Blank thickness for PSI gearshift pen kit

[Jdubfudge]

The specs on the PSI site say that blank size for the gearshift pen needs to be 3/4 inches. I have a piece of acrylic that is 5/8. Can I make due, or when they say 3/4, they mean 3/4?


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[PenPal]

how absolute can you drill? Why push timber uphill.

Peter.

 

[Jdubfudge]

I have a drill chuck on my lathe. They seem to be center when I eyeball it.


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[Skie_M]

Their recommendations are just that ... a guideline for you to follow.

Many people take samples of Corian and make slimlines out of them. They are barely under 1/2" thick, and the recommended size blank is 5/8" square. If you can drill them dead center, it's not a real hindrance.

So long as the final dimensions of your pen are UNDER the size blank you are working with, and you drill it dead center, you should be good to go.

 

[Jdubfudge]

Thanks for the response. I'll try it out and see if it works.


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[magpens]

I think you will be OK with a 5/8" blank. . The tube size is 3/8", so that leaves a 1/8" wall thickness after drilling.

But you'll need to drill accurately and I recommend that you do it on your lathe.

Now, with the Gearshift, the PSI-recommended bushings are both the same size.
However, if you measure the hardware size at the nib end and at the top end, you get
0.513" and 0.493" respectively. That's quite a difference.

What I did was turned the blank round at 0.550" and then tapered each end differently to match the hardware size it mates with. . That leaves a slight bulge as you know.

An alternative is to turn the blank round at 0.513" and then taper just one end (down to .493"). . The problem then is that the thinner, tapered end is at the top and that does not look so good.

I think that PSI has messed up their design of this kit.