[OP]
Member
Woodcraft has a sale this weekend, and I am wanting to get set up to turn some pens.
Questions for the masses.....
What do I need to turn out some pens (I've just turned spindles and bowls in the past)
What would you get from woodcraft? Anything to avoid?
Other better options to get started? (cheaper and better?)
I am looking to turn a bunch of nice acrylic pens for the guys I work with.
Thanks again, and any advice is greatly appreciated!!
Member
I just started turning pens last month and have gotten a few kits from wood craft. I think their stuff is pretty good for quality, just a little higher priced than buying online but then you don't have the shipping or the wait either. You for sure need a 60* live center to go along with the mandrel. You can turn between centers but I haven't done it and don't know what it takes.
Whatever kits you get you need the appropriate bushings to go along with them, and if you are going to turn acrylic look at getting the micromesh abrasives. Make sure your tools are very sharp and a skew is all I use.
I've been using Gorilla White glue for the tubes. It expands to help fill voids if need be and it dries fairly quick.
Last edited by Matt Ranum; 02-26-2010 at 11:53 AM.
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy" -Red Green
Member
Justin, Take a look at Penn State they have some starter kits that have everything you need. They also have videos and acrylic blanks. I would start out turning wood Slimline pens just to see if this is something you want to do. Every pen kit has a different set of bushings which can get expensive quick.
Member
Look for a book titled "Turning Pens and Pencils":
http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Pens-P...9&sr=1-2-spell
Excellent book when you are just starting out.
Ron
Member
I would echo what Robert said and get a starter kit with everything you need to make about 10 pens and start with wood. See if this is what you want to get into before spending a great deal of money. If you're going to begin with Woodcraft, I'd start with the Wall Street II (a little easier to turn and it's only one piece to turn). Remember, you're going to need a mandrel, bushings, drill bit, glue (I use CA thick) and a way to assemble the pens (I use a small Irwin clamp and squeeze the parts together. Might want to watch some videos on You Tube to see some of the processes. Penn State also has a video on their site you can watch. Good luck and good turning!!
Tim
"Anything is possible, only believe"
Contributor
Penn State has a free DVD you can order and is very good. You have been given some good advice. I would get the adjustable mandrel because if you do turn Wall Street II which I love either in the twist or click pen. Click pen is my favorite and have carried one for 3 yrs now. It uses one blank so with a adjustable mandrel you can shorten it to fit. I use 5 minute epoxy if doing a couple at a time or 30 minute if doing more than two. Never have had one fail. If you go to woodcraft they will have pen turning books.
Bernie
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.
To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
Member
The advice i was given a couple months ago with the same question was to buy the needed parts separately, Mandrel (comes with 5, 7mm bushings) glue, blanks, and your pen kits. Buy bushings as needed for pen style. This works out a lot cheaper than the "kit", unless of course you need the lathe tools that come in the kit. I just use the tools i have, skew, gouge, etc.
I believe it cost me less than $50 to get started
Peace, Patience, and Perseverance
Dave
Member
Don't forget the appropriate size drill bit, and the pen mill to square up the wood blank is pretty handy. You can usually press them together with a bench vise or a quick clamp. I like Mylands Friction Polish for the finish. If you have a local Woodcraft you could check on a class in pen turning. You might also check the internet or YouTube for a video.
Last edited by Roger Secrist; 02-26-2010 at 4:56 PM.
Member
Originally Posted by Justin Roberts
Everything you need to learn about PEN TURNING and 10X more: www.penturners.org.
U.S.A.F. Ret. MSgt 2006
Member
my father got into turning pens pretty much the same way. Wood Craft had a big sale.
He had to buy EVERYTHING.... from the Rikon lathe all the way down to the 6000 grit little sanding pads .
I have taken advantage of the little pen factory in his garage numerous times, turning wood, acrylic, laminate wood, and the micro chip blanks, along with the .30-06 / .308 bullet pen kits.
Couple of things were already mentioned, so excuse me if I duplicate them
you are already set up with the big things like the lathe and knives, so do you have a bandsaw or small fine cut miter box? you will need one or the other to cut the blanks in half.
