A little lathe time and I have produced a one of a kind gift that will make my mom very happy.

You just want to pick them up don't you?

Look at those handles pop

Of course mom does drop by this site from time to time so I hope I didn’t just ruin the surprise that will be arriving in the mail this weekend…oops

I have a barrel trimmer that I use when squaring up the end of a pen blank with the brass tubes. I normally chuck it up in a cordless drill to remove the bulk of the wood. I tend to be a little liberal with the CA glue when inserting these tubes and I like to seal up the end grain to prevent chipping out the pen blank where it meets the bushings. This is the part that is usually the thinnest and most delicate. All of that hardened CA glue can be a problem when trying to slide the blank onto the mandrel so I have a second barrel trimmer with a threaded end that is intended to be fixed to a handle.

So now I have the perfect short project to get my woodworking fix and make something very functional.
I measured the threaded end using calipers and drilled a hole slightly deeper than the extent of the rod that was the inner diameter (between the threads) of the rod. From there it was a simple matter to chuck it up and turn a comfortable handle, sand it, and finish it to a high shine.

Now I have a handy little tool to help me crack out the glue stuck to the inside of the brass tube that makes my blanks stick to the mandrel. 30 minutes of bliss!!

Watch the new barrel trimmer in action:

So I did it the hard way. There was no question that I would get the best color match doing it this way since I was essentially gluing up cutoffs from the original stock to make these 2 legs. The problem was that I only had thin strips about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick and would need anywhere from 6 to 10 laminations to make my 2.5″ square stock. This many laminations can be tough to get a good consistent grain pattern as well as add a lot of jointing and planing work (especially doing it by hand). Not to mention the difficulty of laminating so many pieces and keeping them in line so you don’t waste stock cleaning it up later.

In the end I feel I was able to get 2 good looking blanks with almost invisible glue lines. It helped that I used dark brown hide glue as well since it blended in with the Walnut very nicely. I knew that I would use these two legs at the back of the table so I wasn’t too concerned but I made sure to place the non laminated side forward when laying out for the turning. Once I have established the pommel and turned the lower portion of the leg, I stepped back to assess the look.

Laminated Leg Blank

I am really happy with this as the turning blended the different strips together and you have to look really hard to pick out the glue lines. Moreover the color is consistent and the grain all flows nicely together. So really my point here is going through this exercise reaped a lot of benefits for me: it gave me even more planing practice as I flattened each face, more glue up practice as I laminated all the blanks and kept them in line, and design practice as I worked to unify the grain and piece them together.

It would have been a lot faster to buy some new stock, but in the long run the payoff for doing it the hard way far outweighs the time difference.

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Thank you all for watching all year and I look forward to 2010. I hope everyone can get their share of quality shop time this holiday and see you all next year!

4 years ago, she had specialty note cards printed up with her school’s mascot on it to gift to all her teaching colleagues. She enlisted me to make pens to go with those cards. Then it was desk clocks, then wooden bowls full of cookies. Every year the bar gets raised just a little and the pressure is on to come up with a new idea.

This year the fine folks at Craft Supplies came through by offering fondue forks project parts. My wife makes amazing Pound Cake so the light bulb went up and ta da!!!

8 pound cakes, a chocolate fondue recipe, and of course 32 hand turned fondue forks made from beautiful woods. Take that last’s year gift!!

…now about next year, I was thinking about a chocolate fountain…

Stay tuned to the blog for real time video and audio updates coming to you from Valley Forge and the Woodworking in America Hand Tools and Techniques conference. I will be posting full episodes with my editorial take on each seminar I attended as well as audioboo updates (you can subscribe via iTunes here for those) that will be posted here on the site as well as broadcast out via Twitter.

In addition I will try to capture some video from my iPhone that will be uploaded to YouTube and you will be able to view those clips through the YouTube widget on the home page. New posted will also be announced on Twitter so if you are not following @renaissanceWW then maybe you should

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Certainly this process requires great precision but more importantly great patience to get every tiny part perfectly cut and then assembled to make this masterpiece.

Rockler has recently taken a lot of that work out of the equation so the rest of us mere mortals have a shot at creating one of these beauties. In a recent post on Buzz Saw, the Rockler blog, Jim Carroll, the manager a turning at Rockler, said that these while these kits are easier than doing them yourself they are not for the beginning turner due to the light hand you need to size the blanks and the sharp tools need for the cutting. Rockler’s kits are stabilized blanks and with all the CA glue used to assemble them you will need a very sharp edge on your gouges and you will need to keep it that way.

