Slimline Sunday!

Excellent looking pens… would you mind giving us a little tutorial on how to make our own center bands?

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

Nice days work. The look great!

-- Greg Leighty, Versailles, KY

To make my own center bands I simply use a drill bit which is just a hair smaller than the 7mm drill bit. I can’t remember right off of the top of my head what the size is but I can check and get back with you. I do this because if you drill it with the 7mm drill bit it will be too loose on the mandrel and you will never be able to center it properly on the mandrel thus causing a lob-sided band. Anyway I drill the piece of wood and cut the band to the desired width, then I slide my first blank onto the mandrel, place a spacer then slide the band on, another spacer, the second blank and the rest of the spacers. I place it on the mandrel along with the blanks so I can match the size of the band to the blanks as I turn. I have found it easier to use a hardwood for the center band and ensure that my tools are freshly sharpened before I turn the band or it will break as it is an extremely small piece of wood! For the pen that appears to have no band (second one from the left) all I did was place a piece of oak without the spacers in between the blanks and tightened it down. But again you must ensure that the center band fits snug on the mandrel or it will never line up after removing it from the mandrel. Once I am finished turning and ready for assembly, I use a rat-tail file and slide it through the band and rotate the band on it, trying it on the pen mechanism as I go until it slides on.
Hope this helps you and if you’re like me you will go through trial and error to determine what works best for you. I originally did this because I was getting board with the slim line pen and I wanted a new twist. I think I will try painting the bands to give the pens some color, I’ll post the outcome when I do. Good luck and let me know how yours come out! As you can see in the picture, I began glueing pieces of woods together this weekend also. It is difficult to see in the picture above, but the pen which is forth from the left was cut using a scroll saw and pressed back together with a slither of oak in it giving it a swirl line. I only wish I would have done it with a darker wood than cyprees so it would have shown more. I will attach another closeup picture so maybe you can see it. Have fun and try everything!!!

-- Chuck, Breaux Bridge, LA

Awesome looking pens, I really like the center bands.

-- Andy Stark

Great looking pens and I like the center bands. I will have to try that sometime.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

Ever figure out the size bit needed for the center band?

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

Sorry for the delay, I checked this morning and it is a 1/4” bit I use to drill for the band. Once turned use a round or rat-tail file if necessary to clean it out, it should then slip right on.

-- Chuck, Breaux Bridge, LA

Edit to my previous post:
I noticed just this morning that if you use a 7/32” bit rather than a 1/4” bit and clean it out with a round file that you get a really snug fit on the mandrel and the pen mechanism fits perfectly into it. I think I will try this out this afternoon!! Heck I even excited myself with this discovery but it just goes to show you that trial and error really pays off!

-- Chuck, Breaux Bridge, LA

Thanks for the Idea chucklandry, I made a pen yesterday for my wife using Pink Ivory and made a Curly Maple Burl for a center band.

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

Have you posted it yet?

-- Chuck, Breaux Bridge, LA