Acrylic Blanks Part 1

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mmayo

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Other parts of this series: Part 2

I drill a lot of blanks and they need to all make it to a future sale. The drilled blanks will all become Diamond Knurl Ballpoint pens.
1680207600140.jpeg


I start be cutting full size 3/4 square blanks to 5/8" square. This will greatly reduce your turning IF you can drill straight - the lathe makes it easy. I use a sled which employs Microjig clamps to cut the blanks to fit the tube.

1680207667136.jpeg


Once cut, I drill the blanks on my lathe. You need a chuck with pen jaws. This one has drilled hundreds perfectly and has hundreds left in the tank.
1680207769923.jpeg

You also need a drill chuck to fit your tailstock. Mine works and was cheap.
1680208382102.jpeg


I STRONGLY suggest you upgrade to high quality drill bits by Norseman!!! The drill bits that come with kits or package deals are to be avoided. These rock!
1680207888489.jpeg


I have six at present and carefully rotate them to use a cold or cool bit to drill each new blank. If you have one, have a cup of cold water to cool the bit after each blank. Shake off the water. S L O W D O W N when you drill especially when you enter and exit the blank. Clear chips each 1/2" or 1 cm (that means move the bit out of the blank and safely get rid of the ribbons or wood chips). There is a video to show how slow to advance in the photos below. (850 rpm).

Here are my results. These are acrylic acetate and Inlace acrylester. Be even slower with Inlace especially at the end.
1680208201660.jpeg

Best of luck!
 

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KMCloonan

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I picked up on the "My Way" vibe as well. The song was actually written by Paul Anka for the "Chairman".

Mark, I agree with everything you wrote. I also like the Norseman bits, and I am slowly purging my center spur bits from my tools (most of them came with PSI starter kits years ago). My question is, how fast do you typically drill resin blanks? You mention 850 rpm. I usually drill much slower (about 250rpm), mostly because that's what I started with years ago, and never thought to speed up the bit.

I swapped my keyed drill chuck for a keyless, and I am really glad I did. One less thing to keep track of (the key), and it makes it very easy to swap bits when drilling incrementally larger holes.

I had never thought about trimming the thickness of the blanks from the start, which would decrease how much turning you need to do. Good idea. What do you do with the slices you cut off? Those would be great to use in segmenting.
 

NGLJ

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Surrey BC, Canada
I do all my drilling on the lathe. I usually drill from both ends which minimizes any exit issues. Also, I start with carbide end mills smaller than the final bit size. This creates a clean entry hole for the drill bit. I use parabolic drill bits which seem to eject the chips more easily. Since I started working this way I have not had a single failure regardless of the material drilled, hard wood, soft wood, acrylic, polyester, aluminum, etc.. Speed was mentioned and that is critical for success, especially with plastics. Go too fast and you could weld the drill bit to the blank. If it smells like it is burning with wood, it is! Overheating the drill bit can cause it to lose "temper" and render it useless, followed by you losing your.......
 

EricRN

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Joined
May 16, 2019
Messages
760
I drill a lot of blanks and they need to all make it to a future sale. The drilled blanks will all become Diamond Knurl Ballpoint pens.
View attachment 351464

I start be cutting full size 3/4 square blanks to 5/8" square. This will greatly reduce your turning IF you can drill straight - the lathe makes it easy. I use a sled which employs Microjig clamps to cut the blanks to fit the tube.

View attachment 351465

Once cut, I drill the blanks on my lathe. You need a chuck with pen jaws. This one has drilled hundreds perfectly and has hundreds left in the tank.
View attachment 351466
You also need a drill chuck to fit your tailstock. Mine works and was cheap.
View attachment 351471

I STRONGLY suggest you upgrade to high quality drill bits by Norseman!!! The drill bits that come with kits or package deals are to be avoided. These rock!
View attachment 351468

I have six at present and carefully rotate them to use a cold or cool bit to drill each new blank. If you have one, have a cup of cold water to cool the bit after each blank. Shake off the water. S L O W D O W N when you drill especially when you enter and exit the blank. Clear chips each 1/2" or 1 cm (that means move the bit out of the blank and safely get rid of the ribbons or wood chips). There is a video to show how slow to advance in the photos below. (850 rpm).

Here are my results. These are acrylic acetate and Inlace acrylester. Be even slower with Inlace especially at the end.
View attachment 351470
Best of luck!
I'll second the recommendation on the Norseman bits. For acrylic, I particularly like their stepped vortex bits. I've found they dramatically decrease the likelihood of blowout when exiting the blank.
 

Woodchipper

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Interesting but how much time is taken to set up the TS sled? Would it be quicker than to turn the blank to needed size? If doing several blanks at a time in the TS, it might work but I'm skeptical. The secret to fast turning, IMO, is a scary sharp tool at high (safe) speed.
 

mmayo

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Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
2,958
Location
Tehachapi, CA
I picked up on the "My Way" vibe as well. The song was actually written by Paul Anka for the "Chairman".

Mark, I agree with everything you wrote. I also like the Norseman bits, and I am slowly purging my center spur bits from my tools (most of them came with PSI starter kits years ago). My question is, how fast do you typically drill resin blanks? You mention 850 rpm. I usually drill much slower (about 250rpm), mostly because that's what I started with years ago, and never thought to speed up the bit.

I swapped my keyed drill chuck for a keyless, and I am really glad I did. One less thing to keep track of (the key), and it makes it very easy to swap bits when drilling incrementally larger holes.

I had never thought about trimming the thickness of the blanks from the start, which would decrease how much turning you need to do. Good idea. What do you do with the slices you cut off? Those would be great to use in segmenting.
I have a bag of the cutoff slices. I give them away regularly for the price of shipping.
 

mmayo

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Messages
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Tehachapi, CA
Interesting but how much time is taken to set up the TS sled? Would it be quicker than to turn the blank to needed size? If doing several blanks at a time in the TS, it might work but I'm skeptical. The secret to fast turning, IMO, is a scary sharp tool at high (safe) speed.
It's just what I've found to be useful. I don't see a reason NOT to cut the blank down to size from the start. As you can see these holes, they are right in the center and turning is very brief once the blank is rounded. I have sharp tools and the work to turn the blanks is very short. I get more pens completed accurately and quickly. That helps my selling bottom line.
 

mmayo

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The blank is cut to square size not length in the table saw. Mine is always ready with zero setup.
 

Woodchipper

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Mar 15, 2017
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Cleveland, TN
Bringing this to the top: Thanks for the tutorial and to those who replied. I have three blanks for some giveaway pens. The kits are a bit more expensive than what I have done in the past. SWMBO has declared: Don't screw them up!
Will post this and move on to the second part.
 
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