# Do you make Pens?



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I've been thinking of making some pens. Everybody seems to be doing it, and I have always had a weird fascination with writing instruments. I have a massive collection in my office. Plus, I have to make some gifts to get a few people off my back. SO…

How may of you turn pens?
Do you use mini turning tools or your regular ones?
Give me an basic list of the tools I need. (Chisels, pen press, mandrels, etc.)
Where do you buy your kits?
What is your favorite material?
How do you finish them?

*ANY input would be appreciated.*

(The greatest woodworking show mankind has ever conceived is now online!)


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

No


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Thanks, Joe. That was certainly to the point. So, for a guy like me who has never done it before, and is therefore not biased in any way… tell me… why not?


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Nope! I have more than I'll ever use, and just don't have the inclination.
Wanna buy a swell Mont Blanc?
Bill


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I was considering making an offer on the Mont Blanc, but when you said "swell", all I could do was giggle…

You have more pens than you'll ever use? Well, I have more hand planes than I will ever use. But I WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Mwa-ha-ha-ha!) And I may even make a few soon…


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

No. Don't turn. Have several drawers full, already. Need a nice, slightly used, Bic?


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Not me…it looks interesting, but I have never tried it.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

This is interesting… When I go into woodcraft I see two isles of pen stuff. SOMEBODY is making pens…


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## JockChris (Dec 15, 2011)

I also want to get into pen turning … looks fun …. but still havn't decided if I want to go with a mini lathe or delta midi …. so I would like to hear what everyone uses for lathes tools ect…


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

No?


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

nope, i know enough folks who already do it..get that chicken of yours to peck out some pens, cheap way to do it…


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

I don't own a lathe yet, but will likely be buying one sometime this year. With that being said, I turned my first item, which was a pen, back in November at the Woodworking Show booth that was sponsored by Craft Supplies USA. We could choose our pen blank, then they mounted it up for us on an Apprentice 812 VS Mini Lathe. I used the Easy Wood Tools to turn the pen, then cleaned it up with sandpaper and added the finish. Although I had to rush through making my pen (long story), I think you can easily crank a pen out from start to finish in about 10-15 minutes, including mounting, turning, sanding, finishing, and pressing the pen together without feeling as though you're rushing.

I'd probably turn pens again. Heck, they're super-easy and very quick to churn out. I plan on buying a full-sized lathe though, rather than limiting myself with a mini lathe. You can turn a pen on a full-sized lathe just as easily as on a mini lathe.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I turn pens. Got into it because it was the only thing I could really make, considering my workspace was my college dorm room.

I mainly get my gear (including the carba tec mini lathe) from Penn State Industries. I have sold a few finished pens on Etsy too. I use small-size turning tools (a set of three from PSI) but would like to get proper "mini" tools as it'd be easier to make some of the decorative lines I like to make.

I happen to have a PSI catalog here at work; at lunchtime I will go through it and make some recommendations of things I've found useful. Are you going to get a mini lathe or do you have a lathe that will work?

I finish with stick wax usually - also a PSI product.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Stumpy-Yes! I have turned about 60 pens in the past 6 months … 50 for the Freedom Pens Project, and another 10 or so for gifts.

Q: Do you use mini turning tools or your regular ones?
A: Regular tools … the mini tools are pricey and I think you can you do just as well with regular tools.

Q: Give me an basic list of the tools I need. (Chisels, pen press, mandrels, etc.)
A: Spindle roughing gouge, detail spindle gouge, skew, mandrel & bushings. Pen press is nice, but you can assemble with other tools in the shop like your vise. Grizzly has a reasonable priced pen press … that's the one I bought.

Q: Where do you buy your kits?
A: Mostly from Penn State Industries, some from Rockler.

Q: What is your favorite material?
A: Brazilian Rosewood (because it was FREE), and cherry.

Q: How do you finish them?
A: Mostly use O.B.'s Shine Juice … a home brew I learned about from Eddie Castelin ( http://eddiecastelin.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/shinejuice.54184110.pdf )

I made my own drilling jig …


-Gerry


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

*Elizabeth*: I have a full size lathe that I would like to use. Any info would be appreciated…

*Gerry*: Thanks for the tips!


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## KenBry (Sep 13, 2011)

I have a small Jet 10X14 lathe that I have made probably 100+ pens on. It's really fun. I have gotten to the point where I challenge myself and create acrylic segmented pens.

The lathe tools I use, a gouge and a skew. And a good sharpening method of your choice.

Mandrel and shaver will help out BIG time.They allow for a nice flush/square end to press your pen parts too.

A pen press is nice but I honestly don't use it much anymore. I just use my bench vise with thick leather on the jaws to protect what ever I am pressing in. Brass works well too.

The nice thing is you can make more than just pens and the Lathe/turning world becomes more and more interesting.

