# Celtic knot pen



## LOUISIANA MAN (Jan 7, 2012)

THANKS FOR THE TIPS FROM YESTERDAY. I CAN GET THE FOUR SIDES WITHE THE X,S BUT THE LAST CUT DOESN,T WORK. ON WOODWORKING .COM IT SHOWS A PICTURE OF ONE BEING MADE AND IT IS LIKE THE X,S IS ENCLOSED IN A BOX, THE LAST VERTICLE PIECE CAN'T BE CUT. HELP I STILL CAN'T GET IT IN MY MIND HOW IT WORKS.:thumbdown:


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

Not sure what you mean by X's. There is only one cut per side making a total of 4 cuts. You need all four cuts to match, meaning all four sides needs the cuts to be the same angle and at the same location. I do it with my bandsaw and use a stop block clamped to the mitre gauge with the table tilted to a 45* angle.

With pens, its not nessisary to cut completely through the blank. This makes your glue up simpler. Your going to turn the outside of the blank off anyhow. Give me a sec to locate a video and I'll link it up for ya.

Heres a video...





 
Based on your post, it sounds lke you are making way more cuts than is needed. Again, one cut per side is all that you need. I know it looks like more but its not. Just make the 4 cuts and you'll see it come together. This is actually a really simple process.


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## wildwood (Jan 25, 2011)

Hope this info helps.
http://content.penturners.org/library/pen_blanks/6-Segment-Knot-Pen.pdf

http://content.penturners.org/library/tools_and_jigs/celticknotjig.pdf


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## LOUISIANA MAN (Jan 7, 2012)

*Celtic knot*

Thanks for the video bassblaster' i'm only making 4cuts,icut flip cut flip etc,problem is when i get to last cut there is no way tocut it's hard to explane' i'm usin's 5 inch pen blank when i get to last cut putting it against stock block i'ts way off, the x's is the veneer that's in the saw kerft i didn't have bandsaw tilted on angle maybe that's the problem i like i say i cut it 3 times 4'th cut won't work. Picture it like this ;make a x out of two boards then make a frame around it ;it's the last piece that won't work . "whew" thank's guys,


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## EagleTa2 (Jan 2, 2012)

I am currently making a lamp with a celtic knot in it.. but the theory in how the knot works is the same.

Maybe this will help you...

Your blank ought to be square (for the simple knot - to start) After a while you can get fancy and start with 5 sided, or 8 sided stock for some interesting effects. For now lets stick with your block being square

Each cut into your blank should go almost all the way through. I used 45 degrees, but you can really use any angle you want. 45 looks nice though.

You will make four 45 degree cuts - one per side. The trick is the order in which you make the cuts. I can think of 2 easy ways to remember:

Way #1 - Take your block and label one side #1, rotate block 90 degrees either direction so the #1 side is either on right or left side. Mark top side #3. Rotate block 90 degrees in same direction as before and label top side #2. Label remaining side #4. 

Way #2 - Sides 1 & 2 are across from one another. Sides 3 & 4 are the "other" 2 sides. label block accordingly.


Now - cut your first kerf into your block. Since I was cutting with a TS, I cut my first kerf with #1 facing up. Make the cut - go to workbench - glue in whatever you want into the kerf. When dry, trim of any excess and sand block so all sides are square. Repeat this kerf, glue, trim, sand procedure in numerical order.

Trust me, the knot will look STRANGE on your block when you are done with the above procedure. You wont actually see the knot until a while after you are into your turning

Dont overthink it... just follow the kerf, glue, trim, sand procedure in numerical order...and you'll be amazed at what happens!!

I have some photos I can post if you like... just let me know

I hope this helps!
Geo


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## paintr56 (Dec 31, 2006)

George would love to see some pictures when it is finished.

Jim


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

I have picture of making the knot within my album. Click on my name, select view public profile, and open "show all albums" look at pepper mill making and look at the caption under each picture by clicking on each pic. When you make the knot it is important that the segment is the same size as the saw kirf, if not you will need to adjust how much you remove from the wood. You can open the album "pepper mill making 2" and the first pic is a pepper mill with the celtic knot.


