Cross grain blanks?

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Carole in VA

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Can they be used? Do they have to be strengthened with CA or something? If so, how? I turned some cross grain cedar blanks (no tubes) just to experiment and the grain is really striking...I just wonder about the weakness inherent in cross grain.
 
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Cross grain can be even more attractive than straight grain. Takes a little more care. See the responses to the question in Penturning:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2075

Darrell
 
Cross cut can be done. It is more prone to splitting and blowouts, but with care can be very nice.

The biggest key is sharp tools and bevel rubbing turning technique. With lengthwise grain orientation you can get away with tools/ techniques that scrape rather than cut. But not with cross grain.

I am not a huge fan of the skew (mainly because I suck at using it), but on soem of my most volitile wood I have used a shearing cut with a skew with better success than a gouge.

Strengthening with CA is good as well. Thin CA would be best. I would saturate the blank with it before you start and add to it as you cut away the CA strengthened portion. Also saturate the inside the the drilled hole with thin CA and let it dry before gluing in the tubes.

Also remember that a catch or blowout is not the end of the world. Some of my blowout repairs have ended up blending in with the grain pattern for even more character.
 
Cool! Thanks for the info! One more really dumb question, when you use CA to stabilize, how do you go about it without getting glue where it's not supposed to be and without gluing the blank to whatever you are using to hold it with? Do you use waxed paper to handle it? Sounds like a messy operation to me. In the other thread, someone mentioned adding more CA as the wood was turned down. I am assuming to do this you have to take the blanks off the mandrel, otherwise the whole works (mandrel, bushings and blanks) would all be glued together! [:o)] Having had a bad experience with crazy glue years ago, I am not one of it's greatest fans!
 
There are as many methods as there are turners. This is what I do.

For the initial soaking with thin, I put the blanks on wax paper and soak them until the grain wont take anyomre.

I add CA while the blanks are on the mandrel, but I use a paper towel and do it with the lathe off. I also use medium if doing it on the lathe. I lay a paper towel over my lathe bed to absorb any drips and soak a spot on a folded paper towel and wipe it on the blank while turning the lathe by hand. Repeat this adding a little at a time until the whole blank is covered.
 
Carole
Put the ca on the blank while it's on the manrel.
Turn the lathe slowly by hand.
The end grain will soak up the CA more than the rest of the blank(usually) twice every rotation.
You will see "chatoyance" as you turn the finished pen.(rays)
sharp tools go slow.(you may never turn a long grain again)
 
Before you try stabilizing with CA, go to the hardware store and buy a can of acetone. Just in case you glue something to something it aint supposed to be glued to [8D]
 
Originally posted by daledut
<br />Before you try stabilizing with CA, go to the hardware store and buy a can of acetone. Just in case you glue something to something it aint supposed to be glued to [8D]
Click to expand...
Is that all the "dissolver" is???? Acetone? Ok, guys, thanks! I am going to try it if it ever gets warm enough to get back in my shop...looks like we are in for a long haul of cold weather.[:(]
 
I've done some cross-grain Walnut and Zebra woods. My first couple had severe chip out, especially with the Zebrawood. When I slowed down and took shallower passes, I had no problems and these pens sold the day I brought them to work.
 
I did a Polaris cross graine and It was beautiful!
I decided to try a roller ball.
Did you see the movie "Tin Cup"
I felt like Kevin Costner.Kept blowing it.
I moved on to a Bocote and it turned out beyond my wildest expectaions.
The grain was circular and wound up(planned) with a "tiger eye around the centerband.
The pen was sold to a craft fair exhibitor who bought it for his minister.(he gat a heck of a deal!)
 
You can do a little stabilizing of the pen blanks by soaking them in a 50/50 mixture of PVA glue and water. I leave them in the mixture until they start to sink. Then let them dry for a week.

Take your pick on the glue. Elmer's won't change the color of the wood, but it isn't as hard and it is more difficult to sand. Titebond and other yellow glues will be harder and easier to sand, but they will add a yellow color to the wood.

This takes some time, but it saves a lot of expensive CA glue. At the least, this will solidify the wood enough to get you down to round, and then you can start using the CA glue. Sometimes it will soak all the way through the end-grain of the wood and you will have a thoroughly stabilized pen blank.
 
Lowes sell a rotted wood stabilizer made by Bondo
It's about $7.00 a pint.
 
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