Sanding jig/squaring ends?

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Using slimline kits is an inexpensive way to experiment with different designs as I have discovered.
Personally I don't care to use the center rings supplied with the kits.The idea that the center section must return to the diameter of the the ring is sometimes frustrating.
Using the pen mill is also limiting to the outer diameter of the mill.
I have been looking at the sanding jig at PSI and though the concept seems good I am concerned as to the amaount of toeque exerted on the end of the tube while squaring the end.
It seems to me the rod that supports the barrel will bend over time.
Does anyone use this sanding jig to sqare off their pens?
The Mill I am using now is from WoodCraft and I believe it is 1/2".
What mill would allow me a larger dia for slimline pens?
 
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tipusnr

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I'm looking at the sanding jig as well for a future purchase. I'm not having any curent problems with my mill but it would add versatility to my shop. (I like choices.) I believe I have seen a demo on making your own jig that would allow for easy replacement of parts should they bend. Personally I can't see where I would put that much pressure on the blank and jig to cause a problem with torgue. I light touch and all that.

If you want to avoid that - Ryan's 3/4" mill should be plenty thick for penmaking.
 

Paul Russell

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I have used the PSI sanding jig for over a year. The rod hasn't flexed yet. I also made several wooden sleeves for those pens with larger diameters than the 1/4 rod that comes with it.
 

William Young

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What is the part that is being referred to as a "mill" I have searched PSI's catalog and am not sure what you are referring to. Maybe a link to the page it is on in the online site??
Also, when I see messages about leaving out the centre band, I assume that the entire length of the pen is turned in one piece. How does one know the exact length to make it in order for the kits to fit right because they will be applied differently than the instructions that come with them. But then I don't know how the twist action would work if it was not inserted in the middle so that brings me back to two pieces split in the middle again.Probably this is where the pen "mill" comes into play.?

Not hard to see I'm a rookie with these *duh ! !* questions but I learn something every day.
W.Y.
 

paleydp

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The overall length of a slimline is very flexible. You can leave out the centerband, and the pen will still work just fine without it. Therefore . . . you can play around with it a lot - use different diameters for the center, substitute other materials for the CB, etc. Russ Fairfield's site has a great tutorial on making different pens from a slimline kit. I have several pics in my album of slimlines made without CBs using Russ's methods as inspiration.
 

melchioe

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William, at PSI, the mill is the thing at http://www.pennstateind.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PSI&Product_Code=PKTRIMKIT&Category_Code=BLANKC

At CSUSA, they are at http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?search=action&keywords=barrel-trimmer

Not a 'duh' question at all, it's just an item that multiple terms apply to, most commonly "pen mill" and "barrel trimmer".
 

melchioe

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Oh, and the barrel trimmer is used to make sure the wood is square to the tube. It's only function is to take off a small portion of wood to make the end of the blank at an exact 90-degree angle to the tube, so that when one presses the metal parts of the pen together, they meet the wood all the way around with no gaps (at least that's the theory:)
 

melchioe

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Geez, I should really read the whole message before I post an answer... Leaving out the center band usually does not entail a one-piece pen. It more often means that the metal band that comes with the kit is replaced with a different material often wood, sometimes plastic or ivory, or with those lucky folks who have metal lathes, custom made metal bands.

The band can also be left out entirely, although this usually means some fudging, as either the top or bottom section of the barrel may need to be lengthened in that case to provide enough clearance for parts. Then one must deal with the section of the barrel that is now missing the inside tube... Lots of nice tutorials out there on this topic.
 

pecartus

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William,

On the no CB, you can found instructions at CSUSA under KC Twist, or they use to have instructions on how to do it. The KC Twist pen is actually a slimline that has been modified. Russ also has good instructions on this as well on his site.

On barrel trimmers, I do something a little unorthodox, I use forstner bits to square off my blanks. They are easier to sharpen and if I ruin one, I go to harbor freight and pick them up individually for less than a couple of bucks. I have only ruined one and that was on some flatwork I was doing and hit a metal T-Nut.
 

William Young

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Thanks Guys for clearing up those points for me I have the same universal barrel trimmer as in the PSI site picture . It works just great. I just didn't realize that a mill and a trimmer were the same thing.
Looks like lots of experimenting can be done with those slim line kits.

I've ordered just a few kits of each of the comfort pens and power click pens and cigar pens. Figured now that I've got my feet wet I might as well jump right in.
Oh ..Oh !! . I can't swim. Now I'm in trouble , glub, glug, glub,[:eek:)] [:D]
W.Y.
 

NCTurner

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I did have one of the PSI jigs, and I did have a problem with the rod bending. I eventually came up with a jig, which is being sold currently by Bill Baumbeck (many of you probably know him and his reputation for high quality blanks and other products.) Here's a link to his site and the jig. Not just because I came up with it, but this has got to be the easiest, safest and fastest way to square those ends! There have been quite a few comments on Yahoo Penturners about the jig. I don't mean this to be so much of an ad, as information. I just know this jig works well!

http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/Jiffy_Jig.htm
 

Paul Downes

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I have the Penn State mill and I have not been completely happy with it. The cutter does not seem hard enough to hold an edge for very long. I find that it requires more force than I like to get the cutter to cut on some species of wood. I have resharpened it and it cuts for a while, but it doesn't hold up for many blanks. By the way I know how to sharpen cutters because as a die maker I studied cutter grinding. I have jerry rigged up a sanding jig and plan on makeing a permanant jig in the near future. I have to buy a better belt sander first that has an iron table with a T-slot that can be set @ 90 to the sanding disk. I have found it important to keep the sanding disk clean because some woods will load it up quick and it will not sand square and tends to burn the wood when loaded. This is the only way I have been able to square up snakewood blanks. This wood will shatter easily with the pen mill. I notice that some of the other pen part suppliers have a different pen mill that looks to be of higher quality.
 
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