# Pen turning speed?



## Chuck C

I have a JET mini lathe(actually 2 but that is another story).  Niether are VS. I was wondering what the experts recommend as a  turning speed for pen blanks and polishing. Can a 2nd one be put to good use or should I just consider selling it.  This isn't an offer, just a question.  I'm dealing with 500/840/1240/1800/2630/3975


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## TheHeretic

I do most of my pens at 2630.  I also sand at this speed.   As for the second lathe you could set up a buffing system on it and leave it set.  Or go into a small type of production system.

Dean
columbus OH


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## woodpens

You'll get different answers from different people, but for me? WIDE OPEN. []


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## DCBluesman

I max out my Jet Mini VS.  If that's too fast, I take shallower cuts.


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## btboone

Jim, I thought so too, but I don't turn the usual way.  The surface speed of the wood would be such that it could go even faster.  I turn them at 7000 rpms. In theory, faster rpms should give a better finish for a given feed rate. The only drawbacks might be safety of something spinning so fast, and on bigger pieces turning the outer squared pieces might be pushing the limits of a limited horsepower lathe.  Sanding should only work better at faster rpms too.


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## daledut

I run mine at about half speed for turning and sanding, wide open for polishing, at minimum for applying CA for finish. I can't imagine how much CA I would wear if I applied it wide open[]


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## Vern

> I turn them at 7000 rpms.



Bruce.... what the heck do you have for a lathe and how do you keep the headstock cooled? []

Vern


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## jckossoy

I tend to run mine at full speed except for certain woods that blow out on me at top speed, then I go at about half speed.

Jeff


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## Scott

_I feel the need . . . for speed!_

Like most, I like to turn pens at high speed.  I turn it low for a CA finish, but it's fast for everything else!

Scott.


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## DCBluesman

Mach 2 with your hair on fire, Scott?


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## btboone

Vern, I cheat a bit.  I have a Mazak CNC lathe.  I made a special mandrel setup where I turn only half a pen at a time.  The trick to keeping the headstock cool is that the spindle IS the motor.  No belts or gears.


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## Fred in NC

Bruce, a little more speed, and you won't need turning tools!
The wood will liquify and turn itself round......


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## btboone

Fred, it's funny, I do a very slow finish pass when I do the pens, and it looks like a very fine powder filling up the inside of the machine.  I use coolant for acrylic, but not for wood.  The fine powder sticks to all the surfaces where coolant had been on, and it has the consistancy of fine mud.  I'll try to do a wood inlay for a ring at the start of a day's work if I can so that the lathe will be drier inside and the wood won't make as much of a mess.  I can vacuum it pretty effectively when it's dry.  I made a vacuum attachment that has to snake through the coolant drawer because the main door needs to stay closed while it runs.  The 3 jaws of the chuck create so much wind that the vacuum doesn't work very well, even if the nozzle is right up against the pen or ring!  Turning plastic gets violent if I run it too fast.  A ball of chips can form, and it slings the coolant (50psi!) so hard that it sounds like the lathe is coming apart.  I limit those to around 4000 rpms.  The UHMW really made huge balls of chips.  I actually tripped the lathe a few times when prototyping the buffing mandrels.  I removed all my drill bits that were near the cutting tools on the turret because I knew they would get caught in the chips and snap off.


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## tomwojeck

I run my Jet mini at top speed.  If I use CA I slow at down, but otherwise it's at full out.


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## jwoodwright

Same as the rest, fast to turn, slow for finish...[8D]


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## paleydp

Sanding at too high a speed can create problems. You can skip over low spots, creating an out-of-round situation, you can have a situation where you are burnishing, rather than sanding, you can even generate enough heat to distort your piece.  If the sandpaper is getting hot, so is your wood. Slower sanding speed is generally better.


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## Fred in NC

Bruce, I understand... can't you use another lathe for the pens and UHMW ?


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## Fred in NC

Denise, and the wood can crack from the heat !


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## Gregory Huey

I run full out for pens. You could use your second lathe for a buffing system. I personaly run 3 lathes.


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## btboone

Sure, Fred, I could run them by hand, but what fun would that be?  []


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## DCBluesman

Sand light--full out.  I can't swear that it works, but it does for me!


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## goldentouch

I turn pens at max speed about 3000 RPM.  I sand at about 500 just because I want to keep the heat down.  Too much heat can split some wood and it doesn't do the sandpaper any good.  For polishing I go full out.


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## dougle40

I turn at 2320 and sand and finish at 1550 .


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## Rifleman1776

With my Grizzly 14X40" lathe, I turn pen blanks at top speed of 2700 rpm and finish at slowest of 500 rpm.


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## Guest

JET mini-
second to the fastest speed.
I don't have a licesnse yet.(chicken)


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## Mudder

I did an experiment on my Nova DVR and I found no real difference in the surface of the wood from 2500 rpm to 3500 rpm. I am weary of spinning up a Â¾â€ blank at 3500 rpm. I personally turn at 2700-2750 rpm and I sand at around 500 rpm. My DVR is fairly new and it came with newer software. The speed that they advertise is from 250-3500 rpm but mine goes from 110 to 3795 rpm. Go figure. Let me say that I only experimented with a few different types of wood but the results were pretty much the same with all of the woods that I tried.


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## C. Scott

I guess I am the slow one of the group.  I turn my pens at 1800 on the Jet Mini.  Right after I got it I cranked it up to fastest pulley, but that was just to see it run.  I USED to turn at 1240.  It works for me, but I guess I should try a faster speed.


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## Chuck C

Thank you all for the comments.  I have been using the lower speeds but I will have to experiment with the higher speeds.


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## TheHeretic

After reading this thread two nights ago I went ahead on turned a few at the highest speed on the Jet mini non VS and was very surprised at the difference.   Much easier.  Finish was much better.  I was actually able to start sanding at 240 instead of 100 or 150 like I usually do.  The bevel rub actually was as smooth as I have seen others do.   And it may have just been in my head but I increased my rate to 4 an hour over the usual 3.   All in all I liked.   


Dean
Columbus OH


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## Gary

Dean, at the higher speed you are cutting more efficiently and faster. All things being equal, that will result in higher production rate. But the reality is that for the less experienced, the higher speed often causes more problems and glitches and offsets the higher production.

I was in a production spindle shop in England years ago where they still turned the pieces by hand rather than duplicating machines. It was amazing how fast those guys were, and all the lathes were running at blinding speed!


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## Gregory Huey

Like I said earlyer I turn full out. on my Woodwrite that is over 5000 rpm's. I start sanding with 400 to 600 grit depending on the wood.


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## Gary

Isn't the Woodrite a duplicating lathe?


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## wayneis

I turn at full speed but sand at alow speed to keep the heat down.  When you build up the heat you do a few things with wood.  You take the chance of cracking is one and also the wood will shrink and then expand when it cools down.  I use calipers to get the sizing right on and so I try to keep the heat at a minimum.  Especially with acrylics.

Wayne


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## Chuck C

Thanks for all the help.  I have to experiment more but I'm going to try the high speed approach for a little while.


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## ravo

I cut wood about 1000 RPM, sand about 2000, finish 3000.


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