02-21-2017, 02:49 AM
turning between centres i use a morse taper dead center in the headstock end and a live centre in the tail stock . for a lot of years i just used the bushings that you can buy and they work fine on those centers , but i now use for some of my pens styles longer bushings that i have made and with a bigger 60 degree counterbore for the centres to drive on .
for trimming the blanks i now use some fixtures that i made on the metal lathe but i started with wooden ones my curent ones are stainless steel i will put a couple of pics at the end of the post . i have made these in sizes for each of the brass tubes so i have one for every kit type i use .
i bent about 4 mandrels before i gave up using them . i did buy and still use sometimes a special tailstock end live centre with a hole in the middle that the mandrel goes in which means you dont need the nut on the end of the mandrel and also you have less mandrel unsupported.. .
i will include a pic of the tail stock live centre with the whole in the middle for the mandrel it is handy when you just have to use a mandrel but like i say i almost never use a mandrel just turn between centers on the pen bushes . i do all my turning useing 1/2 and 3/4 inch skews ( very sharp ) and i have no trouble getting enough friction to drive the blanks using just the centres .
these stainless steel jigs are a good snug sliding fit for each of the brass tubes i use . they are no good if they are to sloppy . also they are 10mm or so shorter than the brass .
johno.
for trimming the blanks i now use some fixtures that i made on the metal lathe but i started with wooden ones my curent ones are stainless steel i will put a couple of pics at the end of the post . i have made these in sizes for each of the brass tubes so i have one for every kit type i use .
i bent about 4 mandrels before i gave up using them . i did buy and still use sometimes a special tailstock end live centre with a hole in the middle that the mandrel goes in which means you dont need the nut on the end of the mandrel and also you have less mandrel unsupported.. .
i will include a pic of the tail stock live centre with the whole in the middle for the mandrel it is handy when you just have to use a mandrel but like i say i almost never use a mandrel just turn between centers on the pen bushes . i do all my turning useing 1/2 and 3/4 inch skews ( very sharp ) and i have no trouble getting enough friction to drive the blanks using just the centres .
these stainless steel jigs are a good snug sliding fit for each of the brass tubes i use . they are no good if they are to sloppy . also they are 10mm or so shorter than the brass .
johno.
texx, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since May 2014.