I use Craftsupplies for 90% of my parts.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Chris-I bought a Delta 46-460 VS Midi in July … I love it. Mine has the extension bed, so I can do spindles up to 42" in length.

When I bought my lathe, pen-turning was not on my radar … I wanted to do bowls, boxes, spindles, etc. I took a beginning turning class at the local TC, and one of the sessions involved making pens, which sort of got me hooked.

I think turning pens is a good skill-builder … you learn the importance of sharp tools and a light touch, which helps you when you are doing other turning projects as well.

-Gerry


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Oh, check this out for ideas on making your own fancy pen blanks - I am going to try some of these ideas.

http://www.distinctiveturnings.com/tutorials/SegPenBlanks.pdf


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Stumpy-I left the barrel trimmer off my list … you need one to square up the ends of the blanks and trim flush to the tube.

-Gerry


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

*Gerry*: You wanted to turn boxes on your lathe? You do realize that square things are not made by turning, right?...


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Stumpy-Yup … it is tricky. That's why you always wear a face mask!

-Gerry


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

*Gerry*:- I was making a joke about how you couldn't make a square box on a lathe. No matter how long you turn it, you will always have a cylinder. Of course you could make a round one, but would that still be a box? Seems to me that boxes should be round, but you know me…


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

*Grizz*: My shop chicken (Mcnugget) says "cluck, cluck, bwaaaak, cluck" to you and yours…


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

Nope - probably has more to do with not having a lathe.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Stumpy-That's what I told my shop teacher! I guess you could call it a can …

-Gerry


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## Billinmich (Mar 8, 2008)

Yes I turn pens,do it for fun not profit,regular size lathe with regular size tools,you'need pen press ,barrel trimmer,drill press.It's fun to do and they do make great gifts.I've bought mine from Pennstate,Rockler,and Woodcraft,and I'm sure there are many other places as well.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

OK, these are my comments on some products from the Penn State Industries catalog. They're in no particular order, just flipping through the catalog pages.

You will need a mandrel set, though I am not sure what type you'd get for your lathe. Mine had a #1 Morse taper - I use a Carba Tec mini lathe.

Slimline pen sets are a good basic one to start with. When you branch into other styles, consider the diameter of the brass tubes/barrels - you will sometimes need different sized bushings or other accessories for the different barrel sizes. Slimlines are 7mm.

You'll need a drill bit the same size as your barrels.

A barrel trimmer, as mentioned above. I use mine in a hand drill. I once turned a handle for one to use hand-held as well.

They have a five-grit sanding set which I found useful; it came in my starter set, not sure if I would have bought it separately. Grits included are 150, 240, 320, 400, 600, all in thin strips on rolls.

I got their drilling center vise which has been very useful, but as noted above you can make your own.

I'm considering getting or making a pen blank squaring jig for use with my disc sander.

I got the pen assembly press but it's awkward to use and in retrospect I'd have used something else.

I use HUT Perfect Pen Polish, two different sticks of wax that are applied while the piece is spinning.

The pen tube insertion tool is very useful.

I am seriously considering getting the locking soft-grip pliers for disassembly. It's easy to put components together too far and need to release them. I got the disassembly punch set but have not been terribly effective using them because I have no good way to hold the pen without damaging it.

I got the three piece Benjamin's Best turning chisel set, which are a good size for pens, but the shanks are too short to sharpen very well on my slow grinder's jigs so that takes some extra effort.

I am tempted by the finger grip chisel but I generally just make a few grooves manually…not as many as it does, though!

I think that's about it. You'll also need glue for gluing the barrels into the drilled pen blanks. I forget what brand I use for that.

You might take a look at some of the starter sets that PSI offers, which include a lot of the stuff above together at a discount.


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## Sanman (Dec 12, 2011)

Yes, started with pens in June. Exotic woods and acrylic. I have used craft supply for most of my kits. Obstacles that I had to over come include drilling a straight hole 4 inches, all the dp's only drilled 2.5 inches. The other one was the lathe, mine is a 1mt and trying to find fittings for a 1 mt was hard, mainly the 60 degree rotating cone for the 1mt pen mandrel. Another was a vice for pressing the pen together, I finally bought a press. I used the starter kit from craft supply which came with almost every basic needed component to turn pens (pen kit, blanks, drill bit, thick glue, barell trimer, pen mandrel, bushings, chessils, sand paper, polish, instructions). The individual pen kits come in all shapes and sizes, google pen kits to see all the different styles. Some of the supply stores have free instruction videos on youtube that startat the beginning and go all the way through the whole process. Here is one i made for my son, http://lumberjocks.com/projects/57938


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

That's a lot of great info, Elizabeth!


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

To glue the tubes into the blank, I use thick CA … just spread on the tube, insert with a tapered punch, twist to spread the glue inside the blank, and let cure for a few minutes.

