I found this setup to work the best:

• The mandrels that are of the collet type and can accommodate a draw-bar provide the best headstock interface. These type of mandrel allows the mandrel shaft to be shortened to the length of the pen blank, reducing the mandrels overall length and therefore the amount of runout.
• The tail-stock end of many mandrel shafts are flat or have a cone interface. The shape of live center that you use makes a big difference. If the point in the live center is not the same angle and depth as the dimple in the end of the mandrel, the mandrel will not run perfectly true. I improved on this setup by flattening the point on the live center so that there was more connecting area at the shaft interface rather than contacting on a small point.

In the setup described above the force exerted by the shaft nut and the force applied with the tail stock still needs to be properly controlled to minimize run out. I found this method still lacking in predictability.

While thumbing through my new Penstate Industries catalog a new gadget “Pen Mandrel Saver” caught my eye and i decided to try it out.

Pen Mandrel Saver

I thought this was a good idea but wanted to make sure it worked.

I searched my bushing collection and found a set of bushings that when turned to fit the opening in my standard live center it could simulate the same function. I used a set of pen bushings because they already have a precision 7mm hole. You need to use a live center that is hollow so the 7mm shaft can extend into it. This is the one I used after knocking out the point. Woodcraft live center.

I turned bushings on my Taig mini lathe for both the front and the back of the live center figuring that if the shaft extended into center, the bitter end should have a bearing surface as well.

As seen below I inserted the bushings into both ends of the live center mounted up the pen blank and tried it out. The pen “turnedout right”

This method is much more stable and is also easier to setup. Perhaps PenState finally has solved an age old mandrel problem!

To scroll through the pictures click on the first one and use the NEXT -PREVIOUS buttons on the left and right of the picture!

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Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit trailer

I got a new big screen theater just recently and was overwhelmed by the # of remotes, 4 to be exact.

I know that you can buy a “universal remote” and get one to do it all. In fact my upstairs system works that way.

Miss Potter movie

The wood turner in me immediately started imagining a solution and then things got out of control, see below. Or WATCH THE VIDEO on the Turnedoutright channel.

Of course I modeled the design in SketchUp…… see the model.

• 12 Angry Men move

Slots were routed before turning. Then the body and handle was turned

Some burning added ......

Assault on Precinct 13 dvdrip

Jane Doe

Babe: Pig in the City on dvd

Universal Remote in operation

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! from Cocobolo

Heathers release Sometimes its fun to make something unique for a special purpose.

In my team (www.goeveryWare.net) we needed an award to give for exceptional customer satisfaction.

We dreamed up the “!” award. Then it was just a matter of having fun turning it ……..

Kevin & Perry Go Large dvdrip Donnie

• Nighthawks

How to Make an American Quilt psp

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The winter issue of American Woodturner featured the turning of a travel mug. I bought a mug insert some time ago from WoodCraft and it was sitting on my project bench waiting for motivation. Since I needed a Christmas gift for a friend and I wanted to try turning a staved vessel using fixed angle router bits, I set about planning this project.

Using SketchUp I modeled the stave angles and dimensions to insure the wall thickness accounted for the taper in the mug insert. If you want a copy of the model register and leave a comment at the end of this post.

I started by making a SketchUp model of the mugs form to get all the angles correct and insure that I accounted for the mugs taper. The mug is larger at the top than the bottom and it is important that there is enough wall material to allow a taper to be turned without cutting through the walls. The model allowed me to create and fit the stave’s just like the real thing. I followed with a real prototype, making a cross sectional glue up by cutting and routing one stave and then slicing it into small sections. This step verified that my cutting and routing setup would produce closed glue lines.

Summary:

The project required an interesting mix of wood turning and woodworking skills. The router method of creating angles yielded perfect glue lines but was a bit challenging to set up. I don’t know if this is easier than setting up a sled on the table saw or not. The technique for rolling the glue up on wax paper outlined in American Woodturner works much better than my manual method. The metal mug inserts are not all exactly round and the dimensions (especially the lip) vary slightly so don’t expect to make these in batches. Each insert needs to be turned with its own hollow form.

I was very satisfied with the outcome!

The detailed turning process is below.

