Settin up shop

[gdog]

Looking to outfit for pen making. What would the esteemed panel recommend for a comprehensive listing of equipment and supplies? Thanks.

[dananne]

Not less than one of each of those items listed in the Steebar catalog. Hi lol --- I couldn't miss the opertunity to make that dumb comment. I don't do pens, at least not yet, so will let the more intelligent gents reply to your request. Dan

[gdog]

:D Not dumb, sounds good to me. Just don't know if my wife would agree.

[dougle40]

HI ,
Check out the comments under "Lathe???". It might give you something to think about .:)

[dougle40]

Another good source is "Lee Valley " , their catalogue can be found at www.leevalley.com , their service and communication to the customer is great .:)
PS ; their catalogues are sent out free of charge and they have several to choose from.

[OTPAS]

Get a Penn State Industries catalog (www.pennstateind.com) and pick a pen project or two. Start out simple. "Designer" line is a good place to start. You can read the instructions for the project on line and they will list the supplies that you need. Order the bushing and drill bit for the project. A good lathe. Delta makes a nice midi lathe and get the extension bed. Get a basic chisel set, drilling center vise( assuming you have a drill press), pen assembly vice and barrel trimming system. You will need cyanoacrylate gap filling glue, sandpaper (220, 340, 400, 600) and power wool. I use Shellwax friction polish. Trust me, you will expand rapidly from there! Have fun.

[dougle40]

OPTA mentions using friction polish , I have tried a number of these polishes with no success . The one I prefer is from "Lee Valley" called Turners Polish , it goes on easily and buffs up to a brilliant shine , then I apply 1-2 coats of a paste wax for protection . I have 1 pen that I have been using for over 3 years and to date it still shows no sign of wear .
No matter which method you choose , HAVE FUN . Experiment with different designs and let your own creativity show through . See some of my designs in the Photo Gallery for some ideas.

[OTPAS]

Lee Valley" Turners Polish is not available in the US.

[dananne]

Here's a twist. All this talking you guys have been doing on turning pens must have addled my brain. I up an ordered a mandrel for my lathe today. I know that I need more than a mandrel but I thought I would just turn a scrap or two first. I did add a pen and pencil (slimline) to the order. Thought I might should know what it is to fit before I finish turning it. Have a bowl on the lathe now that I want to finish so have plenty of time before the pen gets started. If I like that part of the job, I guess I just might have to order some of the other items that make pen making a successful project. (I do have a 7mm drill on hand)
If this doesn't work out where I like it, maybe someone will take the mandrel off my hands, but don't hold your breath until you get it, I just might like doing these things. Dan

[dougle40]

Hi Dan ,
I hope that you ordered a set of appropiate bushings to go along with the pen and pencil set .
Have Fun .:) :)

[dougle40]

I don't where you got that idea from since "Turners Polish" is made in the US.
I do know that Lee Valley does have outlets in the US or at least sell to the US.
When you go to their site you can convert the prices to US prices.:)

[Admin]

I'm a computer geek with delusions of woodworking grandeur. Putting this site together and doing work on Steebar's penmakingsupplies.com/ (http://www.penmakingsupplies.com/) site really got me interested in making my own pens. My dad has a lathe so several months ago I ordered a couple of kits and a mandrel and made a few pens.

I documented my progress from start to finish. This is not officially online yet but you guys can take a look and tell me what I did right or wrong...

http://penmakinginstruction.com/begin/beginner1.php

[dougle40]

Hi,
OTPAS was right , turners polish is not available in the US through Lee Valley but thanks to a request that I sent to them , they sent this site where it is available to the US , www.woodcraft.com select finishing then shellacs .
I hope that this will be of some help in finding it .:)

[dougle40]

Good morning ,
I just looked at your piece on turning pens and they are great and here are a couple of suggestions -
1- When cutting your blanks to size , first put a magic marker mark across the cut and put these marks together in the center of the mandral, this way it makes it easier to match up the grain when it comes to assembly.
2- Under items needed , you forgot to mention that appropiate bushings are also needed.
3- Mounting on the lathe , I have found that it is better to mount the mandral in the lathe first , then put on the bushings and wood , bring the tail stock up and set it , THEN tighten the locking nut , this way it prevents you from over tightening the locking nut which can cause the mandral to bow in the middle causing a wobble and non concentric parts.
4- Assembly -you're right about how difficult it is to assemble the pen on a drill press , I have found that using a small wood vise with 1/4" plywood attached to the jaws with double sided tape to be a much easier way to control the assembly .
I hope that I havent bored you to death with my suggestions but this is what I have learned over about 5 years in turning pens on the lathe .

