New Question from a Newbie

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heritagebob

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
60
Location
Porter, Texas
As I have said before,, Im REAl new at this and learning,, I bought a package of blanks (50) for 20 bucks for practice material to begin with,, having no issues with the lighter colored blanks,, but it seems the darker the wood the faster they explode,, my method hasnt changed,,tool is real sharp,,,, any thoughts or suggestions???:mad:
 
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All kidding aside it's tought to say. All woods are differnt and some are harder to turn than others. Without knowing what woods you're having difficulty turning its tough to make reccomendations and often times those grab bag blanks are not labled so you probably don't know what you're turning. My best advice would be to find a local turner to help you out. Is there any turning clubs or other IAP member close to you?
 
The only blanks that I have had blow up on me were my fault. I was pushing them too hard and trying to hurry my way through them. Try being more gentle and feeling the cut. This seems hard at first I know but as you do more turning you will feel more of what is going on with your turning. Some things that helped me with this was to make sure that my rest was perfectly smooth and waxed. This allowed me to feel vibration better and to have a much smoother cut. Are these blanks blowing up on you when you are taking a pretty heavy cut? Again I have not had any blow up when I was taking my time, at least not a stable blank.
 
Great advice above. I can only sugguest some tips.

Take light easy bites with the tools.
Take your time.
Turn at a higher speed as you will have less chance of a catch. I turn about 2800 - 3000 rpm.
Are the blanks straight grained or burls? Do they have any voids, cracks, or defects. If so you might apply some CA to the blank and continue turning once dry.

Joe
 
interesting,, I have no way of knowing what the wood is,, I turn at about 3200 rpm,,, try to go slow and take my time,,,

My Quest Continues..
 
ANYTIME I have the question "is this blank gonna blow up?" I set the blank on wax paper and saturate it with thin CA followed by two 1 second blasts of aresol CA accelerator, then wait 15 minutes before turning.

If the blank is an eyed burl, punky, knotty, spalted or has several segments, I'll wrap the blank in gauze, drench it in CA and let it set overnight.

This really seems to help, especially on the really figured blanks. As others have stated, use REALLY SHARP tools and make light passes.

Respectfully submitted.
 
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PenMan1 said:
ANYTIME I have the question "is this blank gonna blow up?" I set the blank on wax paper and saturate it with thin CA followed by two 1 second blasts of aresol CA accelerator, then wait 15 minutes before turning.

If the blank is an eyed burl, punky, knotty, spalted or has several segments, I'll wrap the blank in gauze, drench it in CA and let it set overnight.

This really seems to help, especially on the really figured blanks. As others have stated, use REALLY SHARP tools and make light passes.

Respectfully submitted.
Click to expand...

Wood blanks only blow for several reasons. Bad wood as stated above by penman1, dull tools, aggressive turning, or bad gluing. Bad glue would include to large of a hole for the tube, to small of a hole (thinning the glue as the tube is inserted ) , or not letting the glue cure properly. Light and dark wood should have nothing to do with it, as they are both hardwoods and softwoods. Type of wood does matter, as some are easier to turn than others. Red or Black Palm are hard to turn because they are actualy tree ferns. Jim S
 
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Could be a whole slew of things because you were not specific enough with your question. What type glue used when do you start turning after glued??? Maybe your technique needs work. Maybe your presentation of the tool to the blank needs to be worked on. Are you turning above or below center of the blank. What kits are you using??? I can go on and on. But you need to help us narrow the problem down by supplying more info. Have a great day.
 
Bob, if you are looking at brass tube after these blowups, I would work on your gluing. In doing production work, I get pretty aggressive and would occasionally blow up a blank. Since switching from CA to Gorilla glue for wood blanks, I have not had a problem. It expands to fill all the voids and holds like crazy. Just roll the sanded tube in a very thin coat of glue, dampen/swab the hole with a little water and slide the tube in. Secure the ends to keep the glue from pushing the tube out and turn it after a few hours.

Your profile doesn't say where in Texas you are -- that covers about half of the US.:tongue: There are a bunch of turners in Texas that can probably give you some quick tips. Welcome to IAP!

Harry
 
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