Donnie

I set up the saw to cut the stave’s accurately by using a accurately cut template to set the fence. Precision is critical to get a good glue-up of the stave’s.
After making a sanding sled I put the stave’s through the thickness sander to insure that they were all uniform size and finish.	The Inglorious Bastards trailer
Next I set up the router with my 22.5 degree bit and routed the two angles. The setup of the router height was critical. It took a number of passes with scrap wood to get it right. Make sure you use a feather board to hold the stave consistently up against the bit. The key is to get the top of the bit to line up and cut exactly at the top of the stave.
The form was then glued up with Gorilla glue and a couple of pipe clamps. Use wax paper under the clamps and on work surfaces to make clean up easier. Wear latex gloves to keep from having to remove skin to clean up your hands. Don’t forget to wet the mating surfaces before you apply the glue. Polyurethane glues bond better with moisture. After an overnight wait the clamps are removed and the form is mounted between cone centers, then turned round.
The plug was made from a piece of oak that was glued to a waste block and turned to size in a separate step. The glue block was left on the plug and served as a mating surface for the tail stock live center. After drying overnight the pugs waste block was parted off leaving a closed end that was ready to re-chuck for hollowing. I used a cone center to align the mug and then tightened the chuck.
The hollowing process is one of trial and error to get the insert to fit . I used a hook tool and termite tool, both worked well. Gone in Sixty Seconds movie full I made a template that matched the OD of the insert and used that to get the basic internal shape, depth and taper.
Then the insert was fitted by hand.Wipe chalk on the mug insert, push it into the form and rotate. Pull it out and look for the chalk that was transfered to the inner wall, then cut those areas back. I got this tip from American Woodturners article.
Part off excess material until the form is the correct length. Then cut a rabbit at the edge of the form to receive the lip of the insert. Once the lip and the inner profile is cut install the insert and bring up the tail stock with the cone center installed. Cut the outer profile of the mug with the insert installed, this method insures that the outer profile exactly matches the inserts lip. Mark the orientation of the insert in the form so that you can get it back exactly in the same place. I found that every insert is slightly different and not always perfectly round.
I applied the finish while the piece was on the lathe. Then, using my shop made laser depth finder I checked the location of the bottom so that I would not go through it when I parted it from the lathe.
The completed hollowed form looks like this. I finished it with several coats of satin polyurethane so that it could withstand spills and cleaning.Note: instructions for turning this mug are also available from Woodcraft. I found that both the techniques from this set of instructions and the article in American Woodturner were helpful.

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If you recall I posted on the Hybrid Wine Glass

I finished my first one made from Bloodwood in about two hours.

I like!

Soul Men

Soon I’l try it out with a fine wine

How its made:

1. I bought a box of 6 glasses from Wall-mart for $1 each. I scored the stem 1″ from the body of the galss with a small triangular file
2. Hold the body of the glass with a towel to protect your hands and tap below the score with a ball-peen hammer
3. Clink! the stem is separated from the body. Keep the body, the glass base makes a good model.
4. Cut a 3×3 square piece of material from a 3/4 inch thick board for the base.
5. Cut a 3/4 square piece for the stem from the same material 3 ” long with the grain parallel to the long dimension.
6. Mount the stem into the chuck jaws and then bring the tail-stock up to the center right of the stem blank.
7. Turning between centers cut a 1/4″ deep by 1/2 inch diameter tenon on the right end. (may-be a tad smaller). Dismount the stem blank.
8. Mount the square base into the chuck jaws tightly and drill a 1/2″ hole 1/4″ inch deep in the base with a Jacobs chuck
9. Dry fit the stems tenon into the base. If it is to big, dress up the hole in the base until it fits very snug.
10. Glue the stem into the base with thick CA, using the tail-stock live center to align and press it tight. A gap free joint it desired at the base-stem junction
11. Measure the diameter of the stub left on the glass body with a micrometer and using that size drill a hole in the stem to receive the body.
12. Using a Jacobs chuck drill a 1″ hole in the end of the stem opposite the base.
13. Test fit the body for depth and re-drill until the body seats against the stem, then drill a 1/16 further.
14. Put the body in a safe place and then with a small bowl gouge hollow the end of the stem to fit the profile of the body just above the stem. You want the body to sit down inside the stem slightly.
15. Put a cone center in the tail-stock and bring it up to support the stem by interfaceing it with the hole and bevel inside the end of the stem.
16. Now turn the stem as you would a spindle. Then turn the base.
17. The base should be turned convex and insure that you leave enough room between it and the chuck to part it off. The base is actually pretty thin. Use the glass base you cut from the body as a model.
18. Use a water proof finish (I used wipe on poly) and part off the completed base-stem. Make sure you concave the bottom.
19. Glue the body into the stem with a clear silicon cement (I used GE silicon II, the stuff you seal bathtubs with).
20. After the silicon dries for a couple of days use a razor blade to trim the excess away.
21. Polish the wood and glass and then find a bottle of wine.

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