Turning between centers, or TBC for short, is a method for turning wood on a lathe without a traditional pen mandrel. This method uses a live center and a dead center to hold a pen blank and bushings in place instead of a mandrel, hence the phrase “turning between centers”. Eliminating the mandrel allows for greater accuracy and precision in your pen turning.
Why use the TBC method on your lathe?
When making a pen using a traditional pen mandrel, you might end up turning out of round. This means that your pen barrel comes out thicker on one side than the other. This is often because of flexibility in your mandrel, particularly as you work closer to the shaft, and your pen can end up looking oblong instead of round. When assembling your pen kit, your turned piece will not line up with the parts creating a noticeable ridge on one side. This will drive any perfectionist crazy and can make a finished project appear unprofessional. Turning between centers eliminates the the need for a mandrel and with it, any risk of mandrel bend, producing a perfectly symmetrical result.
How to turn between centers in pen making
To turn between centers, you need a few extra tools:
- Bushing Adapters
- Bushings
- 60 degree dead center
- 60 degree live center
- Pen barrel with tube glued inside
Here’s how to do it:
- Set up: Secure the dead center in the headstock of your lathe and the live center in the tail stock.
- Prepare the pen blank: Press the bushings into either end of the tube of your pen blank, then put an adapter into each bushing.
- Align and Secure: Hold this assembly up to the dead center, and then bring your tailstock in to meet the other end. Secure the assembly in place without over-tightening.
- Start turning: Start the lathe and begin to turn just as you normally would, working until your wood is flush with the bushings.
- Finish: Sand and finish your pen.
FAQ’s
Can you turn more than one barrel at a time? No. When turning between centers, you can only turn one pen blank at a time. For double-barreled pen kits you will have to turn the pieces separately but the perfect results are worth the extra effort.
Which bushings are compatible with the adapters? Our Canadian-made stainless steel bushing adapters will work with any bushings that fit a standard 7mm mandrel. The 60 degree indents in the end of each bushing adapter fit perfectly onto the 60 degree points of the live and dead centers.
What are live and dead centers? A dead center doesn’t have any moving parts, while a live center has ball bearings inside that allow it to rotate with the lathe project. This reduces friction and allows for amazing precision.
Can you sand and finish your barrel between centers? Yes. To prevent dark metal transfer from the kit bushings onto your barrel, you can remove the bushings and adapters and place your pen barrel between the centers on it’s own. Be very careful to tighten just enough to hold it still or it could destroy your hard work. If this technique sounds too risky, you can use non-stick finishing bushings made from delrin, which are also compatible with the 60 degree live and dead centers.
Try turning between centers
While it can seem tricky at first, turning between centers without a mandrel is the best way to ensure your lathe projects are perfectly round and symmetrical. With the right tools, you can easily master this technique and take your pen turning skills to the next level. Grab your tools from William Wood-Write and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our weekly sales.
