thomas.new82
Member
I just turned my second pen. For some reason I keep exploding the wood. I don't know if I'm cutting too deep, or just need to sharpen my tools. I would appreciate any help I can get. I have managed to make two pens though.
Hi Everyone!
- Thread starter thomas.new82
- Start date
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
rherrell
Member
Welcome!
oxx44
Member
Welcome. I am sure you will love it here. I know I have. I have also learned a lot here from the great members.
Answer to your Question: It can be a combination of both. Always make sure your tools are sharp (especially with acrylics). Do not push to hard let the tool do the work. Do light clean passes. If you press to hard you can catch and dig a big junk off if its a bad one. We all have our blow outs from time to time. I just had my first one a couple of weeks ago.
Ohhh....and make sure you have no gap from the tube to your blank when glueing it in. When you drill a hole in acrylic if you exit to fast it may take a chip out the end. This can cause a blow out aswell.
Hope this helps. Cant wait to see some of your work when you can get some pics posted. We all love pics here.:biggrin:
Answer to your Question: It can be a combination of both. Always make sure your tools are sharp (especially with acrylics). Do not push to hard let the tool do the work. Do light clean passes. If you press to hard you can catch and dig a big junk off if its a bad one. We all have our blow outs from time to time. I just had my first one a couple of weeks ago.
Ohhh....and make sure you have no gap from the tube to your blank when glueing it in. When you drill a hole in acrylic if you exit to fast it may take a chip out the end. This can cause a blow out aswell.
Hope this helps. Cant wait to see some of your work when you can get some pics posted. We all love pics here.:biggrin:
Last edited:
Glenn McCullough
Member
Thomas,
Welcome to the IAP, you'll love it here. Anyway, I have made over 700 pens and just last night, two blew up on me. I am blaming it on the spalted birch and its unstable condition. It is usually due to unsharp tools, holding the tool handle too high or pushing too hard. But I would NEVER do that! So I am sticking to the punky wood excuse.
Good luck.
Welcome to the IAP, you'll love it here. Anyway, I have made over 700 pens and just last night, two blew up on me. I am blaming it on the spalted birch and its unstable condition. It is usually due to unsharp tools, holding the tool handle too high or pushing too hard. But I would NEVER do that! So I am sticking to the punky wood excuse.
Good luck.
rjwolfe3
Member
Welcome from Ohio!
I would make sure your tools are as sharp as possible and maybe ease up on the pressure.
I would make sure your tools are as sharp as possible and maybe ease up on the pressure.
Mrs Rojo22
Member
Welcome!
Robin
Robin
Jim15
Member
Welcome Thomas.
chiefgreen
Member
Hi Thomas, I would like to add to your growing list of possibilities-the angle of the grain in the blank combined with the position of the tool and pressure used could cause a blow out. Also, I have read someplace that the moisture content of the wood being too high, could cause a blow-out. Welcome aboard!
Fred
Member
Thomas, Welcome to the IAP Forum. Glad to have you with us all.
corian king
Member
Welcome from VA, show us some of your work we would love to see it..
JIM
JIM
Ligget
Member
Welcome from sunny Scotland!
MAB11
Member
Welcome from Kansas.
wm460
Member
Welcome Thomas.
terryf
Member
Welcome Thomas!
Having just been where you are, having had 9 consecutive blow outs, I solved it by doing two things:
1. buy a decent set of HSS tools if you dont already have a set
2. keep them razor sharp
On the sharpening side I found hand sharpening on a stone is much easier for me than on a grinder or disc. I use 35 degrees on all my tools and since doing this havent, touch wood, had another blow out. (I use a small piece of wood cut at 35 degrees to keep the angle constant)
Good luck and post some pictures, would love to see your work.
Having just been where you are, having had 9 consecutive blow outs, I solved it by doing two things:
1. buy a decent set of HSS tools if you dont already have a set
2. keep them razor sharp
On the sharpening side I found hand sharpening on a stone is much easier for me than on a grinder or disc. I use 35 degrees on all my tools and since doing this havent, touch wood, had another blow out. (I use a small piece of wood cut at 35 degrees to keep the angle constant)
Good luck and post some pictures, would love to see your work.
johncrane
Member
Welcome to IAP Thomas!
oxx44
Member
welcome
CSue
Local Chapter Leader
Welcome from southern California!
You've got a number of great suggestions there. So I won't repeat. I am interested in seeing what you've done.
I'm putting a few links in here for reference –
This link has postings by different pen turners on what they wish they had known earlier:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46654
This link tells of some "out of the box" tools/aids for pen turners http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66178
This one is a PDF on the acronyms used here. I am sure you know many but this will help with those you don't. http://content.penturners.org/articl...9/Acronyms.pdf
You've got a number of great suggestions there. So I won't repeat. I am interested in seeing what you've done.
I'm putting a few links in here for reference –
This link has postings by different pen turners on what they wish they had known earlier:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46654
This link tells of some "out of the box" tools/aids for pen turners http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66178
This one is a PDF on the acronyms used here. I am sure you know many but this will help with those you don't. http://content.penturners.org/articl...9/Acronyms.pdf
Mark
Member
Welcome to the IAP. Enjoy your stay..