How do you cut your blanks?

[Curly]

If by fibre blade you are speaking of fibreglass reinforced abrasive discs, those are made for cutting metal, not wood or plastics. That would explain your "wonky ends". Those discs work by shedding abrasive particles as they cut. The wood and plastics are not hard enough to expose new particles so the edges don't cut. Were you getting burnt or melted ends on the blanks? Get a saw blade made for miter saws and your cuts are going to be worlds better than what you are doing.

 

[jttheclockman]

http://www.penturners.org/forum/sea...cof=FORID:9&q=how+do+you+cut+pen+blanks&sa=Go

There are pages and pages that people shared their ideas and jigs and thoughts on the subject of cutting pen blanks over the years. This is found in the advance search using Google.

As mentioned those fiber blades were made to cut cement board, cement and metals. Can they be used for wood, some claim they can. But they are not rigid enough for cutting woods as you want to. Get a thin blade and use it till you get your bandsaw.

Use the first link to blades I gave you to help select a blade. 40 tooth is all you need and almost all blades sold today are carbide. Now that can open a whole new thread when it comes to are all carbides the same and they are not. Each manufacturer will give their reasons why theirs are the best but as I said you never will go wrong with a Freud blade. Go for it and start cutting those blanks and start turning them.

 

[Fish30114]

Thanks Curly and JT, I am aware that the fiber blade was made for cutting metal, but I have used them to cut a lot of acrylic and other materials that were small stock quite effectively. I believe that it is deflecting some giving me the bad ends. I was using it for the thin kerf. I am planning on getting a veneer blade from Home Depot, I saw one there Wed night for $10. I think this will do me til I get my bandsaw.

Thanks again--Don

 

[brokenroads]

WE bought a 10" bandsaw on craigslist for $40 with a mitergage. Cut the blanks a little long then square them up before turning. been using it for 3 years now.
Not a lot of thinking involved

 

[PMisiaszek]

Am I the only one who cuts blanks by hand? JTtheclock man is right on the money, both in technique and philosophy. Until recently, I had a very complete woodshop with a variety of power saws. For pen blanks, both then and now, I use a simple Japanese hand saw. It gives me complete control, its safe, and it doesn't make any noise. I draw a line, chuck the blank in a simple table vise, then cut it. The saw cost $39 at Japanese Woodworker, and yes, it cuts TruStone, corncob, antler and anything else I've used for pens.

 

[vtgaryw]

Table saw for ripping, but I seem to be the last person in the universe who still uses a radial arm saw for everything else.

-gary

 

[Fay Prozora]

I use my Dremel saw max for cutting my blanks. I don't get straight cuts but I do cut with a little bit of extra there so when I true it up I have the right size for what ever pen I'm making. I did make a sled for the scroll saw but I don't have the saw hooked to electric as yet. So in the mean time, I use my saw max and I do have one of those little miter saw things but it only cuts 1/2" and does not cut all the way through the blank. Other wise that would be perfect to cut t he blanks with. Fay

 

[bryceprusse]

Band Saw
Make a wood block that is square to guide the blanks - pretty simple
I have made size blocks for the most common pens that I make. quick for setting the length. Have fun!

 

[Band Saw Box]

For the wood I find a chainsaw work's well. For all acrylic any cutting tool that turns at 12,000 RPM.:biggrin::biggrin:

Ok I use a scrollsaw and mitersaw.

 

[shastastan]

Band saw with a carbide blade. That way I can cut anything including Desert Ironwood and Tru-Stone. I also always cut a little oversized just in case!

Same here with my resaw blade. I never change it. For small items, I use a wood clamp to keep my fingers away. I like the band saw for getting the blank square for the pen drilling chuck.

 

[GDGeorge]

Table or band saw to rip and whatever is un-buried (Table, band, or chop) when I'm cutting to length. My preference is the band saw, a little bench-top Skil (although I'd like to replace it if I ever get the space...) Anyway, as long as I take it slowly, I'm usually good to go.

Jerry

 

[ClutchCargo]

I set the distance of my band saw's fence away from the blade to set whatever pen blank length I want, using a sacrificial piece of perfectly squared up MDF as a combination cross-cut fence and push block to maintain perpendicularity during the cut and to keep my fingers safely away from the blade.

 

[ToddM]

This is what I use....... overkill maybe? I cut to length with a miter saw. :biggrin:

 

[Rink]

Delta table saw with sled made from scraps.

 

[BKelley]

blank cutting

This is the method I use for cutting blanks to length. Smoothness and kerf depend on blade being used. Fine cut is really no concern as I use barrel trimmer after tube is glued in. Good luck.

Ben

 

[79spitfire]

This is what I use....... overkill maybe? I cut to length with a miter saw. :biggrin:

Depends on the size of the pen.

Is Paul Bunyan one of your customers? He must have retired there....

 

[SDB777]

WoodMizer LT10G10.....



Then I move down to the tiny 12" upright bandsaw....for roughing the length.
Then I move to the Makita miter....for the final cut, stack them by the hundreds into the shed for drying...and wait.

Then let them go cheaper then anyone on the 'net!





Scott (doin' all the work for ya) B

 

[Rodnall]

Radial arm saw

 

[Fay Prozora]

Since I made my post on this subject, I bought a compound miter saw and I have cut my pen blanks on it and get real nice even cuts, but just in case I do cut just a tad longer than the brass tube and then square it up after drilling the hole and putting in the tubes. Fay

 

[bobleibo]

I cut mine with a credit card using the order-on-line jig that I built on my computer. They always come out perfect thanks to some great vendors from right here at IAP.

 

[79spitfire]

WoodMizer LT10G10.....



Then I move down to the tiny 12" upright bandsaw....for roughing the length.
Then I move to the Makita miter....for the final cut, stack them by the hundreds into the shed for drying...and wait.

Then let them go cheaper then anyone on the 'net!





Scott (doin' all the work for ya) B

At some point I just knew you were going to go there!

:rotfl:

 

[nativewooder]

I cut them square! Whether you use power tools or hand tools, cutting any blanks square is most important.

 

[hornet406]

Bandsaw

 

[farmer]

Saw

14 in band saw with a fence only way to go.

farmer

 

[BocoteMark]

This is what I use....... overkill maybe? I cut to length with a miter saw. :biggrin:

Hi Todd,

That pen blank is a bit larger than I'm used to. Was that for a custom commission?

It is quite similar to the blanks that we use here in Texas when manufacturing tooth picks. I think I could turn at least two full sized tooth picks out of that blank in your picture.

Mark

Edit: Oh, I use a bandsaw to cut my blanks to size. I don't really worry how square they are. After cutting to size, I clamp the blank to a large VEE block on my drill press and use a hole saw to cut a circular tennon on one end and a centering hole on the other end. Then I clamp the circular tennon in the chuck of my lathe and back up the tail end by putting the live center in the centering hole on the tail end. Then the blank gets rough turned round. After it is a cylinder I can reposition it in the lathe and drill the hole through the center of the blank and turn the ends flat. It is a reasonably quick process that does not rely on the starting blank being particularly square or uniform and ends up with a cylindrical blank with a concentric hole and ends true.

 

[oneleggimp]

Plastic Mitre box with a stiff back saw.