Barrel Trimmer shaft clearance?

[Bob Roehrig]

Good Morning all,
I've used my Carbide barrel trimmer for years without a problem and now all of a sudden I'm having issues with it. After taking my calipers and checking some tolerances here's what I get. Mandrel of trimmer is coming in at 0.240". When I measure beween the carbide opening that the mandrel goes through I get 0.248". I would have thought the gap would be tighter since now when I barrel trim a band the brass tube is still protruding proud of the blank itself since having 0.004" on each side the cutters are not hugging the tube close enough and basically doing a poor job trimming since leaving the tube proud of the blank is a no no.
My question is.......I would like to adjust something to tighten the gap between the carbide cutters and the mandrel but since the carbide is brazed onto the barrel itself I doubt this is possible. I don't think the mandrel is all that worn since it fits snuggly into the brass tubes. Not sure how this came about since it's very doubtful the carbide cutters could have worn or moved. Should I purchase a new trimmer or is there a reasonably easy fix. I could heat the braze and remount the cutters, but I no longer own an oxyacetlyn unit to give me the heat to do this an I'm sure the alignment would be very difficult. Any suggestions or should I punt? Thanks After a recent member comment I thought I'd better add a bit more clarification to my post above. I normally have a disc sander setup to trim my blanks after the tubes are glued in, but for this setup I'm not using wood. I make Bullet pens from real brass shell cartridges so need the carbide trimmer to make short work of trimming the brass. Brass would clog up and where down my sanding discs to fast $$$$$$$$$$ so this is why I need to revert back to the barrel trimmer for the job. Hope that adds a little more meaning into my carbide trimmer issue.....thanks

 

[jttheclockman]

Do away with trimmer and convert to sanding on the lathe. better control. I converted many years ago and glad I did.

 

[Bob Roehrig]

Do away with trimmer and convert to sanding on the lathe. better control. I converted many years ago and glad I did.

Do away with trimmer and convert to sanding on the lathe. better control. I converted many years ago and glad I did.

Thanks for the reply John. Yes, I also have a setup for using my disc sander to sand blanks instead of using the barrel trimmer.....BUT....I make bullet pens out of real brass cartridges and the carbide barrel trimmer makes short work on trimming up what is needed off the brass shell cartridges. Sanding these would really gum up and where down my sanding discs quick since I do a lot of these. Hope that makes sense and I guess I should have explained exactly what I was cutting in the first place. Appreciate your comment and I may go in and do some revision on my inital post.

 

[Woodchipper]

Been using the Woodcraft brand trimmer for several years with no problems. I have a sanding setup for the lathe but I would only use it if I have several blanks to square. Too much time for just one or two blanks.

 

[Monty]

I ditched the barrel trimmer a long time ago for wood and acrylic blanks.
When I make my brass cartridge pens, I use a center drill bit to trim the excess brass tube off. Not only does it trim it but also puts a slight bevel in it to help the transmission center better.

 

[Woodchipper]

I googled and there are several brands of cartridge trimmers- manual and powered for the high volume reloader.

 

[Monty]

I googled and there are several brands of cartridge trimmers- manual and powered for the high volume reloader.

I don't think he is referring to trimming the cartridge it's the brass tube you place inside the cartridge to hold the transmission .

 

[Woodchipper]

Might be worth looking into. Each cartridge has a definite OAL.

 

[jttheclockman]

Thanks for the reply John. Yes, I also have a setup for using my disc sander to sand blanks instead of using the barrel trimmer.....BUT....I make bullet pens out of real brass cartridges and the carbide barrel trimmer makes short work on trimming up what is needed off the brass shell cartridges. Sanding these would really gum up and where down my sanding discs quick since I do a lot of these. Hope that makes sense and I guess I should have explained exactly what I was cutting in the first place. Appreciate your comment and I may go in and do some revision on my inital post.

Use metal sanding sand paper.

 

[randyrls]

Good Morning all,
When I measure beween the carbide opening that the mandrel goes through I get 0.248". I would have thought the gap would be tighter since now when I barrel trim a band the brass tube is still protruding proud of the blank itself since having 0.004" on each side the cutters are not hugging the tube close enough and basically doing a poor job trimming since leaving the tube proud of the blank is a no no.

Bob; There are pen mills that are made with a narrow shaft portion where the cutters mount. These are specifically made so the cutters trim the 7mm brass tube, but I'm not sure if any of these are equipped with carbide cutters.

Hmmm. Thinking outside the box; solid carbide end mill cutters are made in many sizes. Even piloted cutters are made though the common sizes are spec'd to use as countersinks with recessed screws.

I have not made bullet pens for a long time, but I used a wooden clamp in my mini-mill and an end mill to clean/trim the cartridge. Then I used a reloader de-burring tool to trim the inside and outside of the cut. I often added an antler top cap.