The worlds abuzz with the iPAD revolution.

I took a time out from turning wood and decided to tackle building an iPAD case. The pictures below exhibit try # 3.

The case is made of balsa so as not to add much weight. The back is fiberboard and has a unique slide out and fold design that provides an angular position for better viewing. I elected not to put a cover on the face, rather I plan to use a protective film. Inside the frame is a thin foam to protect all the surfaces.

The face frame is treated to some “burning” graphics and my initials.

I decided that a stylus would be a good addition especially for sketching woodturning ideas. A piece of conductive foam CA’d to the top of a metal mechanical pencil (Staedtler) worked great. The black thingy on the eraser end of the pencil is the writing surface.

I like penultimate and artstudio as drawing companions for the iPAD.

Email me if you would be interested in buying plans, if there is enough interested I will create them ….

Below are pictures of the design…..

Note: you can click on any picture and the left and right edges will allow you to scroll forward and backward.

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Both pieces are tuned from Aspen in Natural Edge configurations. Leaf Alone has a aspen leaf carved in the bottom.

Please vote for one of each in the form below:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Note: you can click on any picture and the left and right edges will allow you to scroll forward and backward.

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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I think she loved it, it was fun to make. The segments are all exotics and the flower arrainger came from Craft Supplies.

I think the turning is self explanatory.

Flower arrainger

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That’s the genesis of PentaPly!

The finish is 7 coats of highly polished gloss lacquer (Deft) following 5 coats of sanding sealer and many voids were filled with CA. I proved to my satisfaction that CA could be used to make repairs and will become invisible when a clear lacquer finish is used.

The photos were taken in my new store bought light box…….

I think it turnedoutright…..:)

Plywood

PentaPly

Lacquer finish

Alder Base

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Here is an update on Dec-Jan projects.These photos are also in the gallery. I will follow with details on some key projects. Comment or email me if there is one of these projects you would like more information on:

Advent wreath	Artificial stone	Acrylic
Shaving brush travel set	First ever Pepper Mill	Segmented Bottle stopper
Chisels for Dad!	For Mom!

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The Band rip

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