Berea instructions

[PMisiaszek]

I received my order from Berea yesterday, and it includes a couple of pens I haven't turned before. Two of them have an option for cutting the blanks. One of the options involves cutting a tenon to the tube for the center band, and the other has you cutting the blank to the tube before turning the blank. Obviously, with the latter option, you can't use the barrel trimmer to square up the end of the blank. How and when do you square it up if you use this option?

 

[gerryr]

It would help to know what kit you're talking about.

 

[PMisiaszek]

Flat Top American is one of them,

 

[epson]

I make a lot of them. I always use the second option. While this is a personal preferance, I get a more accurate fit. After cutting the blanks to size, I Put the brass tube in the blank and then use my barrel trimmer. The blank will be shorter than the brass tube. I do not glue the tube at this time. This way I can get to both ends of the blank.
Berea sells a small metal guage for their pens. I trim the tubes until it fits the guage. Now I glue the tube flush with one end of the blank. The additional lenth of the tube will be a perfect tennon that is square. The bushings have a metal piece that will fit over the tennon to ensure the tube will be turned to proper size. This is the fifth piece in the bushing set.

 

[PMisiaszek]

Jack,
Thanks! I'll give that a try.
Pete

 

[wayneis]

I prefer the other way. I find it easier to part the wood off the tube after I get it rounded pretty close to where I want it. I always get a good fit between the wood and the centerband by cutting the part on an angle towards the middle.

Wayne.

 

[Mikey]

I use a combination of what all have said here. I use the cap guage to get the blanks cut to size, but then before glueing in the tubes, I touch up the blank with a pen mill. This assures that once the tube is glued in, the ring will seat perfect. Also, the bushings that some places sell specifically for that pen slides over the tube from the get-go, so there is almopst no danger of screwing up the blank at that end.

For me, the hardest part about doing those pens is the lower barrel where it would normally meet the upper barrel. Because the center ring sort of covers some of the bottom barrel, you need to size the turning correctly at the top of the lower barrel. (ie, make it flat for a mm or two before tapering or doing other fancy designs.)

 

[ctEaglesc]

You'll have a better chance of getting a sqare end in relatation to the tube if you part it off after it is glued up.
The mill refrences the end 90* to the tube.
Any other way is Mickey Mouse.

 

[Scott]

He, he, he! I always used to do the second option, where I cut the blank shorter before gluing the tube in. It's simple to clean up the face by the exposed brass tube once you start turning it. Then one time my Wife thought she'd do me a favor and glue up a bunch of blanks I had cut and drilled, and yep, not knowing any better, she glued them with a little bit of the brass sticking out of each end! [] I had to appreciate her effort though! So now I would just cut them full length and then cut the tenon while turning. After a while cutting a tenon becomes much less intimidating!

Scott.