Closed end pens- How to square without a mill?

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BigguyZ

BigguyZ

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Aug 8, 2007
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Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Do you need a pen mill to square closed end pens? I usually use the PSI squaring jig and my disc sander for the larger diameter tubes, but that won't work with a closed end pen.

So how do you all square your closed end pens?

Thanks!
 
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I use disk sander free hand; sand a little, turn, repeat, repeat, repeat until the sanding disk touches the tube evenly all the way around. Keep a bushing handing to check, if the bushing is inserted and there are no gaps anywhere around it, then it is square.
 
If I don't want to (or otherwise can't) use a mill to square the end, I first cut the ends reasonably close. Then I mount the blank on a mandrel and turn it round (larger than my final dimension). I remove it from the mandrel and sand the ends on a disk sander. Because I turned it round, the outside is concentric to the tube - which also means that the tube ends are perpendicular to the table and square. I use a light, rotating touch when sanding, so if even anything is slightly out of square, the effect is minimized.

I hope that helps,
Eric
 
Sylvanite said:
If I don't want to (or otherwise can't) use a mill to square the end, I first cut the ends reasonably close. Then I mount the blank on a mandrel and turn it round (larger than my final dimension). I remove it from the mandrel and sand the ends on a disk sander. Because I turned it round, the outside is concentric to the tube - which also means that the tube ends are perpendicular to the table and square. I use a light, rotating touch when sanding, so if even anything is slightly out of square, the effect is minimized.

I hope that helps,
Eric
Click to expand...


That's excellent!

Thanks!
 
I took an old pen mill shaft and used a cutoff wheel in a Dremel tool to make it about an inch long. That way my nylon sleeves fit the appropriate tubes, and I can use a pen mill. If you're going tubeless, it's an even better fit.
 
I drill for a closed end pen on the lathe. Before I drill the hole I face the blanks with detail gouge. No need to use a pen mill
Dave
 
I have several sizes of pen mill shafts and some of them are extra short to accommodate a closed end situation. With a 7mm shaft though, you can simply pull the shaft further through the mill head so that less sticks out. It's not like the mill head has to be touching your drill chuck when it is installed in the drill. After you pull the 7mm shaft so that less sticks out, then make some sleeves to fit the tube you are using and the sleeves will made shorter as well.
 
I drill on the lathe, then glue the tube, then turn it and sand it on teh lathe. If you wanted to, you could sand, polish , and finish the end of the blank.
 
I made a pen sanding mill using a block of wood and piece of drill rod. If you have a pretty square cut the sanding mill can do the finish work with minimal effort.
 
I slide a second cutter head onto a pen mill shaft and tighten it down.
This will shorten the pilot shaft and allow the pen mill to square the end of the blank. I use a pen mill for 7mm pens and make shims for the various diameters of pen kit tubes.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
BigguyZ said:
Do you need a pen mill to square closed end pens? I usually use the PSI squaring jig and my disc sander for the larger diameter tubes, but that won't work with a closed end pen.

So how do you all square your closed end pens?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
If using a jig and disc sander anyway why noy make a similar jig with a V block to cradle the blank and square that way? That way you can use the same tool different jig.
 
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