[dananne]

I hope I did to. The mandrel I selected says it comes with bushings, etc. so I hope it is all I need in that respect. The pen and pencil I ordered are the slimline set and I hope it is all there. I expect this to be an ongoing problem. When you start something new it can quickly grow into a complicated project. I just read the "starting pens" that Dean wrote. I hope I get through my first try as well as he got through that report. His problems and methods of solving them may save me some time and using the vise is most likely the way I will go, my drill press is small and there isn't much push available. Dan

[dougle40]

Hi Dan ,
Starting with slimline is the way to go . When you're turning them keep track of the size carefully or you could very easily go undersize .
When I'm doing pens like this I use , either , a micrometer or a vernier to measure size so that I don't accidently go too small or stay too big for that matter . Don't always rely on the bushing sizes because after a while you'll turn them down too LOL.
:D
Have fun , I know you'll like it .

[Admin]

A lot of good points in here. The wood vise is an excellent idea for pen assembly. Also, putting a mark across the wood blank cut to keep a nice match is a simple solution that takes almost no time at all.

I never even thought about the mandrel bowing... I'm a little leery of over-tightening anything. I assembled my mandrel loosely, then installed in the lathe, then tightened the mandrel. To be honest, I've not done any turning before so I'm not sure how tight to lock in the tailstock of the lathe... I guess I could read the directions :)

[dougle40]

Hi there,
The question about the tail stock - you should only tighten it up enough to control the end , in other words not to tight , one other good point is that you get much better results using a "live center" tail stock , as compared to a "dead center" , it rotates with the mandral and eliminates the friction rub that could damage your mandral center end.
As far as tightening the mandal , only tighten it enough to prevent the wood from spinning on it , the initial rounding off of the blank will tell you if it is tight enough , if the wood spins here just tighten it up a bit , not much though , just enough to stop the spinning .
Hope this helps somehow .

[dananne]

First off, all of the above did help. A lot. Second, I just had to add a picture of my first set. At long last, everything came in and I was able to get into the shop. Used a scrap of purple heart that was on hand. Learned a lot. They are not that easy the first time but I bet the fifth and sixth times are much easier. Didn't get a good finish. This purple heart is particular about what you put on it and I didn't have anything except a oil finish. Will be trying different woods from now on until my scraps don't yield any more variety or I run out of pen kits.

Dan

[OTPAS]

Your off to a great start! Be careful, it's addicting. Have fun.

[dougle40]

Good stuff Dan , fun isn't it ?
About the finish , when you do your sanding just remember what my instructor told me '"the finish on your pens is only as good as your sanding " . He tought us to take our paper and tear it into 8 strips lengthwise then stack them in order of coarseness . When you use them you just take the first sheet and put it on the bottom , when you come back to the 160 you know you're done . I know that a lot of people will say that you don't need to go past 400 grit , here's my sanding routine starting with 160, then as follows 180 - 220 - 300 - 400 - 600 - 800 - 1000 grits . Depending on the hardness of the wood I sometimes even go to 1500 - 2000 and have also used Crocus Cloth on some . With all the sanding though you have to remember to leave a little bit more on to allow for it. I know that it sounds like overkill but I pride myself of the almost mirror like finish that I can obtain.
Once again , great 1st pen , keep it up they only get better.
Doug

[doeringjc]

I have been trying to locate some desk pen holders. anyone have a source or two or three?

[OTPAS]

www.pennstateind.com

[doeringjc]

Thanks for the help.

[tipusnr]

Just read through this entire thread and may have gotten lost a couple of times. Don't have anything to add as there is a lot of experience there.

One thing that I found helpful after turning to woodturning at age 49 was joining the local woodturning club. I also am fortunate in having a WoodCraft store in the area and took a four hour pen turning class from them. Interestingly it was taught by a member of my woodturning club who has become my mentor. Within a month of the class I had turned 26 pens from several kinds of wood and solid surface material. Within two months I demo'd pen making (slim line) on behalf of my club at a regional woodworking show at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.

Bottom line..go to local Rockler and WoodCraft type stores and find out where the turners hang out. Generally, they are a great bunch and most willing to lend you their experience as well as material to experiment with and quality feedback on your turnings.

Good Luck.

[twoodsmith]

There is none other than the Jet mini-lathe. No one has given it any bad reviews. I opted for the variable speed. you can still get one for $299 if you hurry. My second choice is the Jet mini-lathe with the belt changing non-variable speed. It can still be gotten for $199. SSSSUUUUUPPPPPEEEERRRR price. !!!!!!!!!!!!!GGGGGGRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAATTTTTTTT machine!!!!!!!!!!