emtmike
Member
Not sure if this is the right place to put this but here it is. I am looking for a end squaring tool and have come across the Ultra-Shear. I am looking for input, good or bad, before I make the plunge.
Ultra-Shear
- Thread starter emtmike
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I have one, haven't used it much since I started using a disc sander for squaring blanks. If does work well for dense hard wood, not so well for softer varieties. Not good at all for segmented blanks. When you use one starting the cut very very slowly is key. It's expensive, but being able to just replace the carbide cutters makes it attractive. I have ruined blanks with it. In my opinion, sanding is the way to go.
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Jsavage4
Member
emtmike
Member
OK whats a good option for a disk sander?
Well I built my own jig to hold the blank square. I used a pen mandrel and I have a set of sleeves that I bought from a Pen State. Here's a few pictures if it. It's important that it is perfectly square in all directions.
Attachments
You can also easily make your own setup to sand on your lathe, using a set of transfer punches and sandpaper attached to a piece of wood which in turn is attached to a faceplate. I did that method for awhile, if worked well, I just didn't like setting it up every time.
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jttheclockman
Member
I too have long given up on the end mills. I now sand all my ends. I sand on my disc sander to get me close to finish. Then I finish up on the lathe and unlike Ken I find it so easy to spin a faceplate on and off the lathe and stick sandpaper on it. I use sticky back sandpaper. I move the small pieces of sandpaper around the disc when worn so I get full use of paper. a set of transfer punches and pick the best one that fits snug in the tube and chuck it up in a drill chuck. Takes 2 minutes and good to go. True ends every time. I use 120 grit paper. If the blank is metal I will use metal sanding paper. I do like using a stand alone disc because no matter how careful you build a jig to hold tube straight and true I bet it is not. Just my opinion. I have a few carbide cutters that I got years ago when there was a person here that converted the steel cutters to carbide and they work well but can be aggressive I found . Again just my opinion.
mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
I'll also vote for a sanding jig on you lathe, or disk sander. I have both and use both. If they are set up appropriately, go slow and all will be well. I use hook & loop and like the results.
Well I didn't say it was hard to setup. I think my pictures prove that my jig is square, my finished pens have no gaps. Sandpaper on a faceplate works well, I stated that as well. No method is foolproof. If you do the faceplate method with a slightly bent punch, you won't get a good result. I was simply explaining how I do it.
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jttheclockman
Member
Ken how do you go from different size tubes?? Never mind I see you say you use a mandrel and have sleeves. No method is foolproof is correct but how do you bend a transfer punch?? Everyone has their method as you say. You may be able to build a jig that is perfect but can others do it. That was my point. When people show their jigs here how many can copy and build with same accuracy. I have no doubt your jig may be dead on. If building a jig to do the sanding it needs to be accurate. If a faceplate and drilling chuck on a lathe is not accurate than I have way bigger problems.
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egnald
Member
I can't say what is best, but this is what I use and how I got there.
I started out with a standard set of pen mills, similar to the Ultra Shear, then upgraded to one with carbide cutters very similar to the Ultra Shear, with a full set of reamers, one for each size of tube. They taught me a lot - mostly that using a reamer and pen mill was not the best option (for me anyway). No matter how careful I was I occasionally tore up the end grain of a blank with the mill. I suppose it could have been the operator, but I just think that certain woods are just more susceptible to problems when cutting across their end grain.
I already had a Craftsman 6-inch disk / 4-inch belt sander, so I bought a Universal Pen Blank Squaring jig and a full 9-piece set of barrel trimming sleeves from PSI. It worked quite well; however, the miter gauge did not fit as tightly in the miter slot on my sander as I wanted. I'm sure someone has already commented about how important accuracy is when squaring the blank to the tube.
So, my solution was to use the PSI concept (and the ideas from seeing the jig that KenB259 made) and build a jig of my own that would fit tighter and remain square to the sanding disk using the existing miter slot on my sander. The jig is mainly built from a few layers of 1/2-inch Baltic Birch plywood for stability. The shaft is a piece of an old mandrel, however, a good substitute would be a piece of D sized Drill Rod from Grangers (0.246 inches in diameter). I still use the sleeves from PSI with my jig, you can see them stored in holes I drilled in the jig in the photo below.
