Turned my First Pen Today

[Culprit]

Thanks Terry.

Yes, I could see myself making more pens - besides, what else am I to do with the other 10 or so kits sitting on the bench in the garage?

Does Shopsmith sell a collet chuck, or is PSI the only option for the Shopsmith? I think I'll measure the runout tonight. The only reason I went with the bare mandrel in the drill chuck was because it came with the starter kit I bought at the Woodworking Show. Otherwise I would have bought the PSI Shopsmith-specific mandrel.

Thanks again.

[terrydowning]

The only shopsmith specific colletts I know of are the router chucks 1/2" and 1/4".

I have the PSI ER 32 Collett chuck along with the 1" X 8 tpi to 5/8" shaft adapter that PSI sells. I like it a lot and use it all the time as I'm venturing into kitless pen making. I have heard that the Beall Collett chuuk is superior to the PSI mostly due to the size of the chuck nut. Beall is smaller and not knurled like the PSI. I just learned to keep my knuckles away from the chuck, It's a self teaching lesson.

[Culprit]

Here are my next two pens off the Shopsmith, including my first non-Slimline. Still using the Jatoba with friction polish and Renaissance wax. I think I'll try the CA on the next Slimline.

I gave the first to my wife, the second to the friend at work who gave me the Jatoba wood. The two in the picture below were given to some friends at church this morning as a thank-you. My wife and I settled here in Virginia when I left Active Duty since this is where the jobs are for former Marines. Since we don't live anywhere near either set of parents, a couple from church has adopted our kids as grandkids. They are a very dear couple, and the lady has done a LOT of babysitting for my wife for her pregnancy doctor appointments. She even gave up most of Christmas morning with her own family to come over and watch our older kids until my folks could drive down from PA while we went to the hospital for our youngest to be born on Christmas morning!

On another note, a friend of my brother has asked about buying a pen, completely unsolicited. I know what some people charge for custom handcrafted pens who do it for a living, or as a side business. I'm wrestling with what to charge since I'm just getting into pen turning and don't really know where this road is going to lead. Will this just be a hobby and produce Christmas presents, or do I want to try to sell a few now and then. It would be nice to make a little something, even if it's just to feed the addiction, er, I mean to re-invest in my workshop capabilities.

On one hand, it's a $3.55 pen kit using scrap hardwood flooring that was freely given to me. On the other hand it is a unique handmade gift item made of an imported South American hardwood that most people in America can't pronounce the name of, and have never seen, and is trimmed in 24k gold. Do I charge $7 or $30? Like most things in life the answer is probably somewhere in between the extremes. I'm not looking to take advantage of my brother's friend, but I don't just want to give them away to everyone who asks. I guess I am mostly just thinking out loud here, but I would like to hear some advice from those of you who have taken woodworking from hobby to paid work, be it part-time, full-time, or ad-hoc.

As for the pictures, I was trying to find a balance of camera settings that would show the gloss of the finish and the grain of the wood, but at the same time show the two-tone finish on the cigar pen of black and gun-metal. It was hard to do and I don't think I really accomplished it. I know the first thing I should do is use a background other than the shiny tile-top table, something like a fabric sheet that won't reflect the flash everywhere. Can you use a flash diffuser effectively on a point and shoot camera where the flash is permanently fixed on top of the camera just about an inch higher than the optical path of the sensor? Would a diffuser (i.e. piece of translucent milk jug - HDPE) work best, or a reflector (ie. cardboard or paperboard) to reflect the flash off the ceiling?

Anyhow, thanks for bearing with my ramblings and for any advice y'all might have.

[mgdesigns]

As for the prices of selling your hand crafted pens - I was at the TACA show last year (Tennessee Artisans and Craftsmans show), and a pen turner sold fountain pens starting at $75 with the magnet tops. I think $30-40 for a generic pen is fair if it's nice. We turn them for the troops and Woodcraft supplies the innards, and sometimes even the wood blanks. I have hand engraved the nicer ones on the metal findings, and wish I had a nice CNC mill or lathe to craft the pieces out of solid sterling or gold or platinum, so I could charge a pretty penny for a pretty precious pen set.

