allenworsham
Member
Ok, I am going to be making a desk pen set for a friend that will have 2 pens on the base in funnels. I am going to be using a Comfort Pen for this making it elongated and closed end. I bought a closed end mandrel for 7mm pens from AS and made up some blanks to practice on.
Now, since I have never done this before and haven't read how to do it, I just went with what seemed logical to see what would happen. The nib blank was made typical size and the ends milled flush. The top blank was about 7" to allow some room at the end for the tail stock to go into with the front end milled and squared to the tube. Using an adjustable mandrel, I put on a slimline bushing first, then the nib blank, then the larger Comfort Pen bushing, then the top blank with the tail stock at the end. I turned it all down and sanded it to fit to the bushings and the tail end tapered down with about 1/4" tenon where it will be severed from the tail stock piece and rounded . I pulled everything off the lathe and then put the top piece on the closed end mandrel, installed it in the lathe and then brought up the tail stock to the indentation left from the first turning. It all seemed fine until I turned on the lathe and found everything out of balance. I tried to adjust the tail stock, but I couldn't get it to balance out. I tried it without the tail stock and it was just as bad. So I don't know if the close end mandrel isd out of whack or if I did this whole thing wrong.
So, anyone have any insight to help me out?
Now, since I have never done this before and haven't read how to do it, I just went with what seemed logical to see what would happen. The nib blank was made typical size and the ends milled flush. The top blank was about 7" to allow some room at the end for the tail stock to go into with the front end milled and squared to the tube. Using an adjustable mandrel, I put on a slimline bushing first, then the nib blank, then the larger Comfort Pen bushing, then the top blank with the tail stock at the end. I turned it all down and sanded it to fit to the bushings and the tail end tapered down with about 1/4" tenon where it will be severed from the tail stock piece and rounded . I pulled everything off the lathe and then put the top piece on the closed end mandrel, installed it in the lathe and then brought up the tail stock to the indentation left from the first turning. It all seemed fine until I turned on the lathe and found everything out of balance. I tried to adjust the tail stock, but I couldn't get it to balance out. I tried it without the tail stock and it was just as bad. So I don't know if the close end mandrel isd out of whack or if I did this whole thing wrong.
So, anyone have any insight to help me out?