I also recommend definitely wearing a respirator when turning these kits as the resins used during the stabilization and CA can put off some funky stuff. Granted every turner should be wearing a respirator whenever they turn, but I’m not going to lie and say I do it all the time

So head over the Rockler’s inlay pen kit page and check out their new line of inlay pen kits and pick out your favorite design, make sure you are stocked up on CA glue and make yourself a masterpiece!

This week’s episode is sponsored by Penn State Industries. I turn the new Bullet Cartridge pen and give a complete kit away at the end of the show. Also I turn this pen from acrylic and discuss how to work with this material. Finally PSI was kind enough to send two bottles of Plastics Polish so I test out this finishing method to great success.

Enjoy the show!

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The blog of the week is The Timber Kid at www.thetimberkid.com

The book on Japanese Joinery is:

The Art of Japanese Joinery

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Shannon,

I finally was able to turn my pen (pictures attached). I made it out of ebony, sanded to 2400 grit, then finished with EEE-Ultra shine paste wax, and Mylands friction polish with a final coat of paste wax. Thanks for putting out such a great show I look forward to your next turning project.

Thanks again,

Todd O

Richfield, MN

Here are some more pictures of Todd’s glorious creation:

Thanks for sharing Todd and keep up the great work. Ebony is one of my favorite woods to turn and pens are small enough to allow me to do it without breaking the bank!

So how about the rest of you listeners out there. I know you are turning so let’s see what you have made.

As always, please email me your questions or comments on the show. I would love to hear what everyone thinks of the video. I would like to do more of these in the future but I need some more time working with my software to get all the advanced features right. Please send me your pics of your own completed pens too. In the coming weeks I will probably take a little break from turning and discuss some of the other woodworking styles that go on in my shop. If there is a topic you would like me to cover please drop me a line or a comment here in the blog and I will do my best to add it to the lineup. Thanks to everyone for stopping by and watching!

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Throughout the week I will release additional videos which cover the individual steps in the build. Stay tuned and let me hear from everyone who will be turning along with me. I want to see your finished pens when they are done and will post them here for the world to see if you like.

Here are the required supplies:

Pen Kit Woodcraft item # 128435
Bushings #128452
3/4 x 3/4 x 5 1/2 blank
3/8 drill bit
3/4 Roughing Gouge
1/8 Parting Tool
Vise or Pen Press
Sandpaper to 600 grit
Finish of choice: I will use EEE cream and Shellawax

These are the Woodcraft instructions for this pen kit.
Euro Screw Cap Pen Instructions

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After drilling the blanks and glueing in the brass tubes it was time to square the ends with the brass using my barrel trimmer. With all of the talk of sharpening lately I have been paying more attention to my tools and sure enough this barrel trimmer is in a sad state of affairs. Can you blame it? All it does is cut end grain and mostly hard exotics at that!

Out comes my handy dandy DMT diamond file.

This is a very simple operation and the trimmer doesn’t have to be razor sharp. Like most things though you won’t realize how dull it was until your sharpen it again. I take light swipes on the bevel like this.

I use both sides of the file to refine the scratch pattern. In this particular instance there was some crud build up on the flats so I touched up those faces too. Once I loaded it back into the cordless drill and put it to the wood the difference was phenomenal. With these barrel trimmers gravity should do all the work for you. If you force it too much you risk tearing out the end grain around the brass tube and that is no fun to fix with CA glue.

Don’t forget to sharpen those little tools you have around your shop. These DMT files are excellent for all around sharpening including router bits!

Anyway, once I had that done I went to work on the pens and here is the result. Man, that newly sharpened roughing gouge made a big difference too! This kit is a typical Euro style pen but it has the screw off cap. Not a new kit to the market, but a new one to me. I really like the slightly beefier profile and the screw cap is an added touch of elegance.

I also have these certificates of authenticity to add the the holy land Olive wood mystique.

In the coming episodes of RWW I will be discussing some projects that we can all work on together in the same style as T-Chisel’s project series. These will be lathe projects that will only take a few hours to complete and will start easy and work into harder designs. So let me hear from you about your participation. While I won’t go so far as to ask for pledges like T-Chisel does, I would be curious to see how many of you are turning along with me. And of course participation means showing pictures of your finished projects.

So who’s in? Hello? Helllloooooo -oh-oh-oh? Is there anybody out there? I’ll post some more details this week and next about the projects on tap.

This week I discuss not so much how to go about sharpening your turning tools as the jigs today make it very easy, but tips and points to remember when sharpening your turning tools. Plus it is really hard to talk about it rather than showing you. Check out the link below to Woodsmith Magazines latest video podcast on the same topic.

