Turning to the bushings

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SteveJD

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Jan 30, 2021
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20
Location
Burlington NC
I am new to penturning. I have turned about 9 pens with pretty good results. Mostly slimline wood and a couple of acrylics.
Just purchased a drill press vice for better blank drilling and a pen press for assemly (instead of a clamp).
My big issue is turning at the bushings which leaves the blank larger than the pen nib, center and end cap. I am using carbide tools and am timid about getting too close and hitting the bushings. Should I leave the ends proud of the bushings and then sand down to the them?
I am having a great time and can see how pen turning can be addictive.
Thanks for any advise on this.
 
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magpens

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Feb 2, 2011
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@SteveJD

I understand your concerns .... I like to leave my blanks just a little larger than the hardware parts that they butt up to.
In other words, just a little larger than the bushings.

By "a little larger" I mean about 0.005" or 0.006" larger in diameter .... that is after sanding.
So to do that requires fairly careful measuring with calipers as the turning .... and sanding .... is done.

Now .... having said that .... I must also say that I do not use bushings at all .... and no mandrel .
I do my pens by the "Turning Between Centers" method .... referred to as TBC, which you can read about here on IAP .... ther've been lots of threads.

All you need is a "dead center" in the headstock and a "live center" in the tailstock, and hold your blank between those while you turn, making frequent measurements as you get close to final size. . Lots of us do our pen turning by this method .... and now about drilling .... lots do the following ....

I should also mention that I do my pen blank drilling on the lathe .... I don't own a drill press. . Something for you to think about also.
 

TonyL

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Mar 9, 2014
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As you turn more pens, you will find what you and your clients prefer. I, personally turn, sand, and finish very, very, very slightly proud of the bushings. I also "add" a very slight radius to the ends to create the illusion of the barrel ends meeting the components perfectly. This is merely what I prefer. It is aesthetically what i like and provides me with some margin to avoid overturning. This is just my way.

Enjoy!
 

SteveJD

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Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Burlington NC
@SteveJD

I understand your concerns .... I like to leave my blanks just a little larger than the hardware parts that they butt up to.
In other words, just a little larger than the bushings.

By "a little larger" I mean about 0.005" or 0.006" larger in diameter .... that is after sanding.
So to do that requires fairly careful measuring with calipers as the turning .... and sanding .... is done.

Now .... having said that .... I must also say that I do not use bushings at all .... and no mandrel .
I do my pens by the "Turning Between Centers" method .... referred to as TBC, which you can read about here on IAP .... ther've been lots of threads.

All you need is a "dead center" in the headstock and a "live center" in the tailstock, and hold your blank between those while you turn, making frequent measurements as you get close to final size. . Lots of us do our pen turning by this method .... and now about drilling .... lots do the following ....

I should also mention that I do my pen blank drilling on the lathe .... I don't own a drill press. . Something for you to think about also.
Thank you very much. I do have calipers and will start taking measurements.
 

jttheclockman

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Feb 22, 2005
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NJ, USA.
This has been discussed many times and there are many on both sides of the isles with the use of bushings or not. What I do is use bushings as a guide but not a final dimension. Pen kit parts vary in size from one pen to the next as well as the bushings made in one place over another. Calipers is where you need to be if you want a nice fitting product. I measure each kit that I will be using. I measure the bushings and keep these values on a sheet of paper and then turn the blank close to finish size using bushings and then swith to between centers to either turn the final bit or sand it. Remember you will need to overturn the blank some if you are putting a top coat with thickness so that it makes up difference to match kit components. I actually turn bushing down so they are not in my way when using carbide tools. As I said I use them to hold the blank to start with but never finish with them. Good luck. You will find your own method that works for you.
 

penicillin

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Feb 27, 2019
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When I am ready to sand and finish, I like to switch out the metal bushings for cone-shaped plastic non-stick bushings. I use calipers for the final measurements during sanding, comparing them with the bushings, but more important, with the actual pen parts in the kit. If you think about it, the pen parts are what matter.

Be careful to keep the sandpaper on the surface of the wood only, to avoid rounding over the edges that you worked so hard to get just right.

This method lets you sand the last few thousandths to final size and prevents the sandpaper from grabbing grains of the metal bushings and embedding them in the wood, darkening it in an undesirable way. Also remember to stop the lathe and sand the wood by hand along the grain for each grit.

Finish can stick to metal bushings and even break off. The finish is less like to adhere to the plastic bushings which are already in place from the previous step, so the plastic bushings are easier to separate from the wood when the finish is dry.
 

Darrin

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You will find a method that works for you. I personally turn and use calipers and go close to the final diameter because I add coats of CA to build back up. You'll want your finished product to be as close to its components as possible.
 

SteveJD

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Messages
20
Location
Burlington NC
As you turn more pens, you will find what you and your clients prefer. I, personally turn, sand, and finish very, very, very slightly proud of the bushings. I also "add" a very slight radius to the ends to create the illusion of the barrel ends meeting the components perfectly. This is merely what I prefer. It is aesthetically what i like and provides me with some margin to avoid overturning. This is just my way.

Enjoy!
Thanks for the advice. Do sand the radius or turn it?
 

TonyL

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Mar 9, 2014
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Location
Georgia
Thanks for the advice. Do sand the radius or turn it?
Turn it, then sand it. Really, any way that I can get a slight radius. I am probably a 1/3 of a pinky nail proud of the hardware dimensions when all is completely finished.
I also don't over-turn the barrels even if adding CA -(about 5 to 10 coats depending on the brand of CA) - simply the way I like to finish a pen (not better or worse than any other way).
 

leehljp

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Feb 6, 2005
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Tunica, Mississippi,
Unless you begin to use calipers to determine the size, your bushings will change in size over time as the sandpaper or chisel touches it as it turns. It will gradually diminish in size to the point that you can't use it as a guide. Early pen turners often considered bushings as "consumables" because they wore down with use . . . until they learned to measure with calipers.

And measuring with Calipers will make the fit far more professional looking!
 

Bope

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Oct 24, 2018
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183
Location
Western NY
I do the same as Penicillin. I actually don't buy bushings anymore and just chose a bushing I already have with the correct tube size. I just use the bushing as a guide to get close then use some tapered non-stick bushings and calipers to get to my final size.

I tend to turn slightly small since the CA will add some size back. Then sand the CA to final dimension.
 

Chasboy1

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Jan 11, 2019
Messages
180
Location
Morristown, NJ
I like the bushings, but after getting caught a few times with out the exact size, and following the above advice for TBC and using calipers, I only use ones that are close to the size I need rather than buy a new set for every new project.
 
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