[pennview]

For photographing pens or other small objects, you can use a tabletop lightbox. A simple cardboard box with the sides and top skeletonized and replaced with translucent material, a couple of lights and some fabric/paper for a backdrop will eliminate the need for a flash. Do a google search on "DIY tabletop light box" for some photos and further details.

[Culprit]

Terry mentioned the run out of drill chucks and that got me thinking so I measured mine tonight. I'm new to pen turning so I don't know what other non-Shopsmith pen lathes are capable of, but I was happy with the results I measured.

I measured with the dial indicator base mounted in two locations. First with the base attached to the quill housing - which meant I had to extend the quill, whereas I do my turning with the quill fully retracted. The second measurement was with the indicator base mounted to the way tubes.

Note that this is a one bearing Greenie quill with a Fafnir 202KDD5 bearing.

I took two measurements with the base in each location: one with the mandrel hanging in the breeze, and one with the end of the mandrel on the live center.

Dial indicator mounted on quill housing, mandrel end unsupported: <2 thousandths

Dial indicator on quill housing, mandrel end on live center: 1 thousandth

Dial indicator mounted on way tubes, mandrel end unsupported: 2.8 thousandths

Dial indicator mounted on way tubes, mandrel end on live center: 1.9 thousandths

These measurements represent the total needle displacement while rotating the quill by turning the shaft on the back end of the headstock. The drill chuck is fairly new - I bought it from Shopsmith when I was restoring my Greenie 6-9 months ago.

[terrydowning]

Great results, I see no reason to change your mandrel setup.
Some people will raise caution about side loading a drill chuck, as they are not designed for side loading. (side loading mean applying pressure to a tool from the side like using a router for those that don't know.) If you're turning correctly side loading is not an issue. Use sharp tools with the correct angle of attack on the wood and there should be very little side loading pressure. Many people press too hard on the mandrel (dull tools, impatient) this has lots of negative consequences:
Bending the mandrel,
out of round issues,
prematurely worn bearings, to name a few.

keep your RPMs up, your chisels sharp, apply a bit of patience and you will continue to get great results.

Nice job on the pens, you're off to a great start, I like that Jatoba.

As far as pricing goes. You're NOT selling the kit hardware and a scrap of wood. You are a selling a completed pen handcrafted by you. Give the customer a price you are comfortable with and negotiate from there. Don't sell your self short, you can do something, that many feel they can't.

On the rare occasions I do sell a pen all prices are negotiated and depend on kit hardware, plating, blank material, and amount of customization desired.

slimelines $20 - $30
designers/euros, Cigars, and other medium range kits $30 - $50
prices go up from there. I have sold a couple of roller balls in the $75 range. Very nice Jr Gents, on rather pricey Urethane resin blanks. (By the time I figured an hourly rate and subtracted material cost and shop time, I made like $10 an hour, not enough to make a go of a business where I live, but it was nice to be recognized monetarily for my efforts. I put the money back into more tooling and materials)

[Culprit]

Thanks for the advice and feedback. That's just what I needed to hear.

[futralwoodworks]

I agree with all above...first..nice pens!!!!!!!!!! I have been turning them for a little while and have made a couple hundred bucks along the way selling them. I think I'm a little low on my prices but move them as fast as I can make them so I guess the prices work. I use the Penn State SS specific mandrel along with their tail stock saver and it works great. Try as many of PSI's kits as you can they have somne very cool pens. I love the Stick Fast CA finishing system. Super durable and beautiful shine. Give acrylics a try too...but beware use sharp tools on them.
Matt

[terrydowning]

My advice is to always make sure any cutting tool is properly sharpened before use.

Life is too short for dull tools (or cheap tools for that matter)