This is a new one!

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Woodchipper

Woodchipper

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Messages
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Location
Cleveland, TN
I have turned a lot of synthetic blanks over the years but this one is a new one for me. OK, I have goofed and made a bad catch, resulting in tiny bubbles in the material. Diligent turning with a sharp tool and final sanding cure the ill. This one is the pits! I started turning it and, instead of getting shavings or fine dust, I get bombarded with shrapnel. I have sharpened the spindle roughing gouge, taken light cuts and very cautious to keep the bevel in the blank. Photo shows what I'm experiencing. Like the Farm Bureau guy, seen it all now.
20250915_152408.jpg
 
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It could be more like inlace acrylester but I find the rounded shape of the voids interesting as well as what appears to be the concentration around the ends of color layers.

When IA is turned incorrectly (and it is very easy to do) I am used to a more jagged looking void/shard and either evenly distributed or following the tooling.

As mentioned, negative rake angle or trying to turn by riding the bevel of a skew may improve results if it is a material hardness issue.

Has this occurred on more than one blank from the same source?
 
Don't have carbide tools. This is the first blank where this has happened. I believe this was from Woodcraft. Other sources were no problem, either. Could rework it in wood (have lots of it) but don't have the tube needed for length or diameter.
 
Woodchipper said:
Don't have carbide tools. This is the first blank where this has happened. I believe this was from Woodcraft. Other sources were no problem, either. Could rework it in wood (have lots of it) but don't have the tube needed for length or diameter.
Click to expand...
Break out the sharp skew. You can turn it. Do not give up. I have yet to find any material I can not turn with a skew. The chipiest of materials to easy woods.
 
John; Some synthetics are brittle and chippy. Present a scraper BELOW center and it will work. When turned in the "normal" tool position the cutting forces are pulling outward on the blank (unsupported cut). You want the cutting forces to press inward (supported cut). Some woods will also do this on bowls and it is called "tear-out". I use a carbide tool and always below center.

John T is correct. A skew presented in a shearing cut is a good solution.
Negative rake tool works better because it changes the tool presentation to press in on the blank.
 
Noted that a big void is much smaller than the bushing. Not enough material for the finished seam ripper. Might turn it down and try to salvage the tube for another blank.
 
I've had this happen to me, I sharpened my Skew and turned the speed up, as suggested above, with a slow hand and light cuts I managed to save it. I like the colour and pattern, hope it works out for you.
 
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