The sandpaper set Elizabeth mentions is great … I use micro-mesh sanding pads from Craft Supplies … they are washable and run about $15.

-Gerry


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Oh, regarding drilling the holes. The deeper the hole, the more likely it is to go off center. I made a jig for my bandsaw for cutting pen blanks (commonly sold around 5 or 6 inches long) to the sized two pieces that I need for the two parts of the pen, and THEN drilling those shorter pieces. Make the hole wandering less of an issue. Make sure you have scrap wood below the piece in the vice to avoid tearout.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I'm a recovering penaholic and I offer this warning to others. Pens can be addictive.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

*Rich*- How many? Come on… it can only help to open up. There are no judgments here, just healing…


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Don't do it Rich! If you open up to Stumpy, he'll just go an post it on the Internet or something.

-Gerry


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Yah… I might post it on Lumberjocks!... oh, wait…


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I don't have a count but I estimate that I have made over 200. There was a time when everyone was getting a pen as a gift from me. I also went beyond the slim-lines onto the "hard stuff".

I'm quite sure I have at least 200 pen blanks on my shelf. I keep thinking I will find another use for them. I probably have material for 5000 refrigerator magnets. You can easily make a whistle out of a pen blank but, since most of them are exotic, I'm leery to have anyone put an exotic wood whistle to their mouth.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Rich I know some irish pennywhistle makers who use exotic woods. They'll often make the body of the whistle in wood and the head of delrin, brass or some other material. I think it helps with moisture issues, too.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Glue them all together and make the most unique bench top ever!

(The greatest woodworking show mankind has ever known is now online!)


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Interesting that you bring this up Stumpy . . .

To begin with, my background in building and machining spans 50 years so I'm no slouch. I have an extensive and very complete machine shop with metal lathes and mills (yes, more than one of each) and an extensive woodworking shop with all light industrial machines of every type (old Delta stuff from '50s to '70s).

So, the first of December I thought I would make some pens for gifts. I thought it would be a quick 2-day project for each pen, maybe even less. I ordered the materials from Penn State and wanted to make acrylic pens.

Today it is January 13 and I have yet to complete a pen. The instructions leave a LOT to be desired, the acrylic I selected is weak along the lines of the gold powder lines in the maroon acrylic and will break at the drop of a hat. The chopped-up money acrylic looks great in its square chunk but when it is turned and bored to fit the pen it is so thin and transparent with so little money showing it looks terrible. Not understanding how the pens and brass tubes properly assemble due to the poor instructions I have drilled holes too large for the wrong brass tubes,. And on and on. I have ordered additional acrylic and parts two more times in the process.

And this afternoon I am reluctantly going back to the shop to try again. If it doesn't work out this time I will toss is all in the trash and try another "simple" project like a 32 cylinder operating radial engine or maybe a veneered highboy. These certainly couldn't be any more frustrating.

Planeman


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Planeman, have you got any maple or cherry offcuts you could use for your first few pens? That will be a lot more forgiving to the newcomer than acrylic.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Yeah Stumpy. I have all kinds of wood. I just want to make these Christmas presents and get them done. I'll give the acrylic another try as I have it on hand. If it doesn't work out and I haven't messed up the pen parts I might give wood a try. The problem isn't with turning. Its with getting everything to fit and have it look right. I keep wondering why with all of my experience, knowledge and tools I am having so much trouble when the "newbies" seem to knock off pens right and left.

Planeman


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

Hmmmm…... I made two or three quite some time ago. I think all I got with the kit was a mandrel for my lathe, a drill bit, and s few of the clips and hardware parts for actually making a pen. It wasn't especially difficult and they really looked nice. But the cost of the hardware adds up, even more if you buy exotic blanks, and I hate to think about all the specialty accessories mentioned above. I can easily understand why these go for $25 + at craft shows! They would be great gifts, but it seems to take a lot of stuff (says the guy with a garage full of stuff just so I can carve)!


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## Maverick44spec (Aug 7, 2011)

Yep, I don't do acrylics (yet) but I will use any kind of wood I can get my hands on. I make them for several reasons. 
1. They are easy, and you can get one done in about an hour. (great for someone who wants results fast)
2. They sell fast, and easy. (I usually sell slimlines for $15.00 each which is cheap enough for a lot of people to want them)
3. They use very little wood. (NO MORE WASTED WOOD!!! That counts double for burls.)
4. They are fun to make.

A lathe (with a mandrel and live center) and a drill press (with a special clamp to hold the blanks) are basically all the power tools you need. I even use the drill press to put the pens together (with the jaws of the chuck completely retracted, a piece of leather, or fabric to cusion the pen parts from the chuck, and a piece of soft wood clamped to the drill press table to custion the other side of the pens. )

I usually use lacquer to finish my pens.

