Dyed Maple Burl Americana Pen

Very nice Wayne.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

One day Wayne I will learn to turn my own pens, but maybe not this good. I just bought a used Jet1236 lathe as a starter. Plan to take some lessons soon at the Indianapolis Woodcraft Store. Too bad you’re in California, I take some lessons from you! Really nice job on these pens you listed today.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Wish I new how to make pens. I’ve been told it’s not real difficult. But it sure looks it. Then I’d have to buy another lathe. I already have 5, no kidding. Very nice looking pen. How’d you dye it. I’ve never dyed any wood. Just stained. jockmike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

They are easy to make Mike. You need a drill press to drill the blanks and some basic tools to square the ends and press the parts together. They sell lots of fancy accessories, but you can find other ways to get it done. Also, you can turn these on any lathe you have. Best would be one with a MT1 or MT2 to mount the pen Mandril. Pen kits range from $2 to over $50. So, there is lots of choice there. Both sites linked below (Penn State and Craft Supplies) have a good selection of kits as does Woodcraft and Rockler. Their catalogs are also good to have if your not already getting them.

Pen State offere a free pen making video. It is showing as out of stock, but you could give them a call and see if they have any. It will give you a good overview of the process.

The best book on the subject (in my opinion) is Turning Pens and Pencils by Rex Burningham & Kip Christensen. They also have 2 companion videos for the book. This link shows one of the books.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I like this one a great deal, Wayne. The wood choice to the mechanism – very nice.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

Wayne -

Many thanks for posting these pens! They are absolutely beautiful. I also enjoyed your response to Mike’s comment – great resources for thos of us conteplating starting pen tuning. I think you have just motivated a bunch of new pen turners!

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

David, let me know when your ready to jump in and start turning some.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Everybody that makes pens says they are easy to make. I think that you did a great job. I’ve debated getting into turning pens. It’s about the only set of tools I don’t have, ie a mandrel. I keep telling myself that going to the shop and turning a pen would be a therapeutic thing….hmmm…I may have to look through the Lee Valley website again. Nice pens!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Just beautiful!

-- Jesus is Lord!

Thanks. The mandrils are about $10. You also need bushings and drill bits for the kits you plan to make. They are inexpensive as well. Scraps make for good blanks.

I like them because you can set up, turn a pen and finish it in about 30 minutes. They are great projects if your working alot and want to feel like you have accomplished something in the shop.

Also, check out http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/index.html for supplies. They have a great selection of high quality kits.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

That is a nice pen Wayne. Wonderful color, beautiful work.

Are you going to start selling them once the co-workers have theirs?

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

No Plans to sell. I’ve given away over 100.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

therapy—there’s a new reason for buying a new tool!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)