# Eliminate "catching" the edge........



## Janster

..when begining to turn your pen blank. For me at least, before placing the blank in the lathe, I sand the corners a bit to round them off a bit with my belt sander. HF disc and belt unit.  Seems to help me out quite a bit. YMMV....be well......Jan


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## plantman

If I start with a very large, square, or uneven blank. I use a metal rasp like the ones used on styrofoam or filler on auto bodys to rough down the blank.  Jim  S


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## mmayo

I have been trying to safely speed up production and avoid catching edges as you mention. I bought this sander today from HF and quickly rounded ten pen sets. 

Belt Sander with 1'' X 30'' Sanding Belt

I used 120 grit also purchased from them. Watch your knuckles, but no edges to catch in seconds. The table tilts to 45 degrees to match the edge to remove. A zero clearance plate will be made soon to make it safer and smoother. I imagine turning will be much faster using this technique and easier than using my huge, heavy Dewalt belt sander. 

Thanks for getting me to think.


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## Scruffy

*I have a router table that I built 5-6 years ago.*

I throw an appropriate round over bit into the router and round down as much of the waste off the blank as I dare.  I usually do it right after I glue in the tubes.


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## Dan Masshardt

I sometimes do this as well, but less recently. 

I've found that holding the gouge on the square blank so that its not cutting at all and then slowly moving the handle up until it does avoids almost all catches for me.


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## robutacion

This is another great benefit to use the Flap disc system with a 40 or 60 grits here, no need of risking hurt the fingers on the belt sander, as it is done with the blanks on the mandrel.

If taking the square corners is all you would like to do with the flap disc, before using the gouge, have the lathe and 4" grinder turning at the same time and those corners will be round in 15 seconds or less...!

You will be surprised if you try it, most people have a 4" grinder and a red oxide flap disc will cost about $4 in most hardware stores, the disc will last you a long time...!

Cheers
George


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## edstreet

have you tried putting the chisel parallel with the shaft and cutting right to left, towards the lathe head?  That would yield even consistent chisel to material and not have the impact that a normal chisel cut would have.


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## mmayo

I have been successfully using my roughing gouges and only yesterday tried this new method.  I am sure other methods will work.  The 1" x 30" belt is fast, easy and could save me time and get the same result - a pen.


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## jcm71

I used to routinely "round" the edges of my blanks on the disc sander before putting them on the lathe.  I stopped about 40 to 50 pens ago, with no adverse effects.  If your chisels are sharp and you aren't too aggressive, you should have no problems with a corner catching.  JMHO  At what speed do you turn?


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## commercialbuilder

I use a round carbide cutter and have the rest below the center line about a 1/8". I turn the cutter on an angle to allow the cutter too make a shear cut and it quickly rounds the blank with out any problems for me. Once it is almost round I switch to a radius edge carbide tool, adjust the rest and finish turning.


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## larryc

I made a mess of several circuit board blanks before I read this tip somewhere on the IAP forum. Can't find it now.

I use the Stanley Surform plane on all my acrylic blanks.

Shop Stanley 6.2-in Surform Pocket Plane at Lowes.com


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## steamshovel

I run my blanks through my band saw, usually by hand but a jig could be made.

Preston


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## Nikitas

I use my lathe......The perfect tool to make blanks round....


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## robutacion

steamshovel said:


> I run my blanks through my band saw, usually by hand but a jig could be made.
> 
> Preston



Absolutely, and this jig is all you need to do it quickly and safely...!:biggrin:

Cheers
George


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## keithbyrd

I use the corner of a carbide cutter - struggling to see how using a belt sander etc other methods mentioned is faster than just putting it on the lathe and turning it.  I sometimes get a catch on antler when I don't have the blank tightened or get too aggressive.


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## Phillip Kelley

*Simple jig I use...*

Attached is a photo of a simple jig that I clamp to my bandsaw table to shave off the corners, to basically speed up the turning process..I used
my router & cut a "V" grove the length of a scrap piece of 1 x 4 & cut out a gap to move the blade close to the groove...picture is self explanatory..


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## robutacion

Phillip Kelley said:


> Attached is a photo of a simple jig that I clamp to my bandsaw table to shave off the corners, to basically speed up the turning process..I used
> my router & cut a "V" grove the length of a scrap piece of 1 x 4 & cut out a gap to move the blade close to the groove...picture is self explanatory..



