March pen swap pics

[Terry B]

I know I am a little bit early but tomorrow might get a bit busy. (or not?)
I must admit that I have only made the one pen and it was quite a challenge. The topic set by Neil of a "butterfly" was great and something I had not thought to try. The ebony was interesting to see and use. Not sure I'm as keen on the bonewood but still a good challenge.
I made a test piece out of black wattle with jarrah shims. This was an unmitigated disaster but it showed what not to do with the good stuff.
I am quite happy with the final result. It is almost symmetrical and has nice colours.
Now for everyone else's versions.

:brava: :groupwave:

[lubbing5cherubs]

very nice indeed terry
toni

[dai sensei]

Well done Terry. I assume you used the Cedar for the main base. Yeh that bonewood can be a problem, I'd love to get some Holly as I like the contrasting white colour.

Looks like you had fun making it. Now you know how, you can experiment with lower angles to expand the wings with longer shims of other timbers.

[old dog]

l like that Terry great effort mate! your glue lines are also excellent l love your design too very impressive all round.:D:2tsup:

[Gra]

I'd love to get some Holly as I like the contrasting white colour..

would Jakarandah do?, I stole some off my mums tree (It was actually a fallen branch) and it turned a really white color...

Might be worth giving it a try

[Terry B]

Well done Terry. I assume you used the Cedar for the main base. Yeh that bonewood can be a problem, I'd love to get some Holly as I like the contrasting white colour.

Looks like you had fun making it. Now you know how, you can experiment with lower angles to expand the wings with longer shims of other timbers.

No, the base is the swamp mahogany.
I might try again with a different light timber. I have plenty of thin strong pieces that are better known as tongue depressors. I'm not sure what timber they are but they are fine grained and only about 2mm thick. Just need to get myself some more of that ebony. If not then I'll just use jarrah. Anyone got an old piano that they don't want?:U

[Penpal]

Like the way you went to the bother with the background as well as the execution of your pen,it was worth the effort.With regard to pianos around here tip fees are high so old pianos find their way onto the scene free,another souce of thin black can be guitar pics.Peter

[dai sensei]

I made mine today, but then stuffed up the drilling :C . I marked the centers at each end and spindle turned the blank round before putting it in the pin jaws to drill it - that is the best way to get the hole central normally. Unfortunately the drill bit wandered way off center :o :? (mental note - must check headstock alignment:doh: before drilling each time). I turned it anyway, but it looked like :yuk: and immediately turned off the timber back to the tubes. One third bottle of CA down the drain :~ .

Lucky I have a few spares :roll: , try again next weekend.

[lubbing5cherubs]

Neil my day been exactly like yours. i ruined everything that i touched; i eventually give up it before i killed myself
toni

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Welcome to my life! :p

[lubbing5cherubs]

well skew if you like you can keep it all.
toni

[Simomatra]

Great stuff Terry

Really nice looking pen with agreat picture I hope I can get anywhere near close to that when I try mine.

I have made two pens for March so far am behind in the butterfly as not enough time at home to complete a new adventure like that. I also suffer froma lack of a band saw

[Touchwood]

My butterfly is still coming in - has been through some very difficult conditions and is teetering between life and death ... currently on life support, we'll have to see what happens in the next few days .... definitely not as easy as the lovely diagram had it appear!!!

I didn't seem to quite get it right and ran out of bone wood ... probably the least of my poor insects problem though! :-

However, the process resulted in new blade on the band saw, lots of tidying up while glue dries et al ... always fun (even when frustratingly challenging) to try different things. :U

JD

PS like your pen Terry - I can only hope that mine has a small resemblence of what we were striving for

[BernieP]

G'Day Terry

Certainly a nice pen, like the others am still about to start mine:C but willing to try anything once but feel it may take siome time.

Cheers
Bernie

[Terry B]

Great stuff Terry

Really nice looking pen with agreat picture I hope I can get anywhere near close to that when I try mine.

