Are y'all this froogle?

[kf4knf]

So I hate buying acrylic blanks at 3-6 bucks a piece from the suppliers when I am just making a 7mm pen. It just raises the pen's selling price...

So, I came up with a plan. I can purchase a 1x1x5 bank and make 2 7mm pens out of it by cutting it on the band saw. I am basically adjusting the band saw table to a 45 degree angle and cutting lengthwise through the blank. This gives you 2 triangle blanks to work with.

Anyone one else this cheap? I am still new to casting my own so this process will get me by for now while I work on my skills.

You really have to be careful when drilling the blank after its a triangle because you have less clearance between the drill cut and the edge of the material. The chances of a blowout are also quite high. I keep an old cycling water bottle near by and shoot some water down the drill hole and on the bit to keep it cool. When I am done I mop up the water from the drill press to prevent rust and move on to gluing the tubes.

 

[laspringer]

kf4knf,
I've used that technique before.
Slimline pens B2B you can go to 7/8 X 7/8 with
wood blanks.
Alan

 

[its_virgil]

Or even the 5/8" blanks..not available from every distributor.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by laspringer
<br />kf4knf,
I've used that technique before.
Slimline pens B2B you can go to 7/8 X 7/8 with
wood blanks.
Alan

 

[JimGo]

A B2B sl is only 1/3" thick. I've cut a 1" blank into four pieces and made SL's out of each. Usually reserve this for a really highly figured blank from which I NEED to make a slimline, such as where the customer picked the blank.

 

[Randy_]

Hi Steve:

As some of the other guys have pointed out, with a little practice you can double your frugality without too much troubled. While the other guys were posting, I was playing around with my slide rule to see how the numbers actually panned out.

Assuming that you have a reasonably narrow kerf blade on your band saw, you can get two(2) 0.58" round blank out of out of a square 1" blank.....piece of cake!! Many of us here, as Jim mentioned, make pens on a regular basis out of 1/2" Corian without even breaking a sweat.

With a decent BS blade, you can get four 0.485" blanks out of a 1" square. Drilling a 7 mm hole(0.275") down the middle of such a blank requires a good set-up and some care; but is not an impossible job. If you drill a perfect hole, you will have to remove 0.075" of wood which is more than twice the the thickness of the wood in a B2B Slimline(0.03"). Which is to say you can mis-drill the hole by an amount that is twice the amount of wood actually needed and still have a viable blank!! It takes some care and a little practice to get it right; but well within the capabilities of most folks.

Hey, Don.....how's my Geometry??[]

 

[johncrane]

Kf4knf before you start drilling you can spray a bit of multi-purpose lubricating spray protects against rust. and you can cut down a old plastic container to 1/2 inch to catch the water when drilling.

 

[gerryr]

I'm going to beat Cav to it.[:0] The correct spelling is frugal, but unfortunately, the world is being "Googleized."

 

[JimGo]

Originally posted by Randy_
<br />It takes some care and a little practice to get it right; but well within the capabilities of most folks.

I agree with Randy. Heck, I used to do it with my $35 HF table-top drill press, and that thing was WAY out of alignment! If I can do it, anyone can!

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by gerryr
<br />I'm going to beat Cav to it.[:0] The correct spelling is frugal, but unfortunately, the world is being "Googleized."

Thanks Gerry! I promised Ed 2 weeks of no spelling corrections or smart *** remarks, and I'll do it if it kills me!! []

 

[ed4copies]

Cav,

As I read that comment (the 2 week commitment), it only applied to MY posts. I think we would all agree that generalizing that to include the entire population of posts would be "cruel and unusual".

Lord knows, we can't have THAT!!!!!

Don't worry! noing your triing NOT to corect me, I can make you're life preety dificult!!!!

GUD LUK!!!!

 

[PenWorks]

Originally posted by wdcav1952
<br /> Thanks Gerry! I promised Ed 2 weeks of no spelling corrections or smart *** remarks, and I'll do it if it kills me!! []

Carfull how ypu chuse your words Cav, remember you have allredy givin up sum body parts [] Good luck, sounds as bout as tough as trying to quit smoking.

And back to the original post, yes I have done the same []

 

[Dario]

I love wood and I try to save when possible. However, using smaller blanks may mean more waste (due to "accidents") so I avoid super small blanks. This is a relaxing hobby for me and I want to minimize agony as much as possible []

 

[ed4copies]

I guess I am with Dario. Most of the blanks I use are under $5. The finished pen pricing will accomodate the cost of a full $5, so I "drill and turn".

Also, my drilling is not always "dead on". So, when I try to skimp, I CAN find myself wasting a blank[][][][].

But, if you find a GREAT piece of wood, I can sure understand trying to maximize your yield!!!

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by ed4copies
<br />Cav,

As I read that comment (the 2 week commitment), it only applied to MY posts. I think we would all agree that generalizing that to include the entire population of posts would be "cruel and unusual".

Lord knows, we can't have THAT!!!!!

Don't worry! noing your triing NOT to corect me, I can make you're life preety dificult!!!!

GUD LUK!!!!

To quote Charlie Brown, AUGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

 

[ed4copies]

Cav,

I belif their r sevrl r's in ARG!!!

But, thats ok-we unersrand!1

 

[kf4knf]

Sorry, I work in IT where google is your best friend when figuring out problems. My use of froogle is really just my way of paying my past due "thanks" to the company. I wondered how many people would catch the spelling when I posted it the other night - guess you guys are awake! []