Pen turner advice

rmojo · Post by **rmojo** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:36 pm

I just purchased my 510 and am looking to get into pen turning. All that came with my lathe was a dead center and 3 - #18 Gouges.

What do you guys use in your shopsmith?

I know I need this: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKM-CL.html

But what do you think is better for the tailstock:

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCENTLT2.html

or

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMSTS2.html

This is a new hobby that I want to get into and to teach my 3 kids.
Any advice is welcome. I will just start off with the $2 kits in the beginning til I get it down.

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 10:07 pm

rmojo wrote:I just purchased my 510 and am looking to get into pen turning. All that came with my lathe was a dead center and 3 - #18 Gouges.

What do you guys use in your shopsmith?

I know I need this: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKM-CL.html

But what do you think is better for the tailstock:

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCENTLT2.html

I use this one.

or

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMSTS2.html

This is a new hobby that I want to get into and to teach my 3 kids.
Any advice is welcome. I will just start off with the $2 kits in the beginning til I get it down.

I also got this to clean out the tubes after gluing up and truing up the ends.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKTRIMKIT.html

And this for sanding.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSPSET5.html

And this for polishing
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSWAX.html

And you should be good to go. I just turned 7 pens and letter openers tonight using black walnut a friend gave me. A 4x6 3 feet long, should be able to get several hundred blocks out of that nice 20 year old piece of wood.

joedw00 · Post by **joedw00** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 11:23 pm

I will have to second what Fred said, and add one more thing. Be careful because pen turning is addictive. Be sure and post some pictures when you get some done.

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:34 am

fredsheldon wrote:I also got this to clean out the tubes after gluing up and truing up the ends.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKTRIMKIT.html

And this for sanding.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSPSET5.html

And this for polishing
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSWAX.html

And you should be good to go. I just turned 7 pens and letter openers tonight using black walnut a friend gave me. A 4x6 3 feet long, should be able to get several hundred blocks out of that nice 20 year old piece of wood.

If you can only afford one at present, get the live center first. It is more versatile. If you are sure you are only ever going to use a mandrel, then mandrel saver works great. I have both. I started with the mandrel saver and quickly learned that a live center is really a versatile tool to have for your lathe.

A good start is the mandrel, and live center. Pen turning is very addictive.

Eventually, once the turning bug bites, you will want to look at scroll chucks and possibly collet chucks. I have both of these from Penn state as well and I'm very happy with them.

denniss · Post by **denniss** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:48 pm

For those new to pen turning....Here is a link to watch a podcast on turning pens http://www.woodworkingonline.com/?s=Podcast+%2326

I hope this helps those who are just starting like myself.

Dennis

anneb3 · Post by **anneb3** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 2:02 pm

denniss wrote:For those new to pen turning....Here is a link to watch a podcast on turning pens http://www.woodworkingonline.com/?s=Podcast+%2326

I hope this helps those who are just starting like myself.

Dennis

Finially something to say. I have turned about 20 pens. Naturally my method is a little different since I am using mesquite from my firewood pile.

first I use an old Southbend metal lathe to get the hunk some what round. Mesquite is VERY hard. Cut it maybe 2 inches too long and square up the ends. Next a machinest square to determine center on each end. Using SS and miter guage with a block attached and the drill chuck gets a hole drilled the lenght of the piece.
Insert the brass things using slow setting epoxy. CC is too fast for me. That is why I cut it long. Finially get to turning. Mount it all up using a mandrel, the appriate bushings and turn off about to size. Trim off each end til I reach the brass .The final trimming will occur after removing it from the lathe. Now some sanding to reach the bushings.

I want these pens to look like real wood, so I put 3 coats of Watco oil buffing with a paper towel between each coat

Emough for today.

fredsheldon · Post by **fredsheldon** » Thu Nov 01, 2012 6:42 pm

Ok, pictures are optional but appreciated. I just finished packaging up 35 Pen and Letter Opener sets for Christmas Presents.

[ATTACH]18958[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]18959[/ATTACH]

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 11:27 am

Nice work there, Fred. I'm sure those give will be greatly appreciated. Those personalized boxes are a nice touch.

anneb3 · Post by **anneb3** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 6:59 pm

pennview wrote:Nice work there, Fred. I'm sure those give will be greatly appreciated. Those personalized boxes are a nice touch.

I agree. Thought I did well to get 20 made- without boxes but you sure surpassed me. Getting started was the major part. The first one I made was a stylus for my neighbor. He appricated the workmanship but did tell me the whole thing was too short for him to grip and to see just which key he was hitting. I since learned the turning part could have been made longer by using a different brass liner- oh well next time.

eagleta2 · Post by **eagleta2** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 7:30 pm

Rmojo...

I've been turning pens for a long time now...darn near 20 years already. I started when there were only slim line kits and they were way more than $2 back then. I've never done big lots of them at a time like Fred though. Ive lost track of how many I've made throughout the years, but probably in the hundreds for sure.

If you can believe it, I just got up the nerve to sharpen my tools and am learning what a joy it is to work with sharp chisels. Do yourself a favor and buy the best you can afford, then immediately take them out of the box and sharpen them. You will simply be amazed at how much better your turning experience will be.

I try to buy the best tools I can afford for any project...and for the longest time the best lathe chisels I could afford lived at harbor freight. The worked well enough and got the job done...in fact I still have my original set from almost 20 years ago. Recently I acquired a set of wood river English HSS chisels and after I sharpened them, the difference was night and day. Whatever chisels you end up using, just make them and keep them sharp.

If you have any questions along the way...you can ask them here...or pm me and I'll share my personal email with you...I'd be happy to help.

If you want to see the 5 pens I made last weekend, here is a link to that thread.
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=11444

Welcome to the world of turning...you're gonna love it!

Geo

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