Pen Turning . . Tailstock Extension

[woodburner]

I too use the univeral tool rest post with the 4-inch tool rest. The 4-inch rest on the standard rest post will also allow you to get in closer to the pen blank without other parts of the lathe getting in the way.
About the comment about using longer pen blanks, it really won't work unless you want a pen that is 7-inches long? You must mount the blank on the mandrel between the sizing bushings so they will fit into the brass tubes on the inside of the pen blank. This is what holds the blank in place and does not allow it to spin freely on the mandrel while the wood is being turned. You also need the bushings to turn the wood down to its proper diameter so the pen parts will fit correctly. Also, drilling the inside of a pen blank that is 7 or more inches long will be a task in itself, trying to make a completely straight hole in that long of a piece of wood with the small bits that are used. That, and you will have to flip the piece end for end on a drill press to bore that long of a hole. That idea just won't work.
Well, hope this info helps.
From someone who has turned more than 2,000 pens on his Shopsmith.

[a1gutterman]

Thank you for sharing your expertise woodburner.