JohnnyNoName Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I am going to start a new project, and I am using stainless steel rods as visible pins in the joinery. I've never used them before. Any advice on: - Where to buy them? (I was just going to order from Grainger) - How to glue them to the wood? (Rough the surface of the steel with sandpaper, and then use West system epoxy is the plan) - How to cut them? (Hacksaw? Recip saw? Cut-off wheel?) - How to sand them flush to the surface? (Low grit to high, just like anything else I'm assuming) - What finishes won't work? (I'm assuming any oil/varnish blend will not work) Thanks in advance, Jonathan =============================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I'm thinking recip saw w some sort of cutting fluid, make a mask by drilling a hole in some scrap laminate, grind pretty coarse but watch the heat, then sand coarse to fine until flat. Sand and epoxy route is where I would go. Graingers, McMaster Carr , scraps from a stainless fabricator ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Stainless steel hinge pins for doors will also work really well for this purpose and can be purchased from big box stores. I have purchased brass pins for this purpose. I would use a hacksaw personally, but I just want the extra control using a hand tool gives me. I would sand the pin flat before you install it, that way you have it nice and smooth. Then install it so that it is essentially where you want it to be. So if you want your pin to be proud, then install so it is proud. If you want it to be flush then install so it is flush. Sanding once it is installed will change the wood around it a lot quicker then the pin itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I've used them in a couple of pieces. I shaped them on an oscillating sander holding them with pliers, dipping them into water frequently for cooling, and epoxied them in place. I have them in a three-legged stool as locking pins to hold steel stretchers into mortises in walnut legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Johnny, a die grinder or angle grinder with a cutoff wheel will work to cut them to length. I have a couple of pieces of I think, either 1!4" or 5/16". If you want to pm me with your address and how much you need, I be glad to send you some if tha diameter is ok. Also, I just watched one Marc's old videos today where he was teaching dovetails and he showed a drawer where he used s/s pins/rods instead of dowels. He just showed the drawer but didn't go into details. I bet you could holler real load and he could give you some pointers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raefco Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Any finish you put over stainless that is not crystal clear will negate the effort to use it in the first place, you really need to cut and polish the part that will show before you install them, you will have to finish sand the cut ends to 1500-2000 before you will be able to get a shine. I would pre cut and prep the dowels, drill slightly over size, put epoxy in the hole and carefully set flush rather than try to trim or sand flush 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPCV_Woodworker Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I second Raefco. My father and I use brass pins in knife handles, and you pretty much have to get them perfect before you put them in. You can hit them with the tiniest amount of buffing compound afterwards, if you use a fine dremel and tape off around the pin. Something else that helps is to get the piece as close to finished as possible before you put the pins in, to avoid doing any sanding around the pins. We use epoxy as well, just scarf the rod with a couple of swipes of sandpaper (we even skip that step sometimes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Stainless is usually pretty hard, so a cutoff wheel may work better than a hacksaw. Several have mentioned not sanding after install because it removes more wood than metal, but it also discolors the wood with metal fines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Great information. I would not have thought to sand to finish before hand. Thanks guys, and keep it coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I would be tempted to use aluminum pins instead of stainless steel just because of ease of cutting and polishing. Is there some reason that stainless is preferable? I can buy aluminum round rod at the local hardware store of various diameters in 3 or 4 foot lengths. They may have stainless available also, I've never looked. Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I would be tempted to use aluminum pins instead of stainless steel just because of ease of cutting and polishing. Is there some reason that stainless is preferable? I can buy aluminum round rod at the local hardware store of various diameters in 3 or 4 foot lengths. They may have stainless available also, I've never looked. Rog There's no reason to use stainless over aluminum. I never thought about using aluminum. I'll give it a look too. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPCV_Woodworker Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 So, do the pins actually need to be flush? I made a run of boxes with brass pins that held the slide-tops closed. They were made by using a cutoff wheel while they were chucked into the drill press to rough in a profile, then buffed. You could glue them in place just as easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 i think polished aluminum looks better than stainless. at least i always liked my slotted dish aluminum wheels on my 67 mustang .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 i think polished aluminum looks better than stainless. at least i always liked my slotted dish aluminum wheels on my 67 mustang ....OMG, I had the same. We called them "slots" back then. I got a 1968 for graduation, maroon in color! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted January 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 So, do the pins actually need to be flush? I made a run of boxes with brass pins that held the slide-tops closed. They were made by using a cutoff wheel while they were chucked into the drill press to rough in a profile, then buffed. You could glue them in place just as easily. Hmmm... That's a thought too. I guess they don't have to be flush, but it's something I would definitly need to mockup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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