# Barrel Trimmer



## Toni (Oct 7, 2010)

I am sure this is most likely a stupid question, BUT I am going to ask anyway

What are the Barrel Trimmers for? I just bought a kit that came with the starter set and it included Barrel Trimmers. I have never seen them or used them before or know what they are for.  Should I be using them for something? Are they required for turning the blanks? 

Hoping someone can help clear up this mystery


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## Spec Grade (Oct 7, 2010)

Barrel trimmers are generally used for trimming down the length of wood for a pen blank, to make sure the brass tubes meet the end of the pen blank itself.
Be careful though, they are very sharp, and will remove a good chunk of your finger, along with the wood removed to even the tube with the wood blank.
DAMHIKT.


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## PaulDoug (Oct 7, 2010)

Will they are used to square the wood with the tube.  Once the tube is glued into the blank you use the barrel trimmer to to trim the wood down to the brass tube at the end and make it square with the tubes.  There are others way to accomplish the squaring also.


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## Lenny (Oct 7, 2010)

I guess all you watched was Wilson!  :biggrin::smile-big:


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## Toni (Oct 7, 2010)

Lenny said:


> I guess all you watched was Wilson!  :biggrin::smile-big:


:at-wits-end::at-wits-end:WHY OF COARSE!!! He was entertaining!! 

Lenny give me the link again to the video I promise to watch it and ignore your rockstar cat.  Do I need them or not?


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## maxwell_smart007 (Oct 7, 2010)

Toni, the trimmers trim the wood/resin/clay flush with the brass.  You trim the tube until the brass just shows a shine. 

I don't use them, personally.  I prefer to use a small disc sander - but to each his/her own! 

Andrew


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## Toni (Oct 7, 2010)

Andrew~I sand the bottom of the tubes so they are flush.  If I understand correctly I dont need them, just like the drill bits they sent...LOL


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## Lenny (Oct 7, 2010)

Toni said:


> Lenny said:
> 
> 
> > I guess all you watched was Wilson! :biggrin::smile-big:
> ...


 
My Cats ???? How many of them do you want! :biggrin:

I find the barrel trimmer is indispensible. Especially for a beginner (like you n ME) 

Others have good luck with disk sanders and jigs to keep it square ... I'm sure they work great once you get them setup correctly!

Understand that you always want to use the correct size pilot shaft (the drill part) or an adapter sleeve for a snug fit in the tube. This will insure you are trimming the blank nice and true! Adapter sleeves are available for different kits and often fit many different kits as well.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Oct 7, 2010)

Toni said:


> Andrew~I sand the bottom of the tubes so they are flush.  If I understand correctly I dont need them, just like the drill bits they sent...LOL



Yep, if you sand them flush, you're accomplishing exactly what the barrel trimmers do, without using them.  

One thing to remember, though, is to make sure the inside of your barrels are clean - I trim out any CA glue in there with a hobby exacto knife...


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## DCBluesman (Oct 7, 2010)

I hand sand the ends of my tubes as well!


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## Smitty37 (Oct 7, 2010)

*Some of each*



DCBluesman said:


> I hand sand the ends of my tubes as well!


 
I sand some and use the trimmer on others....whatever churns your butter will work.


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## Toni (Oct 7, 2010)

thanks Smitty and Lou!!


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## Bobalu (Oct 7, 2010)

Toni, I guess with your PC pens you probably trim away the excess material with an X-Acto knife, but wood blanks are another story. The video I've attached will show you what barrel trimmers are used for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zyAh6jSe90

Might not be the best of the bunch, but I just picked one out quickly to show you. Do a YouTube search for "barrel trimmer" and you'll get a bunch of them to watch.


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## Boz (Oct 7, 2010)

Make sure when your are using a trimmer to hold the blank with some thing like a small vice grip.  You can not hold the blank in your hand firm enough.  Don't ask me how I know this.


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## ldb2000 (Oct 7, 2010)

The problem with barrel trimmers is that unless they are very sharp they cause more damage then good . When dull they tear the fibers of the wood and don't make a clean cut , on acrylics a dull trimmer will cause the ends of the blank to chip out . The other problem is that the shaft rubbing inside the tube will heat up the tube to the point that the glue bond between the tube and blank will be weakened . 
I advise sanding the ends of my shell blanks to keep the heat down and to avoid seperating the shell from the PR at the ends .


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## sbell111 (Oct 8, 2010)

ldb2000 said:


> The problem with barrel trimmers is that unless they are very sharp they cause more damage then good . When dull they tear the fibers of the wood and don't make a clean cut , on acrylics a dull trimmer will cause the ends of the blank to chip out . The other problem is that the shaft rubbing inside the tube will heat up the tube to the point that the glue bond between the tube and blank will be weakened .
> I advise sanding the ends of my shell blanks to keep the heat down and to avoid seperating the shell from the PR at the ends .