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## wildwood (Jan 25, 2011)

Nice pictures and write ups:
http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_content/DoubleCrossPen.pdf

http://content.penturners.org/library/techniques/celticknot.pdf


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

wildwood said:


> Nice pictures and write ups:
> http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_content/DoubleCrossPen.pdf
> 
> http://content.penturners.org/library/techniques/celticknot.pdf


 

I like the Q & A at the end of your first link and the explanation for the kirf and segment thickness being the same.


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## EagleTa2 (Jan 2, 2012)

paintr56 said:


> George would love to see some pictures when it is finished.
> 
> Jim


 
Finished the lamp.. it is far from perfect... but not too bad IMHO 


celtic lamp 2 by EagleTa2, on Flickr





celtic lamp 4 by EagleTa2, on Flickr


Thanks, Geo


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## skipper2 (Apr 20, 2011)

*Celtic Knot question*

What did you ues for glue to install the splines? Got the imperssion it was thick CA or was it one of the faast cure epoxies? I am building canes for myself & the knots would be an interesting feature!
Thanks:yes:


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

EagleTa2 said:


> Finished the lamp.. it is far from perfect... but not too bad IMHO


Looks pretty darned good to me -- nice job :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Welcome Luzianne Man, what area of LA do you live in?

~tom. ...GEAUX TIGERS!... ...GEAUX SAINTS!......


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## EagleTa2 (Jan 2, 2012)

To laminate the splines... I used contact cement... apply to both surfaces - let it dry to a sheen and put surfaces together... then roll them HARD. Repeat this process until you have the thickness that matches your kerf.

Heres a tip... make the splines a little wider than the depth of your kerf. Then you can install them sideways...which will be a little easier on you than what I did (slide into the kerf end first) You must make sure that the laminations are no larger than the kerf width - you cant have any stress here.

To glue the laminations into the kerf on a larger project (like the lamp) I used epoxy to give me more time to get the splines all the way into the kerf. Some idiot (me) bought 30 min epoxy instead of 5 minute.. so glue, clamp, wait two hours... eesh.

For a smaller scale part - like a pen - I would use thick CA glue.

Hope this helps!
Geo


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

BassBlaster said:


> Give me a sec to locate a video and I'll link it up for ya.
> 
> Heres a video...
> 
> The Homework Ultimatum - YouTube


Ahhh the kid whos selling pens to pay for his future college tuition... Im just wondering why? His family must be pretty well off, look at that shop and the tools he has to work with...lol I wish mine was as big as that shop...with all those shiny new tools to beat up on...lol Yes.... I have shop envy, and i'm proud of it....lol (I bet that kid grows up to be a really great wood worker)


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

zacker said:


> Ahhh the kid whos selling pens to pay for his future college tuition... Im just wondering why?


One of the magazines (Wood, I think) ran an article about him with interview.

The story as I remember it is that he told one of his parents that he wanted the lathe, and when asked "what do you plan to do with it?" his response was "I can make pens and sell them to pay for college."

There was no hint that his parents wouldn't have bought him the lathe, nor that they wouldn't have been able to pay for his tuition -- it just showed the lad has a lot of initiative.


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## zacker (Mar 25, 2010)

duncsuss said:


> -- it just showed the lad has a lot of initiative.


 
Yeah he does... 
I wish I was as into wood working at that age... Id probabaly be doing that for a living today instead of what I do now... which isnt bad but it kinda leaves no time for the woodworking..or the photography. 

Dang these young kids nowadays...what with all their ambition and goals and "Just do it" attitudes... I wish those things were invented when I was a kid back in the 70's! lol All I remember being drilled into my young mind was "dont sit too close to the TV", Eat as much meat as possible", "Eggs are good for you", "Plastic is the greates invention of our time'.... lol :blink:


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