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Different means to drive the blank?...

M

MrTin

Apprentice Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Posts
19
Location
Wisbech
First Name
Martin
Hi,
new here as per the intro section. I just drilled out a blank in maple and pressed in the pen ferrule. I did these jobs on my metalworking lathe with the 4 jaw chuck set up.
But now (as soon as I have cleared a space for it!) I must do the wood turning bits. I can either plunge the 4 claw driver on the headstock spindle into the wooden blank and run the brass ferrule on the live centre or maybe make something from a stick of PTFE I have. The lathe came from Lidl and has a Faceplate and the 4 claw with centre thing. Alas the spindle is a finer pitch thread than my 4 jaw chuck, so what would you use? I could, of course, get clever with the faceplate and make something up with a brass plate that holds the wood by the corners or some such, but I'd rather not have to start making special fixtures.

Cheers,
Martin
 
alpha1

alpha1

Fellow
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Posts
1,217
Location
middlesbrough
First Name
Dave
When using the four jaw on my metal lathe and before I do anything else.

I. I mark the centre of the blank on one end.
2. I put the blank in the four jaws.
3. I run a live centre in the tailstock up to the centre mark and lock it in place with slight pressure on the blank.
4. I turn the blank so its round using a carbide cutter in the tool post about one and a half inches along its length at the tail stock end.
5. I then remove the blank from the tailstock and turn it round.
6. I chuck the now rounded end up in the four jaw run the live centre up to the blank.
7. Turn the rest of the blank to round.
8. Remove the blank from the lathe cut it to length
9. Put the pieces cut to length in the 4 jaw and drill them.
10. Glue the tubes in.
11. When the glue is set pop the pieces of blank in the four jaw and trim to the correct length careful not to remove brass.
12. Pop them on a mandrel using bushings turn then polish.

Job done.
 
flexi

flexi

Executive Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
6,457
Location
Maidstone
First Name
mark
Hi, if your head stock has a Morse taper then a 60°center in the back of your bushes would work to drive and a 60° live center in your tail stock again in the back of your bushes... :thinks::thinks:
 
M

MrTin

Apprentice Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Posts
19
Location
Wisbech
First Name
Martin
The four jaw is on my metal turning lathe. I only used that to drill the blank. A blind hole as the pen innards go in from one end, but all the wood turning has to be done on my new wood turning lathe to justify its use and become a new hobby.

The headstock spindle is solid and has a screw on 4 claw and centre piece, which I could push into the end grain. Then cut off the "damage" once turned, but I can't put anything IN the spindle. I could make a larger centre which fits over the 4 claws and can then be pressed into centre drill in the end, which would still need turning/cutting off once finished. I think there is probably a limited range of screw on parts for this lathe, so maybe a centre that can be screwed through a plate on to the faceplate?

I could of course, do it all onn the metal lathe, but that isn't the point as far as my dear bride's concerned.

Martin
 
C

Curly

Graduate Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Posts
441
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
First Name
Peter
Use your metal lathe to urn a 60º cone and thread it to match the spindle of the wood lathe. It would be much like the drive centre, 4 claw as you call it, allowing you to turn between centres.

Pete
 
alpha1

alpha1

Fellow
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Posts
1,217
Location
middlesbrough
First Name
Dave
I am the opposite of you I have a wood lathe fitted with a set of pen jaws. The only thing I use the wood lathe for is drilling the holes through the blanks everything else is done on a metalworker's lathe in the four jaw. I have tried using the wood lathe but I have no idea how to use a gouge the last time I tried the gouge went flying across the shed so I gave up. I did intend to take some tuition but then Covid arrived. There is a woodturners Club ten minutes from my home but it's closed for obvious reasons. Maybe in 2021, we will see. I am currently playing with kitless/bespoke pens.
It's proving to be a bit of a challenge. The taps and dies etc have cost a fortune hopefully they will last me a lifetime.:whistling:
 
M

MrTin

Apprentice Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Posts
19
Location
Wisbech
First Name
Martin
Curly said:
Use your metal lathe to urn a 60º cone and thread it to match the spindle of the wood lathe. It would be much like the drive centre, 4 claw as you call it, allowing you to turn between centres.

Pete
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have a clue how to thread something that big! I could never master threadmaking on the school lathes and my little modelmakers' lathe would never cope with threading even I could afford such a tap!

Martin
 
M

MrTin

Apprentice Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Posts
19
Location
Wisbech
First Name
Martin
That is just painful to watch! Has he ever used any kind of machine tool before? He has the rest loose and doing it's own turning at the left. He's using a gooey old piece of bush wood from a garden clearance. Ye Gods!

Martin
 
C

Curly

Graduate Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Posts
441
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
First Name
Peter
Rather than continue to fool around with it consider returning it or trading it in for something a little better with a decent thread (1" x 8 TPI) and hollow headstock shaft with a #2 Morse Taper. It will save you endless hours of frustration that could put you off wood turning altogether.

Pete
 
M

MrTin

Apprentice Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Posts
19
Location
Wisbech
First Name
Martin
Pete,
it was a Christmas gift! I couldn't even consider trading it in.
No, I can make attachments for it if I need them. More work-arounds than attachments. No big problem really. Ingenuity is part of the game. I made a drilling attachment for my metal lathe from a broken minidrill and a fax machine! Still use it.

Martin
 
Pierre

Pierre

Fellow
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Posts
1,022
Location
Southern Central France
First Name
Pierre
It looks like you get a small face plate with it, if you screw a 1-2 inch thick plate of wood about 1 inch wider in diameter (this latter to allow for other bits of work) to it you can then make a 60 degree point in the middle which when combined with the tailstock point should be sufficient to drive a blank with bushings fitted enough to make a pen. If you are only going to make 7mm pens then the point should be in the middle of a straight hole which is a friction fit to the outside diameter of the 7mm bushing I forget what that is. Make sure that you apply the bevel of the tool first and then lift the back hand just enough to start cutting, pm me if you need more info. Those 2 tools supplied are carbon steel and not very good at that so they will need good sharpening first and constant resharpening, I suggest that you invest in a couple of HSS tools if you can.

I forgot a bit, if you do use the straight hole option for a 7mm bushing then make sure that you allow at least 1 mm clearance from the blank to the wooden faceplate since you will need that for the last cuts on the blank to make neat ends for the pen mechanisms.
 
Last edited:
M

MrTin

Apprentice Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Posts
19
Location
Wisbech
First Name
Martin
Many thanks, Pierre. I am currently making an adaptor which fits the 4 claw dog drive that comes with the lathe, but I was also going to make a mandrel which is screwed to the faceplate. I can make that sort of thing on the metal lathe. I'm about to set up the lathe on its bench. Today's job.

Martin
 
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