I agree with everything you posted, except for the shaft heat thing.  I don't believe that the friction caused by a shaft while trimming a barrel is going to cause that much heat.  The reason that I believe this is because I frequently dechuch the barrel trimmer from my drill press immediately after using it.  I've never been burned by one.  That being said, the trimmer heads can get pretty warm.


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## Lenny (Oct 8, 2010)

sbell111 said:


> ldb2000 said:
> 
> 
> > The problem with barrel trimmers is that unless they are very sharp they cause more damage then good . When dull they tear the fibers of the wood and don't make a clean cut , on acrylics a dull trimmer will cause the ends of the blank to chip out . The other problem is that the shaft rubbing inside the tube will heat up the tube to the point that the glue bond between the tube and blank will be weakened .
> ...


 
Make NO MISTAKE ... it CAN heat up enough to do as Butch said! I think it is especially true when using CA glue to glue your tubes in!


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## witz1976 (Oct 8, 2010)

Lenny said:


> sbell111 said:
> 
> 
> > ldb2000 said:
> ...



Which is why I switched to epoxy:biggrin:


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## sbwertz (Oct 8, 2010)

I use a disc sander to trim the wood even with the blank, then the barrel trimmer, BY HAND, not in a drill, to remove any glue from inside the tube and to make sure that the wood is exactly square to the tube.  I turned a wooden handle for the trimmer.

Sharon


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## Dave Turner (Oct 8, 2010)

I wish I had read this thread before I bought my barrel trimmer. After using it on several blanks, I did notice some tearout, and had a chipout on a Dymondwood blank. I bought a Harbor Freight disc sander on sale for $50 and I can't believe how much nicer this is for squaring the ends. The ends are smoother and it's faster to use. No messing with filler barrels for the trimmer shaft on larger tubes. The only downside I can see to the disc sander is that there is no tactile feedback when you reach the brass tube like there is with the barrel trimmer. I have to check my progress more often. No big deal.

By the way, I use 120 grit sandpaper on my disc sander. Is this what others use for squaring the ends?


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## wood-of-1kind (Oct 8, 2010)

I have a pair of "diamond" tipped carbide trimmers but have stopped using them due to tearouts that I at times was getting especially on acrylic blanks. Now I use the HF punch set. The right (diameter) size is chosen to put in the tailstck (chuck mounted) and a sanding fixture threaded on to the headstock of the lathe. This has eliminated all 'tearouts' in pen blanks as well as getting the ends perfectly 'flush'.


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## ed4copies (Oct 8, 2010)

wood-of-1kind said:


> I have a pair of "diamond" tipped carbide trimmers but have stopped using them due to tearouts that I at times was getting especially on acrylic blanks. Now I use the HF punch set. The right (diameter) size is chosen to put in the tailstck (chuck mounted) and a sanding fixture threaded on to the headstock of the lathe. This has eliminated all 'tearouts' in pen blanks as well as getting the ends perfectly 'flush'.




Neat idea, Peter!!  Thanks.


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## sbell111 (Oct 8, 2010)

That is a sweet idea.  Sometimes, I wonder if half of my power tools couldn't be replaced with a lathe.  The perfect shop would have a saw and three or four lathes.


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## solderpot (May 26, 2021)

maxwell_smart007 said:


> Yep, if you sand them flush, you're accomplishing exactly what the barrel trimmers do, without using them.
> 
> One thing to remember, though, is to make sure the inside of your barrels are clean - I trim out any CA glue in there with a hobby exacto knife...


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## mikespenturningz (Jul 30, 2021)

Toni said:


> I am sure this is most likely a stupid question, BUT I am going to ask anyway
> 
> What are the Barrel Trimmers for? I just bought a kit that came with the starter set and it included Barrel Trimmers. I have never seen them or used them before or know what they are for.  Should I be using them for something? Are they required for turning the blanks?
> 
> Hoping someone can help clear up this mystery


Check out Ricks site in the marketplace. https://www.penturners.org/forums/ricks-custom-tools.349/ he has the best jig for use on the lathe. I use this for every pen I make..


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## mark james (Jul 30, 2021)

mikespenturningz said:


> Check out Ricks site in the marketplace. https://www.penturners.org/forums/ricks-custom-tools.349/ he has the best jig for use on the lathe. I use this for every pen I make..


Nice to see you back Mike.  I suspect Toni has this all worked out, as she has a very accomplished wood turner partner.  Her question was from 2010.


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