwoodworking/main_page.html

Back when I had them made you mail him the tubes and he will make a pin chuck to fit what ever tube you send him. He was charging five or six dollars a chuck plus shipping. I have about 10 he has made for me.

 

[JimGo]

Wow, that's a steal Mike! I'll have to remember that!!!!

 

[gerryr]

I've made several jam chucks for closed end pens out of 3/4" hardwood dowel and they have worked very well. I use a Beall collet chuck to turn them down and also when I'm turning the pen. I have not been able to tell the difference in the resulting pen between the ones made with the wood jam chuck and those made with Fangar's pin chucks.

 

[KenV]

The Ax Sil compression mandrels are available for that pen and for another $10 you can watch Ed Davidson show you how he does it on the DVD. These work well, have almost unlimited life (except for the loss of the bushing-like-ring that is replaceable). These have a pretty foolproof design. Ed Davidson has a downloadable video showing the use for a closed end cigar pen that is also a good view.

Closed end does expand the options for designs and use.

 

[vick]

Originally posted by gerryr
<br />I've made several jam chucks for closed end pens out of 3/4" hardwood dowel and they have worked very well. I use a Beall collet chuck to turn them down and also when I'm turning the pen. I have not been able to tell the difference in the resulting pen between the ones made with the wood jam chuck and those made with Fangar's pin chucks.

I agree with Gerry on this one. I like the pin chucks because you never have to replace them and I had a cheap source. But if I need to do a kit that I do not have a pin chuck for I usually drill a hole in hard maple and epoxy a stainless steal rod I get from the local Ace hardware (1/4 for smaller kits, bigger for larger kits). Once teh glue is dry I chuck it in my collet chuck and turn the maple to size to use as a jamb chuck. It is a fine way to make closed end pens for scrap price.

 

[gerryr]

Mike,
You were the one who gave me the idea, but I forgot about the SS rod.

 

[JimGo]

OK, I'm confused about your set-up, Mike. I've used the HF transfer punches which I've filed down to include a slot, and added a cut-off Q-tip handle to the slot to act as the "pin" in my home-made pin chucks. Can you explain, or do you have a picture of, your set-up?

 

[gerryr]

Jim, if Mike doesn't have a picture I can take one tonight of the ones I've made. Mine don't use a pin of any kind. The wood is turned so that it just barely fits in the tube. Friction between the wood and the tube keep it from rotating while you turn it. IF you put too much pressure on it while turning, the wood can slip. I try not to do tht because it can generate a lot of heat which can result in a broken glue bond with the tube. Clear as mud, right?[8D]

 

[vick]

Jim no picture but it is not much to look at any ways. Mine are like Gerry's with no groove or pins and he did a good job explaining it.

A picture would look like a dowel with a metal rod sticking out of it. The metal rod goes in the collet chuck the wood dowel gets jammed in the tube. The idea is basically the same as the wood jamb chucks some bowl turners use to finish the bottom (on the outside) of bowls with out tail stock support.

I made my own pin chuck out of a metal rod once, just once. With the equipment I had it was just way to much work.

 

[redfishsc]

Thanks for the info all. I expect to make more than a few of the closed-end type pens (that's what I get for having a pic of a closed-end gent in figured bubinga in my folio, folks drool over it). I need something durable (but I will download that DVD and see how it's done differently than I do).

I do have the Beall collet so that's a big plus. The last closed end I made was using a dowel held in a 3" 3-jaw machinists chuck, not good for gripping wood (easy to knock out of round with a moderate catch).

I will be looking for Fangar.

 

[gerryr]

Jim,
Here's a picture of three of mine. The two on the left were made for a double closed end El Toro and the other was for a Churchill. As you can see, there isn't much to them. If you had some Corian, you could make some that were more durable.

 

[JimGo]

so it's literally just a tight squeeze to get the barrels on and off the "mandrel"? Neat idea!

 

[gerryr]

You got it, Jim. On the Churchill model, done after the others, I turned a shoulder that's about .020" bigger than the diameter of the bushing that would normally be used there. On the El Toro, I was stopping every minute or two to measure. The shoulder makes it go a lot quicker.