Flush sanding a newly glued up pen blank

[mmayo]

I admit that I am not a fan of barrel trimmers. I have not used one in over a decade.

Instead, I use a tool by Rick Herrell that allows you to flush sand your newly glued up pen blank. I strongly recommend you move in this direction if you use a barrel trimmer.

 

[Woodchipper]

Mark, went through two barrel trimmers. Tried to sharpen them but it was a lost cause. Went to Woodcraft, skipped a drink and bought the higher priced trimmer with carbide blades. Goes through wood and synthetic blanks like a hot knife through warm butter.
I see the setup in the video but, IMO, takes too long unless doing multiple blanks at one time. Spent some time as a consultant for time and motion study. I catch my self thinking about how to do the job in less time, even down to emptying the dishwasher.

 

[Monty]

Barrel trimmers are ok until they catch and tear out the end of that burl, segmented blank, laser inlay etc.

 

[Woodchipper]

I built a sanding system for the lathe but entails taking the quill off and putting the unit on the lathe, faceplate with disk and sandpaper. I have seven blanks to trim and ready for turning today. Pen mill will be on the drill press with either a 7 mm or 3/8 reamer.
Photo of my DIY sanding system.