Hi all,

Sorry if this is noob question. I'm going to turn some wood fly reel seats for the first time from 2" square stock and was wondering what might be the best work flow:

1) bore the square stock, put on a mandrel, then do final shape/size
2) chuck stock between centers, shape to final size, then bore it to fit rod?
3) or maybe a hybrid approach--rough the blank to round, bore it, place on a mandrel and then do final size/shaping

Tried checking online but really couldn't find an answer. I did see that many pen turners will bore stock fist, place on a mandrel, then shape.

Thanks for any suggestion and be safe!
Angelo

The best method will depend on your equipment. Assuming you have a quality three jaw self-centering chuck, I would mount between centers, turn to shape, and then without un-chucking the stock, bore to the desired diameter. Then part off at the chuck end.

When you center bore, make sure to use a pilot point or brad spur point bit. Regular twist-drill bits, which were really designed for metal work, have a bad tendency to follow irregularities in the wood grain. True wood boring bits will stay on center much, much better.


.........

1 or 3 is the best choice. Final finish on a mandrel insures the bore is concentric with the OD.

Good luck

Thanks! Both sound like great approaches. Forgot to mention that I plan to bore on the lathe. And yes, Tom, I do have a self-centering chuck. I like that idea since it's less moving around. I'll try them out.

Here’s what I do but other methods may work better for you depending on your set up.
I use a Barracuda two jaw pen chuck. It centers the blank pretty good. I mark the centers on both ends then mount it in the chuck. I use a centering bit to start the bore.
Then bring up the live tail suck and turn to almost final dimensions. Turn the blank around and turn the remaining blank. Measure your needed length. Turn any shoulders. At this point I bore. Then turn it down to final diameter and finish.
If I get a nice batch of material and I’m on a roll I will turn them to almost done and take them off the lathe. That way I can go back and bore to a specific size later then finish.

The first time that I turned wood grips, I used #2. It worked fine, but after completing the job, I felt that the job would have been quicker and easier if the square stock has just been turned to a round shape - larger than the final shape and then center bored.

Then, the grip mounted on a mandrel for all of the rest of the work.

Take care

When you mount the bored stock on a mandrel, how do you secure the stock to the mandrel so it does not spin freely?

I use hardened threaded rod.
I put a washer and nut on one end.
I put a washer and nut on the other end.
I tighten the nuts sufficiently so that the work being turned does not turn on the mandrel.


Take care.

First thing I would do is cut that 2" down to not more than 1/4" larger than the seat insert is going to be. Usless to spend the time removing all that excess material. I have a dedicated blank drilling chuck for my lathe, so I bore first, then transfer to a mandrel and complete the turning process

Ron Weber

Thanks all for the continued recommendations! These sound great and looking forward trying them out this weekend.