A Little Detective Work Reveals...

[triplefreak]

I've been using the wrong tools for pen turning. I've been trying to practice my pen turning, only to have too many blowouts. I've been using a spindle gouge to try turning them, only to find out it's not the right tool for the job.
I have a heck of a collection of turning tools, but nothing for pens.
I guess I'll have to buy that pen turning set from PSI.

[rhull]

Whaaa? Why not use a spindle gouge for pen turning?

[admin]

My understanding is, most penturners primarily use the skew once the piece is in-round.

[triplefreak]

Well, it's not only that I don't have the correct tools, but I also don't have a small enough tool rest. That's the problem with using my big Grizzly lathe instead of a pen lathe. Now I gotta find a 6" wide, 1" diameter post tool rest to boot. It has to have at least a 3" shaft on it too. Longer shaft is ok, I can cut it down to size.
Anyone got a link for a real cheapy model?

[sawduster]

Woodcraft has a tool rest "system" which includes several lengths of tool rests as well as several sizes of posts. I would actually recommend a 4" rest for pens, and here is a link to theirs. They also have a 6" rest. You'll need to order the post as well. The posts thread into the rests so they are interchangeable.

[Ruffnek]

Feb 2, 2010 10:53:59 GMT -6 triplefreak said:

Well, it's not only that I don't have the correct tools, but I also don't have a small enough tool rest. That's the problem with using my big Grizzly lathe instead of a pen lathe. Now I gotta find a 6" wide, 1" diameter post tool rest to boot. It has to have at least a 3" shaft on it too. Longer shaft is ok, I can cut it down to size.
Anyone got a link for a real cheapy model?

Yeah, a local welding shop. That's where I had mine made...a 12" rest and a 6" rest for $20.

[admin]

Cody gave the tip I was thinking. Any decent welding shop can make a simple T out of round bar stock and it'd do wonderfully for a rest. And, if it needs to have a bend or whatever, it's doable. (I'm not 100% sure of your needs, but I've discovered if my own tool rest could have a dogleg about an inch from one end to clear the tailstock center for shorter pieces, it'd make my work less trouble).

Definately the local welding shop would be my first stop. Most don't even require you to have your own metal (although that would drop the cost some.)

TJ.

[triplefreak]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I might see if I can make one from a 1" diameter piece of wood, with a metal flat bar epoxied to the top for the time being. I just need something smaller than I already have, until I can get back to work & get some coins in my pocket.

Oh yeah, I had to kiss my tax refund goodbye, due to household needs over my own. I hate to admit it, but my wife was right to speak up about me buying a lathe when I ain't working.

That's ok though, because I ain't too fond of sleeping under a bridge.
Those trucks make an awful rumbling noise.

[monty]

Don't waste your money on a small set. I use a 1" skew on all my pens.
If you're experiencing a lot of blow outs on pen blanks, you probably are not getting good glue coverage between the blank and tube.

[rhull]

Feb 2, 2010 10:48:24 GMT -6 admin said:

My understanding is, most penturners primarily use the skew once the piece is in-round.

Bah. I get more tear out with the skew than without. I get fine results with my spindle gouge.

You may say allege that I'm not using the skew properly, but I retort that it doesn't matter how I get my results as long as I'm happy with them.

[monty]

Feb 2, 2010 14:07:04 GMT -6 rhull said:

Feb 2, 2010 10:48:24 GMT -6 admin said:

My understanding is, most penturners primarily use the skew once the piece is in-round.

Bah. I get more tear out with the skew than without. I get fine results with my spindle gouge.

You may say allege that I'm not using the skew properly, but I retort that it doesn't matter how I get my results as long as I'm happy with them.

IMO the right way to use a skew, or any tool for that matter, is what works best for you as long as it its used in a safe manor. It may not be the proper way, but if it works, that's what counts.

[sachbvn]

rhull, I've tried using the skew a few times - started to get some decent results....honestly - I think if I worked on it more, I could easily get more control over it....now it seems like all I can manage is to get is a nice cut going...but no real control over what it's doing.... it's not smooth and even, but...oh well. I don't practice much with it, though I should. I get good results with just a couple of gouges. One is a roughing gouge.... 3/4" I think - the other is...well I think it may have been a bowel gouge, I'm not sure - I ground off the ears somewhat and it seemed to allow me to get into tighter spots.... works for me - I think it's 3/8"


Zac

[Ruffnek]

I use mostly a 3/8" spindle gouge...I don't use the skew at all.

[sawduster]

Before I had much of anything in the way of turning tools except an old set of really ratty ones, I used mostly an old chisel and a ratty bullnose scraper. Then I got a three piece pen turning set from Woodcraft, I think it is Sorby. It has a small skew, a 3/8" gouge and a parting tool. The gouge is claimed to be a spindle gouge, but it is beefier and with a profile more like a bowl gouge. I use the heck out of it, but finish up with the small skew. The skew leaves a much cleaner smoother surface that seldom need any sanding lower than 220 grit.

[TDHofstetter]

I'm one of the guys who uses a skew exclusively after turning 'em to round with a gouge. I find it a lot easier to make straight cylinders or long sweeping curves with a skew than with a gouge. I do use a full-sized skew; I don't like them little bitty skews.

[Doug B]

I tend to use a roughing gouge to round the blanks and get the rough shape I want. Then finish up with the skew. I use the 1" skew a lot. I find that the gouge takes off material a lot quicker than anything else and the skew finishes up nicely.

That said, I used the Sorby Spindlemaster for a long, long time before I got comfortable with my skew. Now, I'd hate to not be able to use the skew. It is definitely the best tool for taking light smooth cuts. The difficult to turn materials almost require that you use a skew.

You guys that have not conquered the skew yet, I wish I could talk you into getting where you can use it - practice, practice, practice. The best practice I ever did was when I saw someone recommend taking a piece of scrap wood and intentionally get catches with it - in other words, the quickest way to find out what causes catches with the skew is to intentionally cause them. Use small diameter scrap wood and slow down the lath and the catches won't be quite so nasty.

[TDHofstetter]

I watched Limey take a pretty good catch with a skew one day, showing off, laying the edge parallel with the ways & taking a whole-width planing cut. He got some distance into it before it got the better of him... takes very very fine control to get that done, and only a very slight loss of that control to fling the skew across the room.

That was showing off, though. Using a skew "right", it's really pretty easy to keep it from catching. I like the idea of low-speed small-workpiece intentional catches - that's an excellent way of learning about the tool. Like open-parking-lot skids on snow to teach how to drive out of a skid.

[sawduster]

Took me quite a while, and a bunch of catches, to get used to using the skew. I finally realized that I needed to concentrate on keeping the cut at the center of the cutting edge. It is particularly important with the skew to ride the bevel and lift the handle just a minuscule amount to take very fine shavings. Lining up the tool rest as parallel as possible with the center line of the work allows you to use the index finger of your weak side hand as a fence to slide along the length of the tool rest to make a near perfect cylinder along the length of the work.

If you keep at it, eventually a little light will come on, and all of a sudden you are doing catch free skew work.