Beginner turner questions regarding pens

I have been turning for ten years. I have never turned a pen. I can’t answer any of your questions, except the last. The most hazardous wood that you can sand is anything spalted. The lines of the spalting are from mold. We hear so much about the dangers of mold in our homes, and most of it is reliable. So if you are sanding you should have a dust mask on, but if you are sanding anything spalted then make sure you are protected.

-- Mel

Mel, thanks for the tip.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

One easy but nice looking blank would be the Sierra, Wall Street 2 or one like it. Some burl is very easy to turn. I have some really nice Redwood burl that is easy to turn and it’s very forgiving. Just turn it near the bushing and sand the rest.

If you want some “beginner” blanks, I send them to you for free, just pay the shipping. PM me if you are interested.

Eric

-- Eric, NorCal www.rocklinforestproducts.com

I describe myself as a “recovering penoholic” (i.e. I used to be addicted to making pens and I have made hundreds but I am now in recovery.)

The actual wood you use has little impact on how hard it is to turn. I will only advise you to avoid any soft woods. I never found burls to be particularly hard to deal with.

The best advice I can give you is to keep your cutting tools sharp – very sharp.

If you want to buy blanks, the grab bags are usually a good value for the money – especially for the starter. However, if you have a table saw, you can buy boards and cut your own blanks for a fraction of what it cost to buy pre-cut blanks.

I’ve never used a mandrel saver. I have a multi-tip live center tail piece like this – -

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003727/1576/Pro-Live-Center-Set-2-Morse-Taper-Pro-Set.aspx

I have one tip that is designated to use with a mandrel. I don’t worry about the mandrel wearing out. I worry about point on the tail piece getting dull. That’s why I use one designated tip.

You can generate some pretty fine dust when sanding on the lathe. I recommend using a mask for all woods, especially the rosewoods. But don’t avoid the rosewoods. They are some of the most beautiful woods available.

If you are serious about the quality of your pens, I recommend buying refills directly from Cross for the ballpoint pens. The refills that come with the kits are of very poor quality.

Start with a simple kit (slimline) and stick with it until you develop some skill and comfort. You can do a lot with a slimline. Note – you can still make a fat pen with the slimline kit. I also recommend starting with the comfort pens.

Want more advise or have more questions? – send me a PM.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Eric thanks for the offer. I sent you a PM.

Rich, thanks for the excellent advice. I figured turning is like planing, the sharpness of the blade is more important than the wood, but I still hear about certain woods being more prone to tearout/blowouts while turning. I take it Rosewood dust is more hazordous by the way you mention it?

I think I’ll hold off on the mandrel saver and get the one you linked instead(at a later time). I’ve seen this before and thought about it. Thanks.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

The only problem with grab bags is that the blanks are not labelled with the species name, and the first question any gift recipient is going to ask is “what kind of wood is this?”. You might have better luck with job lots on ebay which sometimes list the species names in the listing, and if you ask the seller they might label some of the blanks themselves so you can tell which type is which.

Good point Elizabeth thanks. I would really like to just make my own blanks. I have everything needed to do so except woods besides cherry and maple. I was just thinking it would be much quicker to buy them with only a few weeks left to go before the holidays.

If I was to buy a few scrap pieces of wood to make blanks from, what is the typical blank size? 5/8” squared by 5”?

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN

Check out this place , http://www.penturners.org/forum/index.php you’ll find hours of reading to help you along the way. I’ll second the advice about turning, Sierra or Wall Street 2 type pens , their real easy to do and make a beautiful pen . Most good size blanks will yield you two Sierra blanks . Have fun and I almost forgot , get some type of breathing mask , you don’t want to inhale CA fumes they aren’t good for ya .

Jerry, thank you for the link and advice. That site looks like it will be of great help. I do have a breathing mask,. It’s one I saw TheWoodWhisperer use and it is excellent. Very comfortable to wear, takes a number of different filters and cartridges. It’s the 3M 7503 Respirator Facepiece.

-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN