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Pen alignment

H

handmadekrafts

Apprentice Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Posts
23
Location
Leicester England
First Name
Jamie
Hello there I am new to the forums and I was looking for a post to do. I was recently speaking to a group of people and I was asked how do I get my blanks straight from bushing to bushing. I answer from experience do you folks have any quick easy ways to achieve this?.
 
paulm

paulm

grave manibus faciendum
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Posts
12,046
Location
Sandford
First Name
Paul
Hi Jamie, welcome to the forum. Are you talking about how to get a pen turned quickly? if so, what I do is cut the blank to the length of the tube plus a smidge and then drill the hole in it for the tube. Using medium ca I then glue the tube in and give it a squirt of activator to set it. The with a mill I trim the ends to the blank, put it on the lathe and hey presto you start turning. I don't wait for anything to set its bang bang bang bang and I don't get any failures.
 
M

mattyts

Registered
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Posts
849
Location
West Yorkshire
If using a mandrel,the mandrel will keep the bushings aligned perfectly.

If you're turning between centers,you can hold the bushings on a metal lathe and drill the outside with a large center drill so it matches up against the 60deg tapers.
 
Bill Mooney

Bill Mooney

Blind old git
Grand Master
Joined
Aug 16, 2014
Posts
11,096
Location
County Durham
First Name
Bill
Your questions seems to be how do we turn the blank parallel & straight from bushing to bushing. If so I put my tool rest parallel to the bushings with equal gap from bushings at each end. Hold the tool to cut the blank & place a finger behind the tool rest as a guide & slide the tool along the rest. The finger behind the rest slides with the tool keeping it the same distance along the length of the blank. I hope this is of help.
 
Penpal

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,342
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
Accidents do happen but overtightening the hands whilke turning can create an urge to push harder than needed resulting in uneven sweeps. Flatness comes with experience. Lighting that provides a background that allows you to see the profile better makes a world of difference. Great care near the two ends is vital.Welcome Jamie to this forum.

Peter over in Australia.:thumbs::thumbs:
 
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