Drilling on the lathe

[Woodchipper]

A big Thank You to mmayo for his two part tutorial on drilling synthetics to use a collective term. I read them again this morning prior to getting some blanks ready for gluing. I'm not the brightest candle on the cake but I did discover something useful. It was mentioned at drilling at about 250 rpm. I realized that I have been drilling waaay too fast. I had a blank fuse to the bit on my drill press. I changed belts on my Rikon lathe which runs 300-750 rpm at the low belt setting. First, I drilled an extra piece of wood. Came out great. Next was an odd piece of acrylic/synthetic (never can remember what it is) and drilled. I drilled some, withdrew the bit, cleaned it off and wiped with a damp cloth to cool it. Worked like a charm. Will work on the pens later today to give my knees a rest. BTW, learning to turn from a stool that I got from HF.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

Good to hear you picked up a few tips to help out. Just an added note I've found that it never hurts to listen to things even if you're not having trouble or not interested in the topic. It seems I always pick up something I can do or use. One more thing before I get too far on a rabbit trail. I know a few guys that won't go to a craft store with their wives. It's a girly place! I buy a lot of materials I use for casting there and I'm always looking for something new to try. So if you ever need any brownie points with your wife tell her you want to go with her the next time. You don't have to say anything about pen turning. Ha Ha.

 

[Woodchipper]

Kenny, my wife and I both go to Hobby Lobby. She has found white jewelry boxes that I use for my pens. Tried to find the SKU but get a sackful of results with a search. I have bought some things for tying flies.