My only problem with your jib is that, you have to grab the blank with your fingers to push it to the blade, for a full pass, and that is exact where the "danger" is, the motion and proximity of the hand and blade aren't something that I would advise, particularly for those LESS experienced with a bandsaw or for those with TOO much self confidence (deadly combination, sometimes...!:frown:

You have to remember that, a lot of people will follow advise given and imitate what they see, this is only normal and that's when we all have to be very careful in what we advise other to do or show something that we use but that has a great degree of risk/danger and while most bandsaw blade CATCHES/GRABS are preventable, some are NOT and with fingers that close to a running saw blade, you have absolutely to chances to avoid a incident so, now that you've got you piece of wood grooved for the blank,  make yourself a favour and make one of these, they were made to precisely address the danger I just described...!

Please, don't be offended by my observations, I can not turn my head the other way when I see something that is dangerous, and that can be easily avoided, this is "precautionary" criticism, I've been using all types and sizes of bandsaws for about 4 generations, I have had my close calls, incidents and accidents (very different things), sometimes is just not worth the risk, believe me...!

Cheers
George


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## 76winger

Rounding, we don't need no silly rounding...  :biggrin:

I start with my gouge, come in at an angle and work from the middle out to the edge, each direction. After 10 our 12 medium passes, the blank is round. the I reduce further to desired shape and size with the skew. 

I did start out pen turning by cutting the corners off in the bandsaw with a jig I made to hold the blank. But once I got the hand of using my turning tools, I found the whole process an unnecessary step, so I now do the above.


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## turncrazy43

PSI has a similar jig as Robutacion pointed out "Cutting Corners mJig WXCORNERS. Haven't tried it, but it is meant to be used on a bandsaw.
___________________________________________
Everyday I'm vertical is a great day


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## kooster

Agree with commercialbuilder.The Easy Wood Tools (or varieties thereof) make easy work of rounding the edges and do it in minimal time. Actually, any of their versions will take the edges down in nothing flat. It's probably more a personal preference which cutter version you use.


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## kovalcik

Use a sharp roughing gouge.  Blank will be round in no time.  Very forgiving. Also very easy to sharpen since it uses a straight grind (not a fingernail grind).


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## GaryMGg

Watch the quick tip from Stuart Batty on knocking off the edges.
Round in no time:

Quick Tip - Knocking Down the Corners - YouTube


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## tomas

I use the corner of my PenPro. It is fast and works great with both wood and acrylics.

Tomas


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## robutacion

GaryMGg said:


> Watch the quick tip from Stuart Batty on knocking off the edges.
> Round in no time:
> 
> Quick Tip - Knocking Down the Corners - YouTube



No doubt, there are a infinity of ways and tools that can be used to get a piece of wood from square to round and while the video suggested show a great way and a super sharp and adequate gauge size and shape, this may change slightly when we are dealing with small blanks such as pen blanks and more importantly with blanks that may be a composition of various materials glued or cast together.

The very first aspect of these, is the turning speed, too fast (about 4,000rpm or so) and the blank and the chances are, the blank will disintegrate/vibrate to destruction all by itself, the "G" forces of the centrifugal super speed are enough to break it apart, particularly after being drilled where, material separation may have occurred from heat or drill forces, without you know about it or be able to see it.

Using a "bad" gluing technique will not help much so, and without touching the blank with any tools, putting it through exaggerated rotation speeds, is more than enough to "blow" the blank to bits.  A loosely glued tube in a "fractured" blank (wood and resin, particularly), will require very little forces from a cutting tool to "rip" a chunk apart and this is when the use of a flap disc where the 2 surfaces are rotating in opposite directions, offers a much softer/gentler touch to any of the sharp edges of the square blank.

Understand how the flap disc system works, is a lot more important than just grab a 4" grinder and install a flap disc on it and take it to the spinning "piece'" in the lathe so, and like any other "system", there is the right way to go about it and there is the wrong way to go about it, also. 

Having options, is all I'm talking about, what suits one person does not suit the next however, I like to know that I'm aware of options and know what they are, I will be in a much better position to find something that suits me...!

However, speed is far too important to be ignored, learn about "G" forces from centrifugal rotation/spinning and you will understand what I'm talking about...!

Cheers
George


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