I have made two pens for March so far am behind in the butterfly as not enough time at home to complete a new adventure like that. I also suffer froma lack of a band saw
Sam
I don't have a bandsaw either. I cut mine using a cheap ?chinese hand mitre saw. When I tried the first time, I had cut the pen blank short before I tried to cut the 4 pieces off the side of the blank. It made it virtually impossible to cut the last 2 pieces as I had no flat surface left to rest the blank on. The next time I left the blank long and this made it much easier.

[dai sensei]

definitely not as easy as the lovely diagram had it appear!!!

:U :roll:


I didn't seem to quite get is right and ran out of bone wood ...

Yeh, perhaps I shouldn't have been so stingy :roll: . Mind you, I had cut up enough for 20 takers, so I could have added a few more pieces in everyone's packages.

[Simomatra]

Thanks Terry you have instilled confidence in me I look forward to getting home nad having a go although I will run a yest on some scrap first

If I get half as good as yours I will be pleased

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I'm well'n'truly late but I know I'm far from last this time! :p

Only done the Ebony & Bonewood one so far; hopefully the second, which I'm laminating from the Redgum and... errm... (Brain fart! :() will be finished tomorrow but there's still some gluing to do.

I mucked up this one from the word go: I'd intended to put two intersecting butterflies, sorta like the celtic knot. Which is why this one is "upside down" and moved in from the end. However, I muffed the measurements and didn't realise I wouldn't have enough for the butterfly until after I made the first cut. :rolleyes: Bloody typical, eh wot?

While I'm being fussy, I'll save you the efforts of picking my other booboos.
Had minor problems with the ebony "staining" the Bonewood, only in one spot thankfully. You can see it in Pic #2. The lower barrel doesn't merge cleanly into the nib... not sure how I managed that. :~ I'd have sworn 'twas OK on the Deco kit... maybe a minor difference in the kits? Or maybe I just plain screwed up?! :doh:
All in all, I'm still fairly happy with it... DJ's black pen kit sets it off nicely. At first I put a double-twist Deco-key kit (a gift from Froggie, ta mate!) but it looked too busy with the base grain, so out came the disassembly kit.

[DJ’s Timber]

I'm well'n'truly late but I know I'm far from last this time! :p



You definitely won't be last mate :p, I've still yet to get a start on November or December :o, can't remember where I am at the moment. Haven't turned a pen since before Xmas :C.

Will have to recify this matter fairly soon, or I might start doing strange things :roll:.

Ps Nice job everyone :2tsup:

[Gra]

I'm laminating from the Redgum and... errm... (Brain fart! :()

got any of that brain fart timber left over, no-one seems to be stocking it anymore:q:q


Will have to recify this matter fairly soon, or I might start doing strange things
Start???:D:D

Great work guys, I am in awe, just wish I had half your talent

[dai sensei]

Well done Skew :2tsup: . Looks like you got the thickness, glue lines and symetry perfect.

I just finished turning mine, just have to add the finish. Since I had a few spare, I've gone for the complete butterfly joint on both ends, and managed full butterfly wings with the center band as the body (if you use your imagination). As usual, had a bit of trouble with symetry, so I will try to hide that in the photo :roll: and post in a few days.

How's everyone else going?

[Touchwood]

Well, here it is :- This pen had a pretty tough begining (it did not seem to go according to the diagram, and had many more insertions to make it whole), but it transformed from a pupa into a mangy looking butterfly (some micro surgery required on one wing discretely hidden by the clip - well nearly) and then got got by a chook!!

:o

43565

43566

I had many problems, not the least being the yellow glue stained the bone wood and my glue ups are shocking ... but it was fun watching it come out of its chrysalis and nearly do the right thing despite everything.

Not all bad, did get a compressor out of this challenge! :D

JD

Oh, yes, ran out of bone wood and used some purple heart (bet you couldn't work that out for yourself!!!)

