Swirling Segments Help

[B Wo]

Hello All,

I am creating his' and her's pens for a friend's wedding registry, and I want to make pens similar to the ones in UKPenmaker's swirling segment tutorial, with little embellishments here and there, like aluminum strips between the wood segments.

The problem I'm running into on my blanks is that, after I cut, i have a moderately gnarly edge to sand down, and once that's done, the pieces no longer fit correctly. So instead of wood-metal-wood, I'm getting wood-glue-metal-glue-wood, and my blanks blow up on me.

I'm using an 1/8" 14tpi blade on a 10" Rikon band saw to make the cuts, and some 150 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel for sanding.

Is there a trick that I'm not aware of, or is this just a matter of practicing making perfect.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

Best,
Brian

 

[Dan Hintz]

If I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like you aren't squaring off the ends of your blank before throwing them on the lathe. If that's the case, you need to get yourself a pen mill/cutter or a sander setup to square the blank to the tube.

 

[ffloyd]

Take a look at your cutting procedure. I have made several of these segmented pens.
1. Make sure your tablesaw blade is sharp.
2. make sure your miter gauge or sled extends past the blade to back up the cut.

If you are sanding more than just touch up, you are likely getting the pieces out of square. The "out of square" from piece to piece is cumulative so even an error of 0.1 degree (or less) adds up quickly into thick glue lines.

Take a look at Barry Gross' book. He covers the procedure very well.

 

[NittanyLion]

I would suggest a different blade for your bandsaw, and quite honestly a bigger band saw. I do most of my segmenting with a 1/2" 4TPI blade.

I'm guessing your little Rikon is having trouble cutting both blanks that are double stacked and you are cutting with your blade flexed quite a bit. You will never get it right fighting cuts like this. I would also try tuning up your saw to get the most out of it.

Hope this helps!

 

[B Wo]

Thanks so much for the input, everyone.

Dan: I should have been more specific; in one case it was just the pen mill that caused the blow up. I would definitely benefit from a sanding setup, especially for segmenting, because I think it's a lot less aggressive.

ffloyd: I'm definitely sanding more than just a touch up, so I'm sure that's contributing significantly to the interface problems. Thanks for the book recommendation.

Steve: I think you hit the nail on the head w/ my under-powered saw armed with only an 1/8" blade trying to cut through an 1 1/2"+ of Irish bog oak and ancient kuari. The blade's brand new, but I can feel it struggling. I have a Laguna 1/4" 14tpi blade coming in the mail. If that doesn't work, it's good to know that you're having success with a beefier blade. I'll go that route if the Laguna blade doesn't work.

I come from a metalwork background, so I'm inclined to use all tiny, tight-teeth blades. I'm still getting acclimated to how wood behaves.

Thanks, again, all. If I get these to where I want them, I'll post some pics for C&C.

Best,
Brian

 

[NittanyLion]

Brian,

I would also ditch the pen mill. I've never used one, probably never will. I do something similar to this:

You'll have to do what works for you, but I say give it a try. I keep a block next to my lathe and chuck it up when ready to square. You can also use a faceplate and block with paper. If you do not have the harbor freight punch set, get it. Use the appropriate size punch in a jacobs chuck on the tailstock. This punch set is the best $10 I ever spent on pen making.

Best of luck.

 

[crokett]

I don't know the answer but I am glad you posted this. I have some scraps to use up and I just figured out how to use them looking at that tutorial.

 

[ChrisN]

I cut double-stacked blanks with a scroll saw - I have a 1/8" blade (not sure what brand) that cuts very well. I just tightened it up good and took it slow. The pens came out quite well - the sections fit together nicely.