pen tubes

I would imagine the HF chain sharpener for chainsaw chains would easily cut them also! But I still don't understand why the need for all the extra tubes. If you blow the blank out finish cutting it off of the tube and resand and put that tube back to work. Am I missing something here?

Jonathan Shively said:

I would imagine the HF chain sharpener for chainsaw chains would easily cut them also! But I still don't understand why the need for all the extra tubes. If you blow the blank out finish cutting it off of the tube and resand and put that tube back to work. Am I missing something here?

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OK Jon; Here's my reason, and it's not really a lot of tubes, usually a pack of 5 or less. And turning off the tube after a blowout works, I don't like wasting tubes either.

At times I may not have the specific kit available to me that I would like to turn. Considering that I have the tubes, I can order the components, turn, finish, and have everything ready for when the components arrive. Assemble the pen etc. and Bob's your uncle!

I think I need to clarify something. The little HF cut of tool may have come with a different blade. I think I vaguely remember pitching it in the trash. I use a thin cut off wheel sometimes known as a "rubber wheel" It may be a dremel model, but I have a large collection of wheels aquired after 30 years as a die maker, so the source may be something else.

It cuts tubes just fine, although you need to let it do it's work and not force it through the tube because the flimsy machine will flex and the cut then sucks.......

Jonathan Shively said:

I would imagine the HF chain sharpener for chainsaw chains would easily cut them also! But I still don't understand why the need for all the extra tubes. If you blow the blank out finish cutting it off of the tube and resand and put that tube back to work. Am I missing something here?

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It's done. But, it is time consuming and can be a mess. Besides, sometimes the shortened blown blank can come in handy for other projects. Made up pens, light pulls, or, in my case, interesting work bench clutter.

Re-using the tubes isn't always a good idea. I trim the ends to the tube so you can lose a bit of length during that process. Nicks and dents can pop up, and at $.50 for a replacement set from CS, it's cheaper than the labor and effort that goes into re-using a blown blank. My last shipment from CS included 5 replacement tube sets for JG's. I'm just clumsy like that I guess