[dai sensei]

Well done JD. I actually like the purpleheart.

Love the chook :U

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I had many problems, not the least being the yellow glue stained the bone wood and my glue ups are shocking ... but it was fun watching it come out of its chrysalis and nearly do the right thing despite everything.

Ahhh, the joys of segmented work! :D

But it is fun trying to guess what'll emerge from a glue-up... not only does it look different when it's turned round but it can change drastically as you turn timber away. I've yet to make one exactly as planned, but the bonus of that is some have turned out better! :wink:

I also like the Purpleheart, it adds a bit of "Oomph!".

[Terry B]

Well done all. I thought I was going to be the only one silly enough to put up pics of my pen. Now where are the others?:D

[Touchwood]

Well done all. I thought I was going to be the only one silly enough to put up pics of my pen. Now where are the others?:D

ummmm.... no, just had to wait a bit while they got finished ... someone stole some of my month I'm sure of it!!:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

JD

[ScrollZilla]

Wow,
Those pens are most impressive. I have got to learn how to do those pens. Hmmmm....next weekend is supposed to be some pretty miserable weather....good time to spend the day in the shop.

[dai sensei]

Ok here are mine. The first one with a single butterfly is using only the allotted Swamp Mahogany and Ebony/Bonewood shims. Instead of making Red Cedar and Black She-oak pens, I made a second pen using the leftovers to make a full butterfly. The second photo, using a bit of imagination on the background, shows how I think the joint gets its name (perhaps it should be dragonfly).

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Call me perverse, but I like your first pen best. The full butterfly is nice to look at but the first is more subtle and moves it from a plain, straight-sided slimline to something with a bit of class. :thyel:

I think the butterfly would've looked better at the finial end though... to "balance out" the expanse of nib. But that's just me imposing my "what ifs" on it. :wink:

[Touchwood]

Ok here are mine. The first one with a single butterfly is using only the allotted Swamp Mahogany and Ebony/Bonewood shims. Instead of making Red Cedar and Black She-oak pens, I made a second pen using the leftovers to make a full butterfly. The second photo, using a bit of imagination on the background, shows how I think the joint gets its name (perhaps it should be dragonfly).



hail mighty king of the butterfly pen ...... :) :wink: :) (are we allowed to take our photos off the forum to save future embarasement??:- :- )

I actually like the second one a lot - might be a girl thing! (although my daughter (24) was looking at all my pens turned recently and like the plain purple heart one best!) So 'girl thing' might not be the answer, maybe just great workmanship!

Well done
JD

[joe greiner]

Tongue depressors are usually white birch, I think. Nifty effect. Is the cutting like a celtic knot but only halfway across? Or split blanks? Or both? OK, I found the instructions, but Skew's (8th April) looked like a split blank. Or is that an optical delusion?

Joe

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

The man wins a Kewpie Doll! :D I was wondering if any-one would notice. :p

As I said, 'twas going to be interlocked butterflies, the first step was a simple diagonal cut. However, as soon as I made it I realised that I didn't have enough slivers for the next step, so to convert what I had to a butterfly I simply split the blank down the middle and flipped one half.

My 2nd pen (which I've still yet to be turn :rolleyes:) is more along the lines of the ones already shown, but is probably using another method again. I'm not sure, I didn't get an instruction slip with my bundle but laminating's nothing new in my shed, so... :shrug:

[joe greiner]

Yee-haa! I guess there's no limit to the ways tiny bits can be glued up.

Joe

[Touchwood]

Is the cutting like a celtic knot but only halfway across? Or split blanks? Or both? OK, I found the instructions, but Skew's (8th April) looked like a split blank. Or is that an optical delusion?

