Pen mill barrel trimmer set

Woodturning Pen mill barrel trimmer set for squaring off the ends of pen and other woodturning kit blanks and for trimming the brass pen barrells to the correct lenght.

The purpose of end milling is to ensure that the ends of the blank are absolutely square and flat. This allows the pen hardware to fit correctly and flush with the blanks. End milling is an essential step in the pen making process.

Making sure the ends of your blanks are square is an important part of the pen or project kit turning process. A square end will ensure a better fit for your kit components.

There are several methods that can be employed for end milling. One method that doesn’t require otherwise specialty tools is to use a belt or disc sander. The ends of the blank are simply sanded down until flat. In theory, provided you have a belt/disc sander, this sounds easy. But, I have tried it and it was a disaster. Unless the table on your belt sander is 100% flat and steady this method is hazardous at best. Even if the belt sander has been positioned in the downward position and the blank is held down from above, instead of from the side, the less than perfect flatness of the sand paper itself can damage your blank beyond repair.

The easiest way to do this is using a pen mill shaft – also called a barrel trimmer or pilot shaft – with a cutter head. This is an extremely useful tool used to square up the ends of your pen blanks after the brass tubes have been glued inside the pen blank. The long rod fits inside the tube (which acts as a support and guide) and allows you to cut away excess wood until you reach the edge of the brass pen tube.

The best, and in my experience, correct way to end mill pen blanks is with an end mill tool. This small tool comes in two parts; the cutter head and the shaft. The cutter head is attached to the shaft with a small screw that is turned with an equally small Allen wrench or hex key. Because the cutter head is intended to cut the blank material, I routinely sharpen my cutter heads with small handled diamond sharpening plates. The process is quick, easy, and I think essential. A dull cutter head could simply rip you nice blank apart before you even have a chance to mount it on the lathe. All cutting tools, unless the bits or blades are replaceable, must be kept sharp at all times to prevent injury to you and/or disaster for your materials.