New to the Lathe What should I watch out for?

[iturnwoodpens]

Hey newby

Welcome to turning and SS. Your in great company. I have been turning about a year and having a ball.. Pens. wine bottle stoppers were my first projects, then back scratchers. Pens I think especially the slim line are great as a first time project. Penn state has good deals on the basics..the mandrell is about $18..sandpaper, .pen kits start at $2.50 cheap blanks can be had starting at $.50..Actually Penn state has a dvd intro for pens..I got mine free...You can call them see if you can get one..If they try to sell it to you email me..I might still have it and will mail it to you..you need a tool rest and basic tools..I saw benjamin best..They are ok..but need to sharpen often..Try to get that dvd..You can watch it a dozen time and it lays out eventhing you need.. Then practice, practice practice..

But most of all have fun..

I have an old mark v late 60's early seventies..New is nice, but the old grandpa's are tanks and build to last for years..

Have fun kiddo..email me anytime

Jack

[scottss]

Could you tell me what parts are needed to get started pen turning? I have the penn state catalog and wasn't sure what to get. I will need the mandrel centers and chisels along with pen guts. Have you ever made pencils?

[roy_okc]

Could you tell me what parts are needed to get started pen turning? I have the penn state catalog and wasn't sure what to get. I will need the mandrel centers and chisels along with pen guts. Have you ever made pencils?

I bought a mandrel from Woodcraft that had a #2 morse taper screwed onto the mandrel shaft and included slimline size bushings. I take that off and put the shaft into the drill chuck. You will need the correct size drill bit (7MM for slimlines), glue (I use medium viscosity cyanocrylate (sp?), and some sort of finish. I think I spent around $50 for the mandrel, drill bit, glue, finish, and a couple pen kits]http://woodturningz.com[/url] who sells everything that Penn State has at a discount. Both orders came through very quickly and even though relatively small, Ryan sent a personal email each time.

Hmm, too bad SS doesn't sell any pen turning items, at least a mandrel designed to fit the 5/8" arbor. Pens are great beginner projects in that they are inexpensive, quick, and easy to make.

Good luck,
Roy

[Greenvilleguy]

Penn State sells the mandrel for the SS 5/8" arbor. It's part #PKM-CL. I have one and have been happy with it.

I also bought the universal barrel trimmer kit (#PKTRIMKIT). It makes squaring the top and bottom of blanks and triming to final length very easy.

I agree with Roy that the pen assembly tool isn't necessary. I started out using a screw clamp and now I use my bench vise with sacrificial faces.

I make hardwood furniture so I have plenty of scraps to use as pens. I generally laminate some contrasting wood "stripes" on the diagonal for interest.

As far as chisels go, the local Woodcraft instructor tells me that he only lets his students use a skew in his pen class so you can make pens with only a skew. Personally, I use a spindle gouge (3/8") to turn the blank to a cylinder, then I smooth it and shape with a skew. Finally, some of kits require a turning of a tennon and I use a parting tool for that.

Ocassionally, I get a bug to add beads to the top or even bottom of the pens. I use a 1/4" gouge to do it because I have one. If I didn't have one, I could use a skew just fine.

If I could only have two chisels to use for pens, I'd buy a 3/8" spindle gouge and a parting tool.

When you choose your kits, you will need to buy a set of bushings designed for your kit. The bushings are basically guides to help you turn to the exact diameter needed for the kit.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you come out. Pen making is actually a very easy way to get started in turning.