Turning cumberland

[csb333]

I am having a hard time making my barrel smooth on cumberland rod. I use only a bowl scraper. Is this the problem? I have not tried a skew chisel.

 

[driften]

Why not try a gouge? Works for me on all the other man made materials....I have not tried cumberland yet though.

 

[Old Griz]

I would say the scraper is your problem... on pens a scraper does not seem to leave as fine a surface as it will on a bowl... especially on acrylics and plastics... I would assume you are getting a rippled surface... if you have not learned to use a skew properly, I would suggest staying a bit proud of the bushings and sanding your way to the final dimension and then going to MicroMesh.. wet sanding to 12000

 

[Ron Mc]

I must be getting old. I swear I thought there was going to be a picture of a cucumber being turned.[)] I guess I need to dig out my reading glasses now.

 

[DCBluesman]

Having turned a number of ebonite/cumberland pens, I find a gouge and skew work exceptionally well. I haven't tried the scraper as I didn't find it necessary.

 

[PenWorks]

I use a large scraper for all my resins & cumberland, finish with a skew. You should have no trouble removing any marks from the cumberland as it is pretty hard rubber and polishes up real nice.

 

[GaWoodworker]

It is hard to get a clean cut with a scraper. When the cut is made with a dull tool it tears the wood leaving a rough appearance or even pits in the wood. A scraper by design is not a sharp cutting instrument. I would definitely stick with a bowl gouge. The sharper you keep your tools, the sharper your work will look.

 

[gerryr]

I recently purchased a 1" round nose scraper for turning antler and it works like a dream. Easiest tool I own to sharpen too. I tried it on burl this weekend and it worked better than a gouge or a skew. Guess I'll become a "pen scraper." I haven't tried it on acrylics yet but I probably will.