Wood Again! :)

[watch_art]

It's been a long time since I made a wooden pen, and with the metal lathe it's SOOOO much easier.

Before I got the metal lathe I bought some fancy brad point wood drill bits, to hopefully make drilling into the wood a wobble free experience. Well, no such luck. Fancy bits still wobble. Good thing I have a nice long boring bar.

 

 

This is desert ironwood and it's beautiful stuff. Teamed up with black acrylic and a 1.5 Jowo stub nib.

Don't forget those lovely 4 lead cap to barrel threads. Smoooooth.

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/woodstart.jpg?w=1000&h=

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/woodblanks.jpg?w=1000&h=

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/wood.jpg?w=1000&h=

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/wood1.jpg?w=1000&h=

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/wood2.jpg?w=1000&h=

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/wood3.jpg?w=1000&h=

[mbankirer]

Beautiful grain!

[ejcollasius]

Have you ever worked with Lignum Vitae?

[watch_art]

Funny you ask.
I have two big ole pieces of the stuff on my shelf that an FPNer gave me when I first got into pen making.

I'll use it eventually. I've got a lot of orders to take care of right now.

[Inspector]

So far so good. Is the wood Cocobolo? Hard to tell with the colour of the shop lighting in the pictures.

 

Brad point bits are better for wood, just not for end grain drilling like you are doing. They are meant for face grain, the side of the tree, where the point will keep the bit on track and the brads cut the grain at the outside edges of the hole so there is no tear out.

 

How do you do the 4 lead threads? I recently read an article in a machining magazine where the author cut a 6 lead thread to see if he could. He removed and repositioned the chuck one sixth of a rotation by removing it from the D-6 mount and remounting it. The same can be done with our D-5 chucks as they also have 6 pins. A 3 lead thread would be more practical for a pen using 1 third of a rotation instead.

 

Pete

[watch_art]

The wood is iron wood. And yes my lighting is awful.

The bradpoint bits - oh - I didn't know that about plank side vs grain side with those bits. I didn't know it mattered.

If I drill a starter hole with a center bit then things stay pretty straight without so much wobble. It's an extra step but it helps.

 

I've learned a couple of ways to do the multi start leads - but this method I found on a machinists forum is the easiest to do on any metal lathe without somebody holding your hand to get you started...

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/15951-Multiple-start-threads

 

go to post #3.

 

Moving the chuck for each thread sounds crazy. No way I'd go through all of that trouble.

 

I've done double and triple start along with the four start on my lathe. They're all the same difficulty. Four lead is easy though.

[Brian C]

That is beautiful! I want one.

[watch_art]

Then you shall have one. I have some lignum vitae, walnut, cherry, oak, cedar, uhm..... african blackwood.....

 

uhmm......

 

[InvisibleMan]

Looks great, Shawn! Desert Ironwood is a gorgeous wood. The burl is nothing short of spectacular when you can find it.

[watch_art]

More process pics...

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/process-10.jpg?w=1400&h=

 

 

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/process-12.jpg?w=1400&h=

 

 

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/process-13.jpg?w=1000&h=

 

and it's done.

http://newtonpens.wordpress.com/the-iron-pen/

 

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/017.jpg?w=1400&h=

 

 

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/019.jpg?w=1000&h=

[Pelikan Vera]

nice.

[manojd]

That is nice, Shawn.

 

I like the grain on this one.

[richardandtracy]

Shawn,

 

What speed do you run the lathe at? I have never got carbide cutters to cut timber. It may be that I run it too slowly, or my cutters are a bit blunt. I don't like running the lathe above 900 rpm. At 1600 rpm the 5" chuck gives me the heebie jeebies over what would happen if it came off..

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[watch_art]

I run it at 1500 for turning, 800 or so for drilling. With one of the cutting tools I use it left such a smooth finish it didn't even need to be sanded.

The carbide cutter leves a rougher finish, but still nice and clean.

 

What's up with your chuck?

[richardandtracy]

The only time I successfully cut timber on the lathe was with the parting tool and purpleheart. Then I was using it to trace a profile of a P61 barrel which I then sanded down. It did work nicely with that very hard wood.

 

Maybe my problem has been the use of not very hard woods.

 

Nothing is wrong with the chuck. Just 8lb of steel spinning at 1600 rpm scares the pants off me. I have visions of my own mortality.. That, and the knowledge there's less energy in a pistol bullet.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[watch_art]

gotcha. My face is usually inches from the chuck when it's spinning. Well, inches and to the right a bit. So not right over it.

[ejcollasius]

How does one order a lignum vitae pen from you?

[watch_art]

Send me an email.

shawn@newtonpens.com

[opus7600]

So you're doing wood again? Very cool. Could you do a wood "binde" to go over a full acrylic barrel?

[watch_art]

Yep!