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Does anyone have a suggestion on how to clamp the button end of a premolded stem while turning the tenon? I am using a Taig lathe for the stems.

Thanks,

Randy

A few years ago, some guy made and marketed a chuckable, concave cone widget with a slot that was designed for the purpose, but I don't know how well they worked or if they're still available.

Was it Kim Kendall that made them?

Depending on how you are set up for the lathe, if you can chuck a flat screwdriver tip and slide a stem over that you can use that as a drive spur, or you could cut a slot in a plywood faceplate and insert the fishtail in that.

The Taig four-jaw self-centering chuck works pretty well for grabbing most pre-formed stems. That's how I used it in my pre-formed days.

Taig 4 jaw works great or eyeball it and cut some balsa to hold it and if you don' crank the jaws as tight as you can it will work on most stems.The spur thing SAS suggest works great also.Penn state industries makes a drive thingy for pens that would work.And thank you thingy is a word , just ask Scottie.

If you drill your airway first you could use a pin gauge in the airway to turn down the tenon. Just put a live center on the button end to keep it centered.

I created this stem chucking tool out of African blackwood. I turned the shank portion to fit in my headstock and then cut out an oval socket that tapers from a button size way beyond what I would ever make down to a trendy skinny button. I ground out the socket that receives the button using a Foredom going back and forth from the bench to the lathe until I had it perfectly centered using a dial guage. I span the stem between my tool and a live center allowing me to taper the stem and cut the tenon.

That is VERY nifty!

Greetings,

Learned how to make this from Paul Perri:







Bar stock aluminum, machine the cone in one end, slip on slotted chair/cane foot to prevent stem from spinning. Self centers the stem every time. Simple. A "why didn't I think of that" thing.

CACooper

I am assuming very light cuts with these setups?

Piece of alumimium rod, groove on one face to take button and a pin to keep the stem in place.
Makes sense?

caskwith wrote:I am assuming very light cuts with these setups?

IF you have a taper in the "socket" end, the piece sits quite securely.

I was thinking more that if the cutter dug in too deeply from a heavy cut then you might twist off the button?

Piece of alumimium rod, groove on one face to take button and a pin to keep the stem in place.
Makes sense?

Do you pre-bore the airway hole at the button to a specific size first? My experience has been that the airways in molded stems are all over the place size-wise. Or do you have several of these with different size pins (or an interchangeable pin system)?
Chas.

It's been years since I last used pre-molds, but way back I only had one size pin.
It worked a treat. When it broke while turning, because of digging in, it normally was at the tenon side.

Thank you for your suggestions. These were great ideas!

Randy

I saw CA's Paul Perri tool somewhere and sent pics of it to a friend who is a better machinist than I. He made one for me and for himself. Works great! I've done quite a few stem replacements since getting it.