Turning Acrylic

Steve Chavez

Member
Messages
33
I am making some slingshots for my grandsons and am turning the handles in acrylic. I tried it ( I'm a noob to the spiny thing) and had a lot of chipping. It turns different than wood but I don't know what to do to get a better result. Thank you.
 
I've only done a very small amount of plastic turning.. and I think most of what I've done is softer than most acrylics.. But I've found:

Use a medium speed (to low and you don't get a good cut, to high it melts).

I prefer edges tools like a skew, super light cuts, and you have to clear the ribbons out of the way fairly often. A SHARP negative rake scraper also works ok although it can be a smidge grabby (I might actually hone the bur off..). But overall, super sharp tools, light cuts, and it turns out ok usually.

Wet sand to finish.

This is a fairly decent video I found from penn-state. on the basics:

 
I've turned acrylic pens, and the tips Ryan mentioned are spot on. Keep in mind though, that "acrylic pens" are essentially a thin layer of acrylic over a metal tube. I think I'd be a bit cautious making slingshots out of solid acrylic. Depending on the type of plastic it is, I suspect it might be too brittle to work safely. Turned acrylic with a steel core might be a safer option.
 
I'm just learning the lathe thing, its fun and frustrating all at the same time, and expensive too. I have been mainly making pens. I work 60+ hrs a week so little time for woodworking and limited space for furniture type projects so the lathe allows me to get my woodworking fix in a short period of time. I am also making some kaleidoscopes for my granddaughters too so more to come.
 
I was pretty fortunafe, I had an older woodworker friend who had bought a Laguna lathe about 4years before he passed away. His wife made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I got the lathe, the 220v light? The bed extension, 2 chucks and all of the necessary tools for $1000. But I have still spent quite a bit upgrading some tooling and stuff.
 
I was pretty fortunafe, I had an older woodworker friend who had bought a Laguna lathe about 4years before he passed away. His wife made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I got the lathe, the 220v light? The bed extension, 2 chucks and all of the necessary tools for $1000. But I have still spent quite a bit upgrading some tooling and stuff.
That's a great deal, but I'll bet your friend would have wanted it to go to someone like you who'd put it to good use. :thumb: And I'm betting that $1000 helped out his widow.
 
I am making some slingshots for my grandsons and am turning the handles in acrylic. I tried it ( I'm a noob to the spiny thing) and had a lot of chipping. It turns different than wood but I don't know what to do to get a better result. Thank you.
I have done a few slingshots always out of wood. However, if you want them strong and coloured at the same way, micarta is the choice, either for the whole slingshot or for the handle, you can turn it in the same way as you would turn any epoxy piece.
 
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