1. Repeatability is key
2. Honing strengthens the edge along with making it sharper
3. Use the burr on scrapers to your advantage
4. Shaping and Sharpening are different beasts: shape once and sharpen often.

Please stop by the blog and leave a comment, you feedback is greatly appreciated to make the show better. Or send me an email at shannon@rogersfinewoodworking.com.

Today’s Links:

Great FX Business Cards where I got my great cards

Woodcraft: Their having a sale on all Sorby turning tools and some great pen kits

Woodworking Online’s Turning Tool sharpening podcast

Craig Steven’s site and his excellent interviews

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The Sorby Intermediate Turning Set is great for both spindle and bowl turning and includes 6 tools.

3/8th Bowl Gouge
3/8th Spindle Gouge
1/8th Parting Tool
3/4 Roughing Gouge
3/4 Oval Skew Chisel
1/2 Round Nose Scraper

These are excellent tools that will last you a very long time and are made of the finest high speed steel.

If you have some basic tools already and are just looking to upgrade or purchase a few more, Woodcraft is offering all Sorby turning tools at 20% off! Check it out these prices are good starting this weekend, September 27th and running through October 31st. Trick or Treat!

Here is the link on steel spark patterns to identify the type of steel you are grinding:

Pen turning is a great entry to wood turning and once you make one pen you will be hooked and all of your friends and family will want their very own pen. With the Christmas season fast approaching it is time to jump in and get turning so you can get all those orders done in time. I discuss what you need to prep the blank, how to turn it, and how to finish it. I also discuss safety items and resources for more information.

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And a great book by Barry Gross called

Pen Turner’s Handbook

Here is a link to some mandrels at Penn State, and a shot of a barrel trimmer too.

Roughing Gouge
Parting Tool
Spindle Gouge
Skew Chisel

Additionally this week I am including some short videos here in the post to supplement the audio. I am hoping that these videos, no matter how bad the quality, will turn on a light bulb for many as it can be really difficult to verbally describe tool handling in 3 planes of movement.

Feel free to stop and start the podcast at each section to watch the accompanying video. Please forgive some of the quality of video. This is my first attempt and I continually was bumping into the camera. I have even more respect for The Wood Whisperer this week for their filming ability. Enjoy!

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Here in the roughing gouge video I show the technique for forming long shallow coves in the spindle.

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In the spindle gouge video, I illustrate how to form beads between the grooves just made by the parting tool. Notice how if you rub the bevel the tool guides the shape of the bead.

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Finally in the skew chisel video I mark out transition lines using the skew as a parting tool and then turn tight beads between.

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One of the other ways to use a skew chisel is in planing cuts to clean up a blank after roughing it out. In the following picture you can see the difference between a roughing gouge cut and a skew chisel cut.

Now I did all of my exercises on the same blank, but I recommend using one blank for each exercise so you can repeat each task several times to get the feel for it. Here is what I came up with after playing around a little more.

So everyone get out your tools and try out these exercises. You’ll be surprised just how much fun you can have without actually making anything. Play around and send me some pictures of your practice pieces. Don’t forget your faceplate and don’t set up a camera right next to you. You will be surprise just how much easier it is without a tripod to bump into!

Questions, suggestions, comments please leave a post here or email me at shannon@rogersfinewoodworking.com

1. Match the speed of the lathe to the size of your work piece

-Under 2 1/2″ square: 2000 rpm, over 24″ long: 1500 rpm
-2 1/2″ – 4″: 1500 rpm, over 24″ long: 1000 rpm
-over 4″: 1000 rpm, over 24″ long: 750 rpm
-up to 8″:1000 rpm, over 2″ thick: 750 rpm
-8-12″: 750 rpm
-over 12″: as low as it goes.

2. Tool should be supported and resting on tool rest before it touches the workpiece

3. Rub the Bevel

-the bevel should be supporting the cut directly behind the cutting edge. In this photo (sorry for the focus here) you can see the bevel supporting the cut.

4. Scrapers should be used in a downward presentation or “tailing” mode.

-the bevel is so short due to the high angle (70-80 degrees) so the cutting edge should be presented first instead of the bevel.

5. The portion of the tool doing the cutting should have direct support from the tool rest
Here the roughing gouge is turned to engage the left side of the tool but that side is not supported by the tool rest.

In this photo the same left side of the gouge is presented to the wood, but the tool is rotated to support the cutting edge.

