# Cue Blanks - yet another method



## skiprat (Apr 25, 2011)

Hi all 
I've been playing in my toybox again :biggrin:
I've shown how I made these blanks with sharp points before, but I never really liked the 'ramp' method and think this method is much simpler and potentially far more accurate. 

I think the pics are self explanitory, but there are a few points worth making. Instead of offsetting the tailstock ( a pain to reset ) I used a Boring Head with a pointed length of rod as a dead centre. The other end has a flexible joint that is nothing more than a bolt and a bit of high pressure hose. 

Instead of me writing an essay, please just ask if you want clarification on something. :wink:

The end result here is a closed ended Baron II with white PR and Walnut
Hope you like and also that someone finds the pics useful:wink:


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## Curly (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks for the pictures. They all make perfect sense to me. I assume you index by the gears at the back of the spindle. 

Pen looks good too!

Pete


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## hewunch (Apr 25, 2011)

2 ?s
1. The total # of flutes is?
2. How did you attach the blank to the flex tube/chuck?


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## skiprat (Apr 25, 2011)

Hans  / Pete
There are 4 flutes ( indexed off the chuck )
The white PR was CA'd to the sacrificial piece of PR that is also CA'd to the bolt. It's actually stupidly simple to ensure that both are perfectly aligned when glueing together, but it took me a while to figure out how:redface:


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## ctubbs (Apr 25, 2011)

The pics are fully explanatory except for one thing for my feeble mind.  I understand the recess on the drive end for the drive to fit, but where did all the extra white PR past the pointed end of the walnut come from?

This tut is very good and thanks so very much for taking the time and effort to produce it for us.  That gorgeous pen makes me want to sell my first born and buy a good metal lathe.  Any offers?
Charles


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## Displaced Canadian (Apr 25, 2011)

This too is on my list of things to try. But first to master the rat nuts.


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## skiprat (Apr 25, 2011)

ctubbs said:


> ........... but where did all the extra white PR past the pointed end of the walnut come from?
> ................


 
:biggrin: LOL, it was there all the time:wink:  Remember that the wood inserts are extremely tapered, so as the blank is turned down, they get shorter and thus reveal more of the white that was underneath them.:wink:


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## ctubbs (Apr 25, 2011)

DOH!  Head Slap!  Thanks, I knew it was a dumb question.
Charles


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## hilltopper46 (Apr 25, 2011)

Uh, oh .... when you make things so simple I can understand them it always ends up costing me money, and time.

Thanks for posting - very nice pictorial that is indeed understandable.


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## bitshird (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks Skip, Now I can tie up my metal lathe and really go nutz,


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## robutacion (Apr 25, 2011)

Talking about "thinking out of the box"...!!!!

Pictures always worth a thousand words, even for someone like me...!:wink: and your demonstration opens a big "can of worms" or should I say "ideas/possibilities...!"

We have a very dedicated and ingenuous "mob" of guys and gals in here that have the brain and ability to copy anything and come up with stuff on their own too, what I'm trying to say is that, challenges/ideas like this, are pure honey for our bears, starting the fluids to run wild...!

Sharing secrets in here...??? big mistake so, if you ever want to see you many ways these people can skin YOUR cat, there is, reproduce your idea/design, work it up side down, back to front and anything in between, bring it here..!:wink::biggrin:

This subject has been flogged to death many times before but I never had the opportunity to say that, all this is a good thing, and certainly an acknowledgement of the talent found on IAP.

I, on the other hand, and unable to try this technique as I don't have a metal lathe and all its accessories, I would certainly tackle the design buy cutting the wood into shape and then cast the remaining area with PR, the end result would be "identical" but, is not the end result that is in question here, I believe, but the ingeniality some people have to created new things...!

Good stuff...!:wink:

Cheers
George


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## JerrySambrook (Apr 25, 2011)

Excellent job.
I also like how you made your own live-tooling lathe.