I keep a small machinists square next to my sander so that I can check the square from the mandrel to the sanding disk frequently. So far I have only had to make adjustments when things get knocked out of square after changing the sanding disk.
Regards,
Dave (egnald)
PS I still use the appropriate reamer from my pen mill set on occasion if I have some kind of big buildup of epoxy inside the tube that needs to be cleaned out, but it is very rare since I started plugging the ends of my tubes by pressing them into a thin sheet of bees wax sheet before gluing. I think my beekeeping neighbor calls the wax Brood Sheets.
I started out with a standard set of pen mills, similar to the Ultra Shear, then upgraded to one with carbide cutters very similar to the Ultra Shear, with a full set of reamers, one for each size of tube. They taught me a lot - mostly that using a reamer and pen mill was not the best option (for me anyway). No matter how careful I was I occasionally tore up the end grain of a blank with the mill. I suppose it could have been the operator, but I just think that certain woods are just more susceptible to problems when cutting across their end grain.
I already had a Craftsman 6-inch disk / 4-inch belt sander, so I bought a Universal Pen Blank Squaring jig and a full 9-piece set of barrel trimming sleeves from PSI. It worked quite well; however, the miter gauge did not fit as tightly in the miter slot on my sander as I wanted. I'm sure someone has already commented about how important accuracy is when squaring the blank to the tube.
So, my solution was to use the PSI concept (and the ideas from seeing the jig that KenB259 made) and build a jig of my own that would fit tighter and remain square to the sanding disk using the existing miter slot on my sander. The jig is mainly built from a few layers of 1/2-inch Baltic Birch plywood for stability. The shaft is a piece of an old mandrel, however, a good substitute would be a piece of D sized Drill Rod from Grangers (0.246 inches in diameter). I still use the sleeves from PSI with my jig, you can see them stored in holes I drilled in the jig in the photo below.
I keep a small machinists square next to my sander so that I can check the square from the mandrel to the sanding disk frequently. So far I have only had to make adjustments when things get knocked out of square after changing the sanding disk.
Regards,
Dave (egnald)
PS I still use the appropriate reamer from my pen mill set on occasion if I have some kind of big buildup of epoxy inside the tube that needs to be cleaned out, but it is very rare since I started plugging the ends of my tubes by pressing them into a thin sheet of bees wax sheet before gluing. I think my beekeeping neighbor calls the wax Brood Sheets.
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Swagopenturner
Member
Here is a link to the review I posted for the Ultra Shear, I hope it helps!
Full Review - Woodpecker's Ultra Shear Pen Mill-Ci
I ordered one of Woodpecker's new Pen Mill last December and received it around the 5th of January. I bought the 13 piece set with all the pilot shafts available. Yeah, it was expensive compared to other pen mills available. Since then I have been putting it through its paces making 75 or...
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jttheclockman
Member
Dave maybe my picture but does not look like much clearance under that rod for any thick blanks. Am I seeing things wrong??
egnald
Member
The camera angle is a little deceptive; however there isn't a tremendous amount of clearance. The largest blank I can use on it is 1.1 inches if left square; however, I cut the corners off of my blanks with a jig at the bandsaw (turning them into octagons instead of squares) before I square them up on the jig, so if I trim the corners off (or start with a round blank), I can get to 1-1/2 inches in diameter. - Dave
moke
Member
I have an Ultra-sheer I would sell you. It is horrible for acrylic blanks....it may work well for wood, but I only do acrylic. It catches is the problem. I tried light pressure and it would not cut, so I applied a little more still nothing, then it will catch just out of the blue. I tried it multiple times, holding the blank in a jig, and with pliers. That is the first time I ever broke blanks while milling the tubes.
howsitwork
Member
that surprises me as i was considering getting one once airways gpo are available again. I found end mills cut acrylic well and thought the ultra shear would too.
moke
Member
The cutters catch... maybe if I increased the speed of my DP, but I think that would just make the catch more violent!
I don't know what rpm you were using but 1000 rpm seems to be it's sweet spot.
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howsitwork
Member
well if you want rid of it I'm interested but not sure how to get it here. Try Kens advice and go very gentle