dhallnc
Member
What do you folks find to be an acceptable tolerance between barrel and fitting to achieve smooth fits?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Tolerances
- Thread starter dhallnc
- Start date
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Drstrangefart
Member
I normally am okay if it looks like a smooth fit eyeballing it. Or if it feels like a clean fit to the touch.
KenV
Member
Most people "see" more with touch -- and the fingers can see a few thousands of an inch difference. Note that a rounded difference feels smooth and a sharp edge feels larger.
Run a finger nail along the edge.
Run a finger nail along the edge.
tim self
Member
Darryl, as you progress, you will find that answer will differ. What we "accept" in the beginning will change drastically after a few pens. With that said, how does it look in regards to fit. Secondly, how does it feel to your hand? A number is hard to put out there cause there are certain pens that may feel good but may not look good depending on the angle.
srf1114
Member
Just recently i was going over some pens I made fairly early in my time as a pen turner ( which isn't all that long ago). Out of the 14 pens I had on display, I sorted them in to 3 piles.
One pile of five I deemed as good enough to sell. Three went into the pile that needs to have the finish redone, and 6 went went into the pile that were either out of round or needed more machining done to the tube.
Mind you that at one point, I was very proud of all 14 of these pens. So this just goes to show, that our tolerances will change with our skill level. Hopefully we never get completely satisfied with our skill, because then we'll stop learning and trying new things.
As for me, I intend to fix the 9 bad ones and take this opportunity to try some custom CB's and maybe a closed end on these pens.
One pile of five I deemed as good enough to sell. Three went into the pile that needs to have the finish redone, and 6 went went into the pile that were either out of round or needed more machining done to the tube.
Mind you that at one point, I was very proud of all 14 of these pens. So this just goes to show, that our tolerances will change with our skill level. Hopefully we never get completely satisfied with our skill, because then we'll stop learning and trying new things.
As for me, I intend to fix the 9 bad ones and take this opportunity to try some custom CB's and maybe a closed end on these pens.
IPD_Mrs
Member
If the fitting is .511, then the barrel must also be .511. This is partially why we do not turn out 100s of pens and we go through caliper batteries like M&Ms. :frown:
Russianwolf
Member
one thing that I didn't see mentioned. Even with the best finish, if it's a natural product (wood, antler, ivory, etc) its going to move even after you are done with it.
Check it in a month and you may feel a ridge or dip at the intersection where there wasn't one before. This is nature.
Check it in a month and you may feel a ridge or dip at the intersection where there wasn't one before. This is nature.
dhallnc
Member
I'm just not that good yet.
When you turn your barrel, you turn it under in order to build up with finish. Then you lose some size as you go through the MM.
What are you shooting in first 2 steps?
Thanks!
Will Change
I've found that wood (I can't speak for plastics or resins) does in fact change size over time. Usually it gets dryer and gets smaller but not always and that is, in my opinion, just the nature of wood. I also see it in furniture unless I let the wood dry (some woods) for a couple of decades before I use it. I think we mostly buy the blanks a year or so before we intend to use them and hope they'll be dry enough when we make the pen.
I've found that wood (I can't speak for plastics or resins) does in fact change size over time. Usually it gets dryer and gets smaller but not always and that is, in my opinion, just the nature of wood. I also see it in furniture unless I let the wood dry (some woods) for a couple of decades before I use it. I think we mostly buy the blanks a year or so before we intend to use them and hope they'll be dry enough when we make the pen.
leestoresund
Member
Darryl, I've been following your posts almost from your first.
So much of this pen making is subjective and personal. What feels, looks, seems best to YOU?
Recently I bought a more precise caliper. It has been exhilarating to turn a blank down to 1/10th of a mm per the gauge. Was it necessary? Probably not. But the satisfaction of knowing that I could use my skew to that precision was overwhelming. Can I repeat that on a regular basis? Not if I want to make more pens in a short time. Does it need to be that close? Probably not.
It might be helpful to go to a craft show and see what others are hawking. A neighbor of mine, whose work (turned bowls) has traveled throughout the US in a juried show, and I went to the ACC one weekend when it was here in Atlanta. There was one guy who,evidently, satisfied the jurors but whose work on bowls and pens was so poor we were almost embarrassed to talk with him.
So how are you coming on your $3 pen?
So much of this pen making is subjective and personal. What feels, looks, seems best to YOU?
Recently I bought a more precise caliper. It has been exhilarating to turn a blank down to 1/10th of a mm per the gauge. Was it necessary? Probably not. But the satisfaction of knowing that I could use my skew to that precision was overwhelming. Can I repeat that on a regular basis? Not if I want to make more pens in a short time. Does it need to be that close? Probably not.
It might be helpful to go to a craft show and see what others are hawking. A neighbor of mine, whose work (turned bowls) has traveled throughout the US in a juried show, and I went to the ACC one weekend when it was here in Atlanta. There was one guy who,evidently, satisfied the jurors but whose work on bowls and pens was so poor we were almost embarrassed to talk with him.
So how are you coming on your $3 pen?
Spats139
Member
I try to get down to within a few thousandths (that's more than you might think) and then finish from there. If I get it right on that's great, but I agree with some of the other posts here that it's not really necessary. Most of the time I find that I end up with a finish where I can't feel the transition between barrel and fitting. In fact, if I feel anything it usually turns out to be the decorative finish on the kit rather than the end of the barrel.
dhallnc
Member
Thanks you all for your replies.
Lee, that $3 pen is getting mighty expensive, and nerve racking I might add.
Lee, that $3 pen is getting mighty expensive, and nerve racking I might add.
IPD_Mrs
Member
Generally on a wood blank I like to have a .003 to .005 thick CA finish. Through errors I have had them go much higher. :redface: Some woods look better with a deep shine, so depending on how I feel at the time of finishing it will dictate the depth of he finish.
rherrell
Member
What you DON'T want is the hardware to be proud of the barrel. It just seems that you can feel it more than the other way around. I try and get my barrels dead on the diameter of the hardware and by the time I add my CA finish it's just right, for me that's about 3 to 5 thou over.:wink: