October 18, 201114 yr I'm not sure this idea has been posted on this site, so thought I would throw it out there.  I bought a chunk of Corian and made different products from it.  Here is one of them.  The Corian was 1/2 inch thick, which I cut into a strip and drilled the hole down the center for the cartridge.  Corian 1/2 inch thick will only make a slimline, but I understand you can get Corian that is thicker.   A small piece of corian could make a lot of pens.  The hardware for this pen was very inexpensive. Corian is not pleasant to work with as it makes lots of dust.  Anyone turning this product will definitely want to wear a dust mask.  You don't want to be breathing this stuff into your lungs.   I thought it would be clever to hook up with a Corian dealer or someone that installs Corian countertops, etc and make a bunch of pens for them to give away as a promotional item to prospective buyers.   SQ     It it can't be fixed with glue and sawdust - it's not worth fixing.
October 18, 201114 yr Sue..Very nice looking pen.I make rings out od Corian by drilling an undersize hole in a flat piece of Corain and shape it into a round on my disc sander.Then I chuck up the disc in my metal lathe four-jaw chuck and finish and polish the hole to size.Then I turn a tapered mandrel on my lathe and slip on the ring and turn it to size. I use a "crown" shape on the outside. Polish it up and you're done. I usually make them 1/4" wide.LarryÂ
October 19, 201114 yr Author Larry Jenkins mentioned he cuts Corian with a table saw. Â Â Charles, you mentioned you have a mini table saw. Â I would be interested in knowing what kind it is. Â I'm not a fan of the regular table saw. Â I swear that machine is out to harm me. Â I have had wood take flight and I have dents in the garage door to prove it. Â Fortunately, the dents only show from the inside of the garage. Â Thinking a mini table saw might be just what I need. Â What size blade does it use? Care to post a picture of it? What brand is it? Â I will cut things with the scroll saw, chop saw, and band saw. Â But if something has to be cut on the table saw - I have my husband do it. Â It's not an ideal situation, but this arrangement has prevented additional dents in the garage door. Â Â SQ Charles Nicholls said: Â Very nice pen, I actually have a bit of that color myself. Not sure that the bandsaw would cut it accurately but if it will then I'm in business. Â Charles
October 19, 201114 yr Hey Gang..Because of Sue's fear of her 10" Delta table saw, I promised to write a blog about (in my humble opine) how to set up and use the table saw.The methods and drawings will be what works for me and maybe some of it will help Sue overcome her fears with hers.Stay tuned. Lots going on Miight be a couple days.Larry
October 19, 201114 yr That's pretty awesome Larry! Looking forward to your blog!SQ, I am glad the dents are in your garage door and not in your head.I'd be interested to know how your mini TS works too Charles. I have always been in the belief that smaller horsepower saws will actually cause more kickbacks then standard horse powered sized saws. But it depends on what is being cut as well. Running some 5/4 through a 1/3rd hp mini saw, just won't work the best. But perhaps if your running thinner material, you'd be in business. Larry Jenkins said:Hey Gang..Because of Sue's fear of her 10" Delta table saw, I promised to write a blog about (in my humble opine) how to set up and use the table saw.The methods and drawings will be what works for me and maybe some of it will help Sue overcome her fears with hers.Stay tuned. Lots going on Miight be a couple days.Larry John Morris The Patriot Woodworker
October 19, 201114 yr Great looking pen Sue. I have not made any from Corian. I keep thinking I will run by one of the counter top place and pick up some, just don't ever seem to remember to go by there. I have seen some very nice pens and as Larry said, rings and even a few bracelets.  Thanks for bringing that idea back to the top. John MoodyJohn Moody Woodworkshttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
October 19, 201114 yr Nice Pen Sue, I love to turn Corian, I have one of those square insert tools, and it makes it real easy to turn Corian. I have founf a supplier in my area, and I got somme Red, White, and Blue and laminated it together and made some nice patriotic pens for the troops.
