Done with pen jaws (and other drilling tips)

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EricRN

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May 16, 2019
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My pen jaws got worn out and don't hold the blank straight anymore. So I've started turning them round before drilling. I use a centering bit in a hand drill to make a small cone shaped hole in the center of each end. I mount with a 60 degree drive center. Turn round then mount in a collet chuck to drill. Dramatically increases the number of times that I get a hole straight through that is centered on both ends.

Also, I've started using Norseman vortex bits to drill acrylic which much more frequently gives a nice clean exit hole. (Id previously experience blowout sometimes when the bit exits.) the bits are pricy but worth it and you can usually only buy the size you need. Only complaint I have is that I haven't been able to find them I'm jobber length or metric sizes but I can usually work around that. I've also seen some bits billed as acrylic bits that have a much steeper taper on the point. Those would work the same way as the vortex, I think.
 
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Thought I'd add a few more tips after spending a few hours drilling blanks. If you are using something like tap free to lubricate while you drill, make sure you rinse out the blanks with water and let them dry before you glue or paint the tube. I had a few tubes come loose while turning recently. The paint wasn't completely dry so the epoxy didn't form a tight bond. Couldn't figure out why until today, when I looked at my little cup of tap free that had been sitting out. It had gotten gel like and I realized that there was probably residue in the blank when I painted and that must have interfered with the paint. I usually blow them out with compressed air to evaporate the water, but that wouldn't work with tap free because, while the water in it might evaporate, there's a whole bunch of other stuff that doesn't evaporate and would be left behind.

And, next tip, I really like tap free. A little pricier than water but you use so little of it when drilling pen blanks that you buy once and it lasts forever. I find that it works much much better than water and dish soap.
 
Eric glad you found some things that work well for you and wish you continued success. Have to say I do the turning round when I do certain segmented blanks because I then can drill and cut off just what I need. But most blanks I drill square or somewhat square and my go to chuck is the Vicmark pen blank chuck. I tried a couple of the PSI ones but found them to be junk. I even talked with the tool guy over there and he sent me new teeth but that did not solve it. The gears wear too quickly. This chuck I got from Timberbits https://www.timberbits.com/pen-making/tools/blank-chucks/. yes it is pricey but worth it. I also use it for round blanks that I do not have a collet chuck size for. Using a collet chuck is another way I drill my round blanks.

As far as lubricant I would never use a lubricant that has oils in it. Just for the reason you brought up if painting the blank as I do when using acrylics. Paint does not adhere well. My cooling additive of choice is DNA. I wet a rag and keep by lathe as I drill and after drilling some I do as we all do clear the hole and I place rag on bit to cool down. Now before all the fireman get on here and dis this. The bit never ever gets hot enough to combust. If you let a bit get that hot you are asking for melting problems. I drill billiardballs with DNA as a lubricant. These are my methods of drilling blanks and have worked well for me.

As far as bits go I always buy the bits from vendors for kits I use. I do also have a cheap set of bits I got from a woodworking vendor. I would love to have a set of whiteside bits but this hobby does not lend itself to that expense. Just make sure bit rolls flat on a solid surface and the hole is good to go.
 
I use 3d printed pen jaws for my nova chuck. Occasionnally get a bit of runout, but 98% of my holes are good. The PSI pen drill chuck I have is garbage in comparison.
 
jttheclockman said:
Eric glad you found some things that work well for you and wish you continued success. Have to say I do the turning round when I do certain segmented blanks because I then can drill and cut off just what I need. But most blanks I drill square or somewhat square and my go to chuck is the Vicmark pen blank chuck. I tried a couple of the PSI ones but found them to be junk. I even talked with the tool guy over there and he sent me new teeth but that did not solve it. The gears wear too quickly. This chuck I got from Timberbits https://www.timberbits.com/pen-making/tools/blank-chucks/. yes it is pricey but worth it. I also use it for round blanks that I do not have a collet chuck size for. Using a collet chuck is another way I drill my round blanks.

As far as lubricant I would never use a lubricant that has oils in it. Just for the reason you brought up if painting the blank as I do when using acrylics. Paint does not adhere well. My cooling additive of choice is DNA. I wet a rag and keep by lathe as I drill and after drilling some I do as we all do clear the hole and I place rag on bit to cool down. Now before all the fireman get on here and dis this. The bit never ever gets hot enough to combust. If you let a bit get that hot you are asking for melting problems. I drill billiardballs with DNA as a lubricant. These are my methods of drilling blanks and have worked well for me.

As far as bits go I always buy the bits from vendors for kits I use. I do also have a cheap set of bits I got from a woodworking vendor. I would love to have a set of whiteside bits but this hobby does not lend itself to that expense. Just make sure bit rolls flat on a solid surface and the hole is good to go.
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That looks like a solid set of pen jaws. Will have to give it a look if I ever get sick of turning round.

The tap free is actually water based, which is nice, so you can just rinse in the sink and it should carry away the residue and dry up easily.
 
Regarding John T.'s post- the bit would have to be very hot to ignite the DNA. Been using DNA and acetone for years for various projects. I keep a fire extinguisher on the wall in my shop along with a smoke alarm. Both are checked periodically to be working.
 
I use regular jaws not pen blank jaws. They work fine for me. If I was doing a lot of segmenting I WOULD have the pen jaws and chuck to center the semented blank. Practice turning the blanks round with the skew!
 
EricRN said:
My pen jaws got worn out and don't hold the blank straight anymore. So I've started turning them round before drilling. I use a centering bit in a hand drill to make a small cone shaped hole in the center of each end. I mount with a 60 degree drive center. Turn round then mount in a collet chuck to drill. Dramatically increases the number of times that I get a hole straight through that is centered on both ends.

Also, I've started using Norseman vortex bits to drill acrylic which much more frequently gives a nice clean exit hole. (Id previously experience blowout sometimes when the bit exits.) the bits are pricy but worth it and you can usually only buy the size you need. Only complaint I have is that I haven't been able to find them I'm jobber length or metric sizes but I can usually work around that. I've also seen some bits billed as acrylic bits that have a much steeper taper on the point. Those would work the same way as the vortex, I think.
Click to expand...
I use Colt bits on acrylics. Cuts very clean and available in 7mm, 10mm as well as most popular sizes for pens. Not terribly expensive, I paid about $7 each.
 
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