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## lorbay (Apr 25, 2011)

Skip do you have a picture of the holder used to hold the lamanate trimmer in your quick change tool post.??

Lin


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## alphageek (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh, my head hurts just looking at the pictures.   

The pictures help understand your methods..  But its the thought of repositioning to exactly the right place that gives me headaches!


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## Papa Bear (Apr 25, 2011)

That's pretty cool!I think this would be a little easier than the other set-up,I just wish my toy box had some of the same toys!!


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## areaman (Apr 26, 2011)

Even if my toolbox had the right stuff I wouldn't be able to do it


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## Curly (Apr 26, 2011)

robutacion said:


> .......if you ever want to see you many ways these people can skin YOUR cat.....
> 
> I, on the other hand, and unable to try this technique as I don't have a metal lathe and all its accessories,



Well in this case we would be skinning a rat. :wink: 

You wouldn't need a metal lathe George. 
>The headstock end could be done with a spur drive and the blank end cross  sawn to allow the wood to "tip" away from the normal axis of rotation. 
>The tail end could be nothing more than a big spike, hose clamped to the side of your live centre or the side of the tailstock with shims to get the desired offset.
>The router held at the correct angle, in a plywood sled riding on the lathe bed with a stop to limit the travel. 
>Since most lathes have basic indexing holes, locking the blank in the correct position is a given.

There, the rat skinned on a budget. If I ever decide to try if I will use much the same method as skiprat since I have a metal lathe.

The right resin cast would look good.

skiprat I saw the 3 jaw and didn't realize the chuck or backing plate was drilled. Even without, a four jaw would work. Come to think of it an independent four jaw chuck, depending on size could provide the offset too.  

Pete


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## skiprat (Apr 26, 2011)

lorbay said:


> Skip do you have a picture of the holder used to hold the lamanate trimmer in your quick change tool post.??
> 
> Lin


 
Sure Lin,

It's really very basic and something I cobbled up years ago. In some of the previous pics, you could see several washers on one of the bolts. This was pure laziness on my part. :redface: I have now just cut the bolt shorter.:biggrin:

The combination of the flats on the hex shaft and the slotted holes in the bracket allow for just about any angle. The big hole in the aluminium block is standard DIN pattern size, so many other machines can be clamped. 

Of course, sometimes getting the cutter at the required height isn't always possible using either the QCTP or even the old toolpost. I have another contraption to hold the machine then but it still uses the same aluminium block. 

The eagle eyed may have also seen that the compound ( or top ) slide is facing backwards in the previous pics. I swung it around just to give me a bit more room between the tool and the workpiece.


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## bluwolf (Apr 26, 2011)

:hypnotized:...Just amazing.....


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## lorbay (Apr 26, 2011)

skiprat said:


> lorbay said:
> 
> 
> > Skip do you have a picture of the holder used to hold the lamanate trimmer in your quick change tool post.??
> ...


 
Perfect, Thanks a bunch Skip.

Lin.


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## Texatdurango (Apr 26, 2011)

Skip, I love your style!  Rather than a 10 page step-by-step tutorial, you cut right to the chase with a few photos!

I've been wanting to make some sort of an adapter to hold either my dremel or foredom tool on my lathe.  I actually made a holder but didn't like the results so tossed it out.  Now, after looking at the photo below I realized that I could make good use of a block of aluminum I have and make a circular clamp as you did, one for my trim router and another for the dremel and foredom and all three could use the same mounting rod that would clamp into the tool holder.

It appears that you set your cutter to where it meets the blank at 45 degrees, right?

Thanks for sharing your ideas!


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## LEAP (Apr 26, 2011)

Up to your old tricks again? one again a beautiful pen but I think you like making the jigs more than the pens! Thanks for sharing


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## skiprat (Apr 26, 2011)

George, try LMS for those holders. I could be wrong but I think I've seen them there. But of course there is no fun in that, so here is Version Eleventyfour. It uses the pillar from an old drill press. I welded up the universal swivel arm ages ago. It can swing to absolutely ANY angle, but just takes a bit longer to set up. 