6. Always cut downhill

Finally, don’t forget safety. Exotic wood can be very irritating to the eyes, lungs, and skin. Wear a respirator and a turning jacket to keep the shavings out of your shirt and off your arms.

As always, please leave me a comment here or drop me a line at shannon@rogersfinewoodworking.com

Or follow me on Twitter, just click on the sidebar to the right.

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Per the request of a few viewers here is a picture of some of the tools I speak about in this episode.

From the top you see a spindle gouge, round edge scraper, roughing gouge, and a bowl gouge.

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I thought this might make a good post on typical spindle turning. Let me warn you though that there is nothing typical about Lignum Vitae. This stuff is ridiculously hard!! I must have hit the Tormek about 3 different times while turning this mallet.

Anyway, after cutting the block to an approximate length leaving about 1 inch on either end for mounting in the lathe, I marked the centers. Then I seated the drive center on one end with a good knock from a plastic tipped hammer.

Then I mounted the block in the lathe. You don’t need to apply too much pressure on the other end with the tail stock. Many people tighten this too much and it can damage the bearings on your head stock. I slide the tail stock close, lock it in place, and screw the live center over until it touches and then about 1/2 turn more to seat the piece. Just make sure you seat the tail stock on the center mark.

With the diameter of this piece being over 3 inches and the length just over 12″ I dropped the speed down to 1200 RPM. Using a 1″ roughing gouge I turned the whole block into a cylinder. Then I used a pencil to mark out the transition dimensions on the blank where the mallet tapers, transitions to the handle, the handle flares, and then finally terminates.

Using a 1/4 parting tool, I reduced the thickness at each point to my desired diameter using my Galbert caliper. The back to the roughing gouge I formed the gentle taper of the mallet head.

With the curves of this piece being so gentle I actually use the roughing gouge to do all the shaping with the exception of the sharp taper from the mallet head to the handle. Here I used a 1/2 spindle gouge.

Finally, I used my parting tool again to define the ends of the mallet but kept the material thick enough to support the sanding and finishing. I worked from 150 grit up to 400 grit and then put a single coat of shellawax on the mallet and it was good to go.

During the final parting from the lathe I did taper slightly inward forming a slight concavity on both ends. This allows the mallet to stand on it’s end on the bench without rocking.

With about 30 minutes of work I now have a carving mallet to last through the ages!

I think I probably bought this 4 or 5 years ago because I was in desperate need of an awl. Obviously I figured out a band-aid solution and hadn’t thought of it since. In the past few years, my hand tool obsession has me doing more and more hand work. I also keep reaching for my non-existent awl time and again. Well today when I rediscovered this little kit it was like Christmas time in July.

I have some beautiful Cocobolo left over from a candle votive project I did last Christmas and these chunky blanks were an almost perfect 2″ square. I cut off a piece about 4″ long and drilled a 7mm hole down the center.

Like any pen kit, I had to glue in the 2 3/4″ brass tube. It is threaded onto the mandrel using typical 7mm slimline bushings. I set to work rounding the blank with a roughing gouge and started on a rough shape to the handle.

The brass parts screw onto two threaded bushings that press onto either end of the handle so I had to turn a 1/4″ tenon on each end to receive those bushings. Fortunately the design of this kit is quite simple so that all you have to do is use a 1/4″ parting tool to turn the blank all the way down to the brass tubes.

Next I wanted to get an idea of the diameter of the brass fitting on either end so that I could match the curve of the handle to blend seamlessly into the brass. Using a caliper I discover I needed to get to 11/32″ to match the outer diameter.

I have this killer tool I bought from Peter Galbert that allows you to size while turning. This is so incredibly useful for tasks like this.

Peter has a few great videos up on his site demonstrating the caliper that do a much better job than I could do here so go check them out.

Finally having roughed in the end diameters I switched to my spindle gouge and started to refine the shape. I was on a roll so I just started turning away wood. Before I knew it I really had gotten carried away and I was not liking how the shape was coming out at all. This is where it is really helpful to have a drawing in front of you to follow. I had only pictured it in my mind and you can see how well that worked. out. So I had to scrap that blank and start over.

Here you can see the two blanks (yes I went ahead and polished the first screw up, don’t ask). Now it should be obvious why having a drawing with measurements produces a better end result.

Sanded to 12,000 grit, Danish oil, and some Shellawax polish brought out an amazing shine. One of the things I really like about Cocobolo is that each piece is truly unique. The two pieces above came from the same blank and yet they have differnt hues to them. You never know what you are going to get with this stuff.

Here is the complete awl. I’m almost afraid to use it now. Maybe I’ll just hang it on the wall and stare at it.