You can probably get by without buying a pen press if you take your time and put some rubber pads in your vise.
gotta have a mandrel. go ahead and buy the bags of extra tubes that match your blanks... you will need them. Some times the acrylic will crack and a chunk will come off and ruin your blank, acrylic is sometimes a little brittle.
Some of those pen kits use weird size drill bits. the obvious is 7 mm , but some of them require a size 0 bit , some of them use a standard fraction of an inch bit. Get whichever matches the kits you select. the tubes need a good snug fit.
Get the pen mill set. definitely a useful thing to have. they sell a kit with all the sizes and the fostner bit head that goes with them.
Use a CA glue and activator of some sort to glue the tubes into the blanks. Its quick and instant.
If you are gonna turn some acrylic pens, my suggestion would be to scuff up and spray paint the tubes ahead of time. This is just a personal thing to me, but several of the colors I chose have white acrylic swirled in. once you turn the blanks down, you can see the brass tube in the blank because of the transparent white or cream or even clear acrylic swirls...may not be an issue to you, but it bugged me a bit once I made the pens. I spray my tubes high gloss white or black depending on the acrylic color.
Purchase the small square fine grit foam lined sanding pads. The acrylic shows tool marks after you polish them up. walk through all the grits from .... ( it's been a WHILE ) around 600 or 800 using regular paper , I think the foam pads start at around 1000 or 1200 and jump in increments to around 3000 to 4000 grit.
Get a good plastic polish, they sell a couple of different ones. the more coats you put on there and buff in, the deeper the shine.
Acrylic also needs freshly honed knives for the best results. take a few minutes and sharpen those tools!
I also preferred to use the twist style pens instead of the clickers. And the heavier pens ( I think they call them cigar pens ) seem to look nicer in acrylic, especially the blanks with some clear swirled into the blank. I like the black finish or the brushed nickel hardware .
I have pictures of several of my pens in my phone, when I get back home I will up load them if you want.
Member
DITTO
Please do not attempt to turn a pen without the 60 degree live center for your mandrel. Mandrels are made with a 60 degree concave and the live center on your lathe is not. When I started turning pens 3 years ago ,I did not know this and messed up my mandrel and my live center. Also the better mandrel is adjustable and comes with drill bit 7mm and slimeline bushings check out IAP www.penturners.org . also www.woodnwhimsies.com good fast service.
Contributor
I also just started this pen thing. I found if you do 5 of the same type pen by the time you do the first the other 4 are a lot easier.
I so far have used only woodcraft pen kits. I am not sure as the quality as opposed to others,guess i will give some of the expensive ones a try.
This is another way to fall into the turning abyss! G
Member
Pretty good advice so far... ask one of the sales people at woodcraft and they should be able to help you leave the store without forgetting something crucial for the kits you choose. I'd pick a single type of kit(or two at the most) when starting out... that will help keep the cost down for bushings and such. It's not a bad idea to pick up an extra set of tubes for the kits you select in case you destroy a blank.
It's just a matter of opinion, but I think woodcraft is overpriced for a lot of their kits. There are a number of online retailers that sell similar quality kits at lower prices. Their wood blanks are a little on the high side as well for a lot of the exotics and stabilized blanks. I think it's a good place to get a start though.
I definitely recommend checking out the International Association of Penturners website. Tons of great info there including a lot of tutorials in the library.
Careful, pen turning has been PROVEN to be habit forming.
Member
Man you guy's have given out some great advice.I've never turned acyrlic but I do turn some antler from time too time.I try to buy all my stuff from one supplier.Even though the alot of the kit's look the same there may be a fraction difference in size.Another good supplier iswww.woodturningz.com.They are a Penn State wholesaler.
Contributor
Justin, welcome to the abyss. Here is a link to a lengthy discussion concerning pen kit quality. It also gives you the names (if not links) to most of the most popular pen kit vendors. It is worth a read. It may be worth some time for any of you other pen turners as well.
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/2481
____________________________________________
JD at J&J WoodSmithing
Owingsville, Kentucky
"The best things in life are not things."
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote