Roger Wilco
Member
Hello, all!
I've just started pen turning and I wanted to make some of my own blanks. I love to see what I get when I turn different wood. I've had some success with this, but it seems to take me a long time to get my blanks drilled. For the moment, I'm only doing slim-line pens cuz the kits are really cheap and it's what I learned when I took a couple Rockler classes.
I do not have a drill press, but I did some research and lots of folks like to use their lathe as a drill press. So I have a four-jaw chuck, pen jaws, a drill chuck...all the stuff you need to drill on the lathe. I cut my first blank (from a eucalyptus branch..roughly 3/4" x 3/4") and attempted to drill my holes. Of course this blank isn't square yet and it moved all over the place. So I had to spend some time turning it to round before it fit properly. I've got some calipers and I keep checking to be sure my "roundness" is the same across the entire piece, but I still get some wobble. Took some time, but I managed to get a couple decent pens.
I did some research and I just can't seem to find an answer so I'll apologize in advance if this is something that has been discussed before. If yes, if you wouldn't mind sending me a link, I'll just go there.
If you're drilling on a drill press, the bit turns and you plunge it into the blank. Doesn't matter if the blank is perfectly square. Just get that hole centered-ish and you should be okay. When you turn it to round everything will even out. On slim-line pens, you're only gonna end up with what...1/16" of wood around the tube?
BUT...on a lathe, I'm turning the blank and the drill bit is stationary. If the blank isn't square it's gonna wobble. I know what you're thinking, "Well Ed...make sure your blank is square, first." I don't want to. I would MUCH rather have the bit turn and I drill into the blank. So is there any reason I couldn't just put my drill chuck into the headstock, and my pen jaws/chuck into the tailstock? Do they make an adaptor that'll let me do that? Seems like that would be EXACTLY like a horizontal drill press and I won't have to be sure my stock is perfectly square. Save me some time. I can't figure out the search terms for what I would need to look for.
"Tailstock chuck mount"? (this search didn't help me)
"Mount pen jaws chuck in tailstock?" (this was a better search term...but not exactly what I was looking for)
Perhaps I'm not being diligent enough with my search and what I want is out there, but I'm too impatient to find it? Anyway, if you guys know the answer to this off the top of your head, I'd sure appreciate it.
Best,
-Ed-
San Gabriel, CA
I've just started pen turning and I wanted to make some of my own blanks. I love to see what I get when I turn different wood. I've had some success with this, but it seems to take me a long time to get my blanks drilled. For the moment, I'm only doing slim-line pens cuz the kits are really cheap and it's what I learned when I took a couple Rockler classes.
I do not have a drill press, but I did some research and lots of folks like to use their lathe as a drill press. So I have a four-jaw chuck, pen jaws, a drill chuck...all the stuff you need to drill on the lathe. I cut my first blank (from a eucalyptus branch..roughly 3/4" x 3/4") and attempted to drill my holes. Of course this blank isn't square yet and it moved all over the place. So I had to spend some time turning it to round before it fit properly. I've got some calipers and I keep checking to be sure my "roundness" is the same across the entire piece, but I still get some wobble. Took some time, but I managed to get a couple decent pens.
I did some research and I just can't seem to find an answer so I'll apologize in advance if this is something that has been discussed before. If yes, if you wouldn't mind sending me a link, I'll just go there.
If you're drilling on a drill press, the bit turns and you plunge it into the blank. Doesn't matter if the blank is perfectly square. Just get that hole centered-ish and you should be okay. When you turn it to round everything will even out. On slim-line pens, you're only gonna end up with what...1/16" of wood around the tube?
BUT...on a lathe, I'm turning the blank and the drill bit is stationary. If the blank isn't square it's gonna wobble. I know what you're thinking, "Well Ed...make sure your blank is square, first." I don't want to. I would MUCH rather have the bit turn and I drill into the blank. So is there any reason I couldn't just put my drill chuck into the headstock, and my pen jaws/chuck into the tailstock? Do they make an adaptor that'll let me do that? Seems like that would be EXACTLY like a horizontal drill press and I won't have to be sure my stock is perfectly square. Save me some time. I can't figure out the search terms for what I would need to look for.
"Tailstock chuck mount"? (this search didn't help me)
"Mount pen jaws chuck in tailstock?" (this was a better search term...but not exactly what I was looking for)
Perhaps I'm not being diligent enough with my search and what I want is out there, but I'm too impatient to find it? Anyway, if you guys know the answer to this off the top of your head, I'd sure appreciate it.
Best,
-Ed-
San Gabriel, CA