The end result here is a big dissapointment. Technically the pen is fine but:redface: Senility is setting in early and I forgot to paint the inside of the PR Avocado blank once I drilled it. 
I painted the cap and I even painted the 4 pieces before I glued them into the white. But completely forgot to re-paint after drilling. It looks worse in real life than in the pic.


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## bluwolf (Apr 26, 2011)

It still looks awesome. You da man


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## philb (Apr 26, 2011)

That looks excellent!

Loving all the documentary photos aswell!!

Phil


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## kreissb (Jan 18, 2015)

I am curious if I can raise the bar for a dumb question... What is white PR? curious to know the material and have no idea.


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## MarkD (Jan 18, 2015)

Wow...you dug up a 4 year old link!
PR is Polyester Resin, it's a popular material to make pen blanks from. It's simply a blank made of Polyester Resin and colored with a white pigment.


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## KBs Pensnmore (Jan 18, 2015)

I did a similar thing as to Skips Pen, instead of using a metal lathe, I used my wood turning lathe that has a base for copying. The trimmer was set up with a V cutting router bit and a straight edge was clamped at an angle. I did make a tool that is adjustable that fits in the tailstock for offsetting work. The pen I did had the base, the V section then another V section with the same timber as the base. Can show pics if anyone wants.
Kryn


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## designer (Jan 19, 2015)

I would like to see the pics.


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## jttheclockman (Jan 19, 2015)

designer said:


> I would like to see the pics.




Alan

I see you are looking to get into segmenting or want to expand. Did you check the segmenting forum here. Some good inf in there and also a little description of "My Jig" that I use with my lathe to make some segmented blanks. Look for that title when there.


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## designer (Jan 20, 2015)

I am actually just starting into the world of segmenting.  I just read the thread on your jig.  Well done and well explained.  Even as bald as I am it should be easy to make the jig.

I usually watch the new posts but I can see that I need to read the segmenting forum a lot more now.

Thanks John


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## jttheclockman (Jan 20, 2015)

Allan

I started that forum a couple years ago when I was a bit more active here. I really thought or had high hopes of it turning into something that could send pen blanks in a whole different direction but I may have overestimated it. But there are some good topics in there. Even though I pop in here on occasion if there is something I can help with you can PM me. I do get the message through my email system. Segmenting just a small canvas as a pen blank is challenging in its ways but that is what makes it so much fun and the sky is the limit. I mean that whole heartily. I am sure there are techniques that have not even been thought of yet. I do hope when someone comes up with an idea it is shared. Good luck.


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## skiprat (Jan 20, 2015)

John, I love the idea of that forum, you know that!!  How about you be more active here and get the ball rolling a bit? ,sometimes things just need a little assistance from the Daddy, to get moving.  I mean for example, Mikes segmenting thread 'No Comments..' is now one of the biggest threads on IAP ever, only topped by Bev's 'What do you look like?' thread or maybe Chuck's brothel thread......:biggrin:


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## jttheclockman (Jan 20, 2015)

skiprat said:


> John, I love the idea of that forum, you know that!!  How about you be more active here and get the ball rolling a bit? ,sometimes things just need a little assistance from the Daddy, to get moving.  I mean for example, Mikes segmenting thread 'No Comments..' is now one of the biggest threads on IAP ever, only topped by Bev's 'What do you look like?' thread or maybe Chuck's brothel thread......:biggrin:




Skip, I am at this time unable to join my friends in the shop due to health reasons. In fact this past week things took on another twist so I do not know when that will be possible. There are plenty capable people here including yourself that can carry on and maybe even add some spark to the site.


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## Dalecamino (Jan 21, 2015)

including yourself that can carry on and maybe even add some spark to the site.

Ohhhh! He adds spark alright.....:biggrin:


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## farmer (Feb 4, 2016)

*taper tool*

https://www.cuesmith.com/off-setting-live-center-2-or-3-morse-taper.html


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