Joe


aaarrrrgghhhhh.... damm dial up ... just spent about 5 mins looking for the instructions for you .... found them .....don't know how to do the tricky little link bit (yet!!) so copied them .... came back .... just erasing the bit of you post I didn't need and read the words carefully .... and you don't need them :doh: :doh: .......aaarrrgghhhh .. so I'm adding them anyway and going to bed .. tomorrow will be better!:- :-

43731

JD

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Thanks for taking the effort JD, that's a different way again to what I've done. Another to add to the manual. :)

[joe greiner]

I second the thanks, JD. Hope you slept well.

So, you re-invented the wheel, Skew? Done it a few times myself.

Joe

[dai sensei]

Call me perverse, but I like your first pen best. The full butterfly is nice to look at but the first is more subtle and moves it from a plain, straight-sided slimline to something with a bit of class. :thyel:

I think the butterfly would've looked better at the finial end though... to "balance out" the expanse of nib. But that's just me imposing my "what ifs" on it. :wink:

I love a challenge. The full butterfly was just to prove I could do it, hard enough doing one full butterfly, but two end to end matching is a challenge to say the least and it took a few tries and a lot of CA :- . But I do tend to agree with you and think it is a bit "busy".

The other was supposed to have the butterfly at the top but I stuffed up :~ . I cut the blank too short after the glue up :(( , (yeh I know, measure twice cut once) and the only way I could show the butterfly was as the dia reduces near the tip (it is a larger center band Streamline style).

Thanks to all the other comments :2tsup:


... simply split the blank down the middle and flipped one half.

This works for the half butterfly, but not the full, or at least when I tried it. Good luck Skew if you find a way.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

This works for the half butterfly, but not the full, or at least when I tried it. Good luck Skew if you find a way.

Ah... but I was trying to be tricksy. :D

You're right, for a full butterfly this'd normally get 3 sides right but the 4th "upside down." However, to get around that I was going to do another full butterfly on t'other end, with the two interlocking ala the Celtic Knot. That way, the "errant wing" would become part of the 2nd butterfly and the 2nd butterflies "errant wing" would fill the missing spot in the first. IF all done in correct order.

Does that makes any sense to you? But it works... I actually sat down for a couple of hours with Lightwave (SketchUp's big brother once-removed :rolleyes:) and planned all the cuts virtually before attacking the wood. As I said, I still screwed up though... instead of impressing, I ended up with memories to repress. :-:D

[Touchwood]

I actually sat down for a couple of hours with Lightwave (SketchUp's big brother once-removed :rolleyes:) and planned all the cuts virtually before attacking the wood. As I said, I still screwed up though... instead of impressing, I ended up with memories to repress. :-:D

whoa ... sounds like someone with WAY too much time on their hands ... what's wrong with the good ol' 'trial and error' technique ...(just jealous I haven't the skill to do it any other way!!):B :B

JD
PS I'll blame my short fuse last on on the migraine I developed today.:~

[BernieP]

G'Day All

Perhaps I should caption this the moth that thought it was a butterfly! Don't know how I arrived at this but certainly mutated along the way, haven't turned the other ones yet but will do so soon. No comments needed as I know its awful.

Cheers
Bernie

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

whoa ... sounds like someone with WAY too much time on their hands ... what's wrong with the good ol' 'trial and error' technique ...(just jealous I haven't the skill to do it any other way!!):B :B

Neighbours complain when I fire up the tablesaw in the wee hours of the morning, so I have to settle for "virtual" woodworking to keep the peace. :(


Perhaps I should caption this the moth that thought it was a butterfly! Don't know how I arrived at this but certainly mutated along the way, haven't turned the other ones yet but will do so soon. No comments needed as I know its awful.

Awful? I wouldn't say that. Completely different to what you expected, yes! But awful? Nar, mate. I rather like it... I'd call it a "flaming arrow" style and add it to my repertoire... if I could work out how you did it and could do it again deliberately! :D

[tashammer]

ermm, well i like it. When i first saw the picture i thought it looked like a giant nibbed pen and then, when i enlarged it, it looked really striking so when you said it was awful i wondered what you meant.

