Experimenting

[KenB259]

After turning pens for close to 2 years now, I was thinking about all the things that used to give me fits. Probably the thing I struggled with the most was getting that hole to go straight through the blank. I bought a fancy, long, special drill bit, just for pens. Well let me tell you I hated that bit, could not get a straight hole to save my life. So I decided to give it another try, using all my pen making wisdom I could muster. lol and behold every hole I drilled was perfectly straight, see attached picture. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

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[MPVic]

Ken - what do you think was the "turning point" (pun intended!!) to your present success?

 

[KenB259]

Ken - what do you think was the "turning point" (pun intended!!) to your present success?

First and foremost good old trial and error. I learned the squarer the blank you start with the better it goes also a stubby center finding bit is invaluable. I never see a wobbly drill bit after I learned to start with the stubby. I also have to keep reminding myself to just plain slow down and enjoy the process. I tend to want to hurry to see what the result is. I stopped using pen mills, I sand the blanks square on my lathe, slower, but consistent results, have not had one blank tear out that way. I never buy pen blanks, my local wood store has all the exotic, as well as domestic wood I could ever desire. Thus way I can cut my own blanks and they are perfectly square, very important especially when segmenting.


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[mark james]

First and foremost good old trial and error. I learned the squarer the blank you start with the better it goes also a stubby center finding bit is invaluable. I never see a wobbly drill bit after I learned to start with the stubby. I also have to keep reminding myself to just plain slow down and enjoy the process. I tend to want to hurry to see what the result is. I stopped using pen mills, I sand the blanks square on my lathe, slower, but consistent results, have not had one blank tear out that way. I never buy pen blanks, my local wood store has all the exotic, as well as domestic wood I could ever desire. Thus way I can cut my own blanks and they are perfectly square, very important especially when segmenting.


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Ken, I could not agree more with all of your comments (except buying blanks - I'm neck deep in blanks, and I usually am making my own). After 7 years, I feel very comfortable with different skills. I still screw up, as I have a short attention span, but I usually know why now. And I enjoy slowing down, just taking my time and enjoying the process. Its nice now also to work on a challenging segmented design that will take me 1-2 months to figure out. I have no hurries, and usually figure out what I need to do; and when it doesn't work, it usually leads into 2-3 other ideas to try. To me that is fun.

Its funny how a simple skill like drilling a straight hole is at times difficult. But when you get that skill set it is a great feeling.

Nice post.

 

[greenacres2]

Congratulations Ken...not for the straight holes, but for finding the peace that this ought to bring!!
I have to agree on the square stock part--especially when drilling on the lathe. I cut a lot of my own blanks and those are square, some i buy cut and there is enough meat to trim to square. But, there are times when i take a few minutes to turn round between centers then the drilling is perfect!!
(not such a big deal on a drill press where the blank isn't spinning. but my drill press is farther away!!)
earl

 

[jttheclockman]

Never could see why a longer bit is ever needed for what we do. 5" blank should be able to be drilled with a standard bit we use for tubes. Now of course the smaller bits will not reach but who drills with 1/8" bits for tubes. But glad you worked things out but will guarentee you will do something different again. Happens that way.

 

[Mike Washburg]

One thing I do is put an X to mark the middle at both ends of a blank before drilling. The X at one end marks the spot for drilling. And the X at the other end will give me an indication of whether the hole I drilled goes straight through the blank. It doesn't help me drill straight, but it confirms if I did, and lets me know what to expect if I didn't.

 

[Woodchipper]

What Mike W. said. I also measure the bushing on the end of the blank if the hole is off center. I find that, so far, I have enough material to turn the completed blank.

 

[KenB259]

What Mike W. said. I also measure the bushing on the end of the blank if the hole is off center. I find that, so far, I have enough material to turn the completed blank.

That will work if the blank is not segmented, however if you are using a segmented blank, then a poorly drilled hole is a no go.


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[Woodchipper]

Not into segmented blanks yet but it's on my list of things to turn. Ken, thanks for the tip.