anthonyd
Member
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post. I have been turning for about ten months and have been an avid follower of the advanced pen making forum.
I have put together two die holders for my 5/8 " chuck using premade parts from a Canadian store called Princess Auto. These parts are also available at farm hardware stores.
For the 1" holder I purchased a part called a cross tube from the hydraulics' section. This is a steel tube with an inner bore that is slightly larger than 1" and a predrilled hole that can be used for a tommy bar. I also purchased some bronze bushings with a 1" outside diameter and a 5/8 " ID.
I epoxied some shims made from a soda can around the bushings to ensure that they would be perfectly centered within the tube. Then I epoxied the bushings into the cross tube. I drilled and tapped some holes to secure the die and shimmed it with a piece of soda can to perfectly center it.
I then cut a 6" length of 5/8 " rod for the holder to freely move and turn on. I tested it and it worked perfectly.
For the 1 1/2 holder I used the same procedure as above but I purchased a hub with a 1 1/2 bore that attaches to the cross tube. This hub is used to attach gear sprockets to a motor. The hub has two pretapped holes with grub screws that I used to secure it to the cross tube. It took some hand sanding of the cross tube to allow it to fit smoothly into the hub. The die fits snugly into the other end but I still have to drill and tap a hole to secure the die.
I just thought I could give something back to all those who so generously share their knowledge with those of us who are new to this addictive madness of pen turning.
P.S. I think a variation of this method could be used by those who have purchased the 3/4 " shank die holders from Wholesale tools to make them slide and rotate freely and reduce the shank for a 1/2 " chuck.
This is my first post. I have been turning for about ten months and have been an avid follower of the advanced pen making forum.
I have put together two die holders for my 5/8 " chuck using premade parts from a Canadian store called Princess Auto. These parts are also available at farm hardware stores.
For the 1" holder I purchased a part called a cross tube from the hydraulics' section. This is a steel tube with an inner bore that is slightly larger than 1" and a predrilled hole that can be used for a tommy bar. I also purchased some bronze bushings with a 1" outside diameter and a 5/8 " ID.
I epoxied some shims made from a soda can around the bushings to ensure that they would be perfectly centered within the tube. Then I epoxied the bushings into the cross tube. I drilled and tapped some holes to secure the die and shimmed it with a piece of soda can to perfectly center it.
I then cut a 6" length of 5/8 " rod for the holder to freely move and turn on. I tested it and it worked perfectly.
For the 1 1/2 holder I used the same procedure as above but I purchased a hub with a 1 1/2 bore that attaches to the cross tube. This hub is used to attach gear sprockets to a motor. The hub has two pretapped holes with grub screws that I used to secure it to the cross tube. It took some hand sanding of the cross tube to allow it to fit smoothly into the hub. The die fits snugly into the other end but I still have to drill and tap a hole to secure the die.
I just thought I could give something back to all those who so generously share their knowledge with those of us who are new to this addictive madness of pen turning.
P.S. I think a variation of this method could be used by those who have purchased the 3/4 " shank die holders from Wholesale tools to make them slide and rotate freely and reduce the shank for a 1/2 " chuck.
