Shopsmith Forums

mtobey wrote:Another "flexible" alternative, Gorilla Glue never gets quite hard, but is hard enough. It will provide an undetectable cushioning between blank and tube. I might note that I have had good luck at 1500 rpm with split or brad bit drills. Slow will gouge sometimes.

Hi mtobey,
You haven't had any trouble with the expanding property of the Gorilla Glue?

You need to be careful when using the gorilla glue. If you use too much it can cause the tube in the blank to turn oval instead of round as it dries (the glue expands), causing the wood to split when it gets thin. Also, gorilla glue needs moisture to set properly. A small amount of moisture is recommended on the inside of the wood blank before you slide in the tube with the gorilla glue on it.
Another thing that might be happening is that your pen mandrel is bent. Overtighting the pen blanks onto the mandrel will cause this. If it is bent, this will cause the wood blank to become thinner on one side and thick on the other, causing a blow out.
Also make sure that your barrel trimmer is straight also. This can cause the tube to become thin as you use the trimmer, again causing a blow out.
Since it happened to all the blanks, I don't think it is the wood itself. Sounds as if somehing is not lining up properly while preparing the blank for turning. Make sure everything is straight and true, especially in the drilling and mounting of the blank.
Hope this advice helps.

No I haven't- but then I was aware of the "swelling" so I have applied it sparingly. Also, I should step back a bit because I do mostly acrylics and celluloids. Most of the time I am a 20 minute two part epoxy user. I do no economy models so when I do a "run" it is perhaps 6 or so. Were I doing the basic ball pens, I would have to think about what I would use when I have prepped two dozen wood blank/tube combinations. Off the top of my head, I would stay with the slow kick-over epoxy.mt

woodburner wrote: Since it happened to all the blanks, I don't think it is the wood itself. .

I would agree if the blanks came from different stock. If, however, the blanks were cut by him from the same stock, I would think the woood could very easily be the culprit if it contained some unseen defect or internal stress.