Turning Help

[jhudson1977]

I am wondering if anyone has any tips to help a beginning wood turner with what is probably a simple fix. I notice that when I am turning a pen, if I try to make a pen straight - from one bushing to another - I invariably end up turning the middle of the pen too narrow. In other words, the pen is thicker on the ends than in the middle.

I know that practice makes perfect but I am going for the most consistent results that can be achieved while still maintaining that hand-made aspect to my pens. Any jigs or methods people use to help with this?

 

[jkeithrussell]

A flat piece of hard wood (maple), maybe 3" wide, with a piece of sandpaper glued to it should work.

 

[Hillbilly]

Im also new at pen turning. My method is when I get down to about 3/16 before the bushing I swap to my skew and start at one end of the blank and make even passes trying not to stop. For me this makes a flat surface and its alot easier to sand.

Try using a sanding block this will make a flat, even surface.

 

[DCBluesman]

When I first started turning, I turned the ends first, then brought the middle down to level with the ends. It's worth a try.

 

[jhudson1977]

I knew there would be a simple solution out there! Making a sanding block from bushing to bushing would be perfect.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Rangertrek]

Practice! Practice! Practice!
Work with the tools and your technique. A good skew and tool work will eliminate a lot of sand paper work.

I had the same problem when I started. Also, as mentioned above, work the ends first, and bring the middle down.

 

[marcruby]

Lou's right, you want to turn the center of the blank last until you get a sense of shape. One other warning. If you turn a pen straight from bushing to bushing it will look thinner in the middle. You want to leave the blank slightly convex if you want it to look straight. Or more convex if curves floats your boat.

Marc