drilling pen blanks

[DWFII]

G'day,

Question...If I have a small lathe with a four jawed self-centering chuck mounted on the headstock and a Jacobs chuck on the tail stock, is there any reason why I can't chuck up a pen blank and drill it right on the lathe? Are there any problems or possible problems with doing it this way? I don't have a drill press. Any advice as to type of drill bit, speed, etc?

thanks

Tight Stitches
DWFII

[Sprog]

No reason not to drill the blanks on the lathe.
Use a brad point bit and a slow speed.
Clear the shavings from the bit constantly.
Watch that bit, it gets hot.

[DWFII]

Sprog,

Thank you...that's what I needed--just the reassurance that this wasn't some impractical idea that was going to get me in a pickle.

[Sir Chiz]

I drill them on the lathe.The bit I have isn't long enough to go all the way through,so I drill a little past half way,pull the bit out and part off the first half,then drill the rest.
If you're gonna use CA to glue the tubes in,make sure to let the wood cool off before gluing,the heat will quick-set the CA with the tube half way in.
Be careful not to over heat oily woods like ebony and Bocote,they heat up quick and can split or blow out.

Chiz.

[DWFII]

Chiz,

That's much appreciated advice...little tips like that can make the difference between a good start and an easy go, and a lot of frustration.

Thank you!

[Spike]

You can use the method you describe to drill your blanks or you can hold the drill bit in the Jacobs chuck attached to the headstock and advance the tailstock to force the blank onto the drill ( cut your blanks a little longer eg 6mm(1/4 inch) as the hole needs to be stopped short of the revolving centre to avoid damaging the brad point on the drill.)

Which ever way you go make sure you start drilling at the “grain match end” to keep your blanks in alignment. Watch for overheating of the drill bit and also the bit will wander off centre and follow the grain in some hardwoods.

I gave the above away and use a drill press and a jig and clamps to hold the blanks as it is more accurate and safer for the hands.


Cheers
Spike

[DWFII]

Spike,

Thank yo for that advice. Er...what is the "grain match end" ?

[Spike]

Each pen blank is about 4-3/8 inches (111mm) and has to be cut into two equal parts. Before I cut the blank I draw a bold line about 1-2 inches in the centre of one side so that I can match the grain on each blank. I always drill the blanks from the matched grain ends.

After cutting, squaring and inserting the brass tube I line up the marks (as above) and mark the brass tubes on the inside so that after turning I can line up the marks and match the grain on the finished pen.

Cheers
Spike

[gatiep]

I use a long series drill for each of the different types of pens. I drill feeding the wood into the dril with the tailstock the drill spinning at 500 rpm. Once I've used up the travel I undo the tailstock clamp to the bed and push the tailstock towards the headstock by hand. Clear out the chips regularly. I have a mark on my bit and by using that I stop short of drilling into the live center. I mark a line down one side of the blank accross the centre where I'll be cutting then cut to size ( about 2 mm longer than the tubes) after drilling. I number each blank half as I drill and cut about 24 at a time. Then I mill the ends square with a penmill. Once I have completed the drilling/cutting glueing, I start turning and assembling. I assemble on the lathe using the tailstock as a press. The reason for doing batches of 24 is that from starting to drill the blanks till all 24 pens are complete takes about 4 hours, which is a morning or an afternoons worth of turning.

I have used this method for quite a few hundred pens and have very few mess ups.

I use the mediun Cyanoacrylate glue which I apply to the brass tube in 2 lines, starting and ending about 1 cm from the ends. Once the tube is slipped into the wood, I wick in a drop of CA glue at each end. Makes for non stick fingers....

This is my way but do it however you feel comfortable with. There is no right way or wrong way, whatever works for you is the right way for you.

Have fun..........................keep turning

[DWFII]

Spike,

Thanks for that clarification. It makes snse now...very good sense.

Gatiep.

Why do you use the tailstock to push the wood? If I'm reading you right, you have the Jacobs chuck and your drill bit mounted in the headstock. Is there an advantage to doing it this way?

I have the self-centtering chuck, as I mentioned, and I bought it after I tried it the way you describe and noticed that it was hard to withdraw the bit if the wood was not locked down in some way. So then I bought the chuck and tried it with the bit in the tailstock and that allowed me to pull out the bit at regular intervals and not disturb the blank. Also the chuck is open through its center so I can drill right through the end of the blank.

I've seen drill bits that were 8-12" long. Is there any advantage to cutting the blanks first? Why not use one of those long bits and drill the whole blank at once? Something to do with sawing the blank in half after it has been drilled?

What is a "pen mill" and are they complicated/expensive? I don't know as I've ever seen one (maybe I just didn't notice) even in the catalogs dedicated to pen making.

[Sir Chiz]

Check out this link for a good tutorial on pen making.
http://www.woodturnerruss.com/Pen10.html

A pen mill is used after the tubes are glued into the wood,it has a shaft that fits inside the tube to clean out any glue,the hilt of the tool has cutters that trim and square the excess wood flush with the end of the tube so the hardware fits properly.
If you have a bit long enough,you can drill all the way through,but you still want to pull it out to clear the shavings not over-heat the wood.
A build up of shavings that can't escape will split the wood.
Some suppliers sell pre-drilled,tube-in blanks.

It's not the best idea to use a Jacobs chuck in the headstock unless its'drilled and tapped to accept a "drawbolt",a threaded rod which goes through the headstock and is locked in with a wing nut on the outboard side of the headstock,it can come loose.
I use a Nova chuck with their "pin" jaws to hold the blank.
I don't mass produce pens but some that do prefer to cut the blanks in half an drill with a jig on a drill press.I think drilling first,one continous hole,will give a better grain match because both halves of the blank will have the same "center".

Chiz.

[DWFII]

Chiz,

Again, thanks for the tips. It all kind of makes sense...but just having confirmation makes me feel more comfortable. I'm curious (and going out of town for the weekend) but how long is a standard pen blank anyway? IOW, how long a drill bit is needed to drill all the way through ?

[Sir Chiz]

Most store bought blanks are 5" long,tubes 2".
Thickness varies from 1/2"-1".

Chiz.

[gatiep]

DFWII

I use the tailstock to feed the wood into the drill. I mark the centres on either end of the blank with a auto centre punch, line the one dimple up with the point of the live centre and the other with the drill turning at lowest speed. This gives me a straight hole

I drill the intact blank before cutting as it gives the best grain line up.

Your other questions were covered by Chiz

As I said before: This may not suit you or anyone else, but thats how I do it succesfully and how it works for me. You will soon find your own technique once you get into it.


Have fun....................keep turning

[JackoH]

Beg borrow or steal a copy of 'Pens From The Wood Lathe' by Dick Sing. Answers all your questions, and gives lots of great techniques for pen making.
;)