Rosewood Blank Tearout

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DWalk

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This was my second attempt at turning a pen. Can anyone tell me why this happened? Weak spot in the wood? Heavy hand? Dull tool? I was leveling out a hill when this happened so maybe I just went too far with it?
 

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leehljp

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Dull tool. A "sharp" tool will have smoother cuttings, AND/OR you turned too slow. if you were around bowl turners, they usually turn at very slow speeds, compared to pen turners - which cause rough cutting on diameters the size of a pen. Faster speed.

Rosewood usually cuts very smoothly for me.

Next thing, chunks come out where there is no glue. CA and even Epoxy doesn't adhere 100% to 100% of the wood and tube. There are air gaps that cause weak spots.
 

DJBPenmaker

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That happened to me the other day with an acrylic, literally 2 seconds after I put the tool to the round blank. Stood there wondering what happened! It's a very very rare thing that happens to me with no logical explanation.
As Hank has said, it could be any one of those reasons. Plain bad luck.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

DWalk

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Good explanation leehljp. I'll be more thorough with glueing next time. And sharpen my tools. I think my speed was ok. 3200 rpms.
MrDucks2 Rosewood is the only description I was given on these blanks. They are part of a starter set. I don't really know much else about the blanks.
Thank you for the replies.
 
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leehljp

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Good explanation leehljp. I'll be more thorough with glueing next time. And sharpen my tools��. I think my speed was ok. 3200 rpms.
MrDucks2 Rosewood is the only description I was given on these blanks. They are part of a starter set. I don't really know much else about the blanks.
Thank you for the replies.

3200 RPM is Ok and even slower is OK. (For pens, I turn at about 2000 - 2400 most of the time but sometimes kick it up to 3000) Since your speed is OK, that kinda indicates somewhat of a dull tool and too much pressure. When I did my first turning back in the early 90's, my tools were dull. I learned to sharpen after that.

EDIT: I will also recommend checking your technique, as technique "can" cause that. Height of the post, position of the skew or scraper, tightness or looseness of the grip, angle, bevel contribute to problems. There are many videos (youtube) that helps with this. Many of the pen parts suppliers have videos also. Exotic Blanks (https://www.exoticblanks.com) has some tutorials. Click on the link, look on the left side and scroll down until you see "Need help?" Below that will be "Instructions", "How To Videos"& "Tips & Tricks" (PDFs).
 
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pshrynk

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I had some episodes like that when I was using the starter kit blanks, as well. (Quite recently, I'm a near-rank beginner.) I think they were the rosewood, but that may just be me reverberating. It happened about 3-4 times. I felt that it was happening because I was getting too cocky with how thin I was making the blank. Could be the sharpness of the tool, also, but I am pretty fanatical about having them sharp.
 

gtriever

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I agree, probably too much pressure and/or dull tools. It still bites me from time to time and I have to remember "lighter is better".
 

WriteON

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It's not the glue. As others said... it's tools and technique. Touch is everything. As you get towards the end slow down. Take your time. Or it could be not such great wood to work with
 
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DWalk

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Please tell us what tool you were using and how you were using it when this occurred. It will help us give you a more specific answer. At this point, we have to guess at the cause.

Charlie I was using a small gouge when this happened. Turning about 3200 rpms.
 
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