October 19, 201114 yr Author Larry,I am looking forward to seeing your blog.  The table saw is one bad machine.  I can't seem to get comfortable with it.  Bring on the lessons  I could certainly use some.   SQ Hey Gang..Because of Sue's fear of her 10" Delta table saw, I promised to write a blog about (in my humble opine) how to set up and use the table saw.The methods and drawings will be what works for me and maybe some of it will help Sue overcome her fears with hers.Stay tuned. Lots going on Miight be a couple days.Larry
October 20, 201114 yr Sue, and others..IÂ have taken about 8 picures of what I'm going to Blog about.Need to get the best one's chosen, re-size them and start the Blog.Becase setting up a table saw for mximum safety is somewhat controversial and opinionated, the Blog should be pretty interesting..Stay tuned..Larry
October 20, 201114 yr Back to the use of Corian. I have glued some of the 1/2 " pieces together with CA glue and then turned them to a larger pen size and it is awful difficult to see the seam line at all. Give it a try.
October 20, 201114 yr Author That's a very good idea.  I have glued up Corian before and yes you really can't see the seam. Just haven't done it for a pen. SQLeo Pedersen said:Back to the use of Corian. I have glued some of the 1/2 " pieces together with CA glue and then turned them to a larger pen size and it is awful difficult to see the seam line at all. Give it a try.
October 20, 201114 yr Author Thanks for the information.  SQArlin Eastman said:SueIf you have a section of Corian you can cut 2 pieces 3/4" thick and glue them together to make a larger pen, works like a charm. Also Penn State Ind has a Micro Miter Chop Saw that cuts up to 1" thick material. I hear it works really well on all pen material.Here is the link    http://www.pennstateind.com/store/MTS4.html  and any extra blades (Carbide tooth) only cost $9.95Arlin
October 20, 201114 yr Hey Charles,When I glue up Corian, I always glue shinny side to shinny side. I use the thin Ca to glue up Corian, the only thing is that it will bond it instantly, so be sure that you are ready to put them together fast, then I clamp them just to be sure that they are togetheer real tight. When I glue up the red and white, I always turn the pieces on edge and make a mark where I want them to come together at, I also put a piece of wax paper under them so that the thin glue will run out on the wax paper.
October 20, 201114 yr Author Charles, Â LOL Â I have a couple of big slabs of Corian myself - so don't think I need anymore. Â Now if you had a scroll saw you could make other items such as a cutting board, and a rocking horse from your Corian. Â Â SQCharles Nicholls said: Thanks Keith, It would be nice to be able to make larger pens from the Corian. i have about 20 pounds of it in my closet but have not tried to glue any together yet since at the time i didn't have much CA to work with. Now i have about 4 ounces of thin and 8 of the the supposedly thick stuff although it looks more like medium. the thick i used to have ran about like molases when put on parts, this here is more than water but less than molases ( I guess more like pancake syrup). Not sure that there is an application for the thick with Corian but I may try that too and see what happens. If i can't get any good result here with it, I may just ship it off to Susie and put a smile on her face. Â Â Â keith long said: Â Charles
October 21, 201114 yr Author I just might try gluing some pieces together for a thicker pen.  Thanks for the information about the saw.    SQSQ said: Thanks for the information.  SQArlin Eastman said:  It it can't be fixed with glue and sawdust - it's not worth fixing.
October 21, 201114 yr Author Charles, That's a nifty little saw! Â Less intimidating then a regular table saw. Â Â SQ Charles Nicholls said: Sorry all i have not been following this thread because it isn't done automatically upon reply, anyway I dont think the saw has an actual brand name but it I think is made by C.M.T. there is no safety equipment with it at all, the cheap plastic parts that were supposed to be the blade cover etc. were all broke when it arrived. It cuts very well but did have one kickback with it on a piece of ash. Â It has 2 blades, both are I believe 4 inch or 4 1/2". Supposedly it will cut upto 3/4 inch stock but I have never got it to do that yet. One blade im sure is meant for things like corian. Â Just in case you cant see it that well, it says 4500 RPM Charles
October 21, 201114 yr Author Have you thought about attaching it to a piece of plywood?  I just need to get more comfortable with the table saw we have by using it more.   SQ  If you want it, I'll send it your way next month when I have money again , might even send you the Corian too  Charles
October 23, 201114 yr Author I bought my Corian at a builder's supply shop.  I've also heard that countertop shops give it way or sell it cheap.  SQArlin Eastman said:SueWhere do you buy the Corian at or from? Can I get some in different colors?Arlin
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