[Simomatra]

Nought wrng with that one Bernie be happy if mne is as good as that one:2tsup:

[ScrollZilla]

G'day Bernie,
While I would agree that it is unusual, it is definitely not awful, bad, ugly, or anything else that could be thought of as bad. I actually really like it. I also think the way you did the area where the center band would be is very cool.

Cheers,

Rick

[dai sensei]

Nothing wrong with that Bernie, you should see some of mine when the drill wanders :- :D I once made a continuous blank (ie the pattern continues the entire length) with around 25 layers, and after 8 hours of glue up and almost a entire bottle of CA, stuffed the drilling completely :o :doh: :~ :C . As my father used to say, patients my son, you're always in a hurry :-

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Nothing wrong with that Bernie, you should see some of mine when the drill wanders :- :D I once made a continuous blank (ie the pattern continues the entire length) with around 25 layers, and after 8 hours of glue up and almost a entire bottle of CA, stuffed the drilling completely :o :doh: :~

'Tis nice to know I'm not the only one! :roll: I once spent upwards of 40 hours making a cobweb pen-blank. It is now gathering cobwebs behind the drill-press. ('Cos that's where it landed after my fit of pique. :-)

[BernieP]

G'Day All

Finally finished my March pens not much better than others I'm afraid, funny shape due to the unexpected patterns in the she-oak and swamp mahogany (used red cedar on segmented one). Thanks for comments on bent butterfly by the way!

Cheers
Bernie

[Touchwood]

Bernie, your pens ALL look fine - I too like the butterfly that thought it was an ink nib pen ... camouflage or defensive mimic perhaps ... stranger things have been know to happen in the animal (insect) world.:)

Are you also the sketcher (as seen in your backdrop)?

JD

[BernieP]

G'Day JD

Thanks for comments, not the sketcher, used to do comparable work unfortunately took a bit of my brain away 18 months ago and affected a few things ( not complaining, still get up in the morning:2tsup:) so now can only admire others work.

Cheers
Bernie

[Terry B]

I have finally made the second pen for the month. It is the one standing up in the pic and is made of cedar. I have used a fountain pen kit from Froggy. It seems very nice. The other pen is my second attempt at a butterfly. It is made from Myall- an incredibly dense and hard timber to turn. The inserts are "tongue depressor" and Qld walnut. The drilling wasn't as good this time and it is less symmetrical but I still like it.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I also. The laminates are Redgum, Pittosperum & Purpleheart.

However, feeling pushed for time earlier in the week during the glue-up, I thought I'd try a shortcut. I should've known better... Whoops! Strike TWO! :-

[BernieP]

G'Day Terry & Skew

I think one of the great things about this forum is you see so many different results

Terry nice pen and the butterfly, well howdidudothat?

Skew, that may be a Whoops to you but is beautiful to me, has form colour design and craftsmanship.

Cheers
Bernie

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Skew, that may be a Whoops to you but is beautiful to me, has form colour design and craftsmanship.

Thank you, Bernie.

In all honesty, I knew I'd boobooed the day after I'd glued up, when I went to drill it out. (A good sleep makes a world of difference. :rolleyes:) I only finished turning it instead of gluing up another because I suspected it'd come out something like your "awful" pen and I wouldn't mind that at all. :wink: And guess what? It did. Not identical, but now I know how you made yours and I reckon I can make myself a "mock nib" pen now. :)

All in all I'm quite happy with the end result, it's just not what was planned. C'est la vie. Give three men the materials and a set of plans to make a cat and you'll get a dog, a goat and a donkey. :p

[Terry B]

Thanks Bernie

Good effort Skew. Not a butterfly but an interesting effect. Not sure what to call it though.

[ScrollZilla]

Bernie, Terry, and Skew,
Wow, thanks for the pics! I love to see all the different pens. Sometimes it overwhelms me know how much there still is for me to learn, but very motivating. I personally like them all. I like to look at design and turning accidents as unplanned modifications that ended up just the way I wanted.


Rick