It can be a cheap, or expensive part of woodworking depending on what you use.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Planeman-FWIW, I haven't tried acrylic yet. I figure I need to build the basic skills before trying the advanced stuff. The maple and cherry I used were cut-offs rescued from the scrap bin.

-Gerry


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

*NOPE.* The last PENs I made were 12 years ago. The project cost someone $925,000 on a hog barn, it had 60 + pens in it. Never want to see, hear or touch anything that sounds like PEN again…...........lolSeriously I will eventually like to try some one day, when I go to craft shows the people that make them light up when you start asking questions about the different materials they use. I think it would be a great hobby to get into. Just not right now for me.


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## Dlow (Jan 16, 2011)

I've turned a few pens/pencils and will agree it gets addictive. From the comments above I am surprised at the apprehension to use acrylic. To me it has been just as easy as turning wood and much easier to finish, as most of mine are plastic. I sand mine with the micro grit pads and then use a couple coats of carnuba wax. The biggest problem I have is coming up with a design to turn, keeping it simple but appealing as well as comfortable… maybe I over think the whole process. But to add to the other answers, I use a quick clamp to press the parts together and a wood hand screw to hold the blanks for drilling. I've been buying my stuff from woodcraft but think I'm gonna switch to Penn State. Bottle stoppers are also easy and fairly inexpensive too. 
I'm hoping to get the laptop fixed soon as I can't post pics from the iPad.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Planeman, assembly can be confusing if you're not sure how it's supposed to go together. What kind of pen kits are you using? Maybe one of us can help. Please feel free to PM me if you think it'll be useful.

Here's an assembly guide I found, this is for slimline pens.

http://www.woodturnerruss.com/Pen34.html

That website has a lot of other useful pen info too.

(Note that they use the trimmer to make the tube flush with the wood as a first step. Be very careful if you do this; I have damaged the wood of my thinner pens trying to do this.)


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## clieb91 (Aug 17, 2007)

Stumpy, 
Yes I have been bitten by the pen turning bug. I am now making them out of found wood which is great. As mentioned a very fast result project. I made about 25 so far but will be upping that quite a bit this year.

Elizabeth listed out pretty much everything, I would also add some wire burners as they help to add a little decoration to lighter colored woods. Since I am mainly using local woods there is not as much character in them as exotics.

Gerry Mentioned Captain Eddie, I have found his videos quite useful in regard to turning and also making your own tools, which I hope to do sometime in the near future.

@planeman, acrylics are tough bunch to deal with. My wife decided to do some this past year as Christmas gifts. Other then the fact they stink up the shop they are tough on the tools. Also with some of those you need different colored blanks so that they hide better.

CtL


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## RetiredCoastie (Sep 7, 2009)

I turn pens as well and for the most part you don't need a pen press, or drilling jig you can do pretty much all of it on your lathe. Go to and register at http://www.penturners.org/

This is one of the most informative website devoted to pen turning. Lots of videos and how to articles. So many talented people willing to help in the art of pens.


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## clieb91 (Aug 17, 2007)

Almost forgot, I bought a large number of bulk Kits from Craft Supplies (woodturnerscatalog.com) and purchased a number of one offs from Woodcraft. The cool thing is even turning standard 7mm slimlines there are number of other types of kits you can get such as mini pens, letter openers, magnifying glasses , kaleidoscopic, and ornaments…



CtL


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Elizabeth, thanks a lot!!!

I just took a look at that website and it might help. And I may be giving you a holler if I have any more questions. Yeah, I am using acrylic. I am turning it on a metal lathe and I have machined and worked with acrylic before (Plexiglas) with few problems. The acrylic turns nicely with very sharp high speed steel bits. Unfortunately the acrylic I selected - 2 different types - each has a problem in its makeup.

One is a ruby maroon acrylic with gold powder mixed in that gives it beautiful lines of gold wandering through it. The problem is these gold powder lines are heavy in powder and light in acrylic making the gold lines a weak spot that is subject to breaking. It doesn't take much for the thinned out turned pen body to break and crumble.

The other acrylic I selected is an interesting mixture of chopped up old dollar bills from the U.S. Mint mixed with clear acrylic. As my son is an accountant I thought this would make an interesting pen. The problem it the acrylic blank looks great in its original thick block, but when turned to the final dimensions you begin to see that the acrylic has become so thin that there is a lot more clear acrylic than chopped up money and you can easily see the brass tube inside.

I would suggest you other pen turners stay away from these two items. I am beginning to understand the final dimensions of the turned pen body makes makes for a pretty thin tube and anything with the slightest transparency will present a see-through problem. Also, the thinness of the turned tube requires the brass inner tube to be the full length of the item to be turned plus some and there can be no joints, i.e two brass tubes slid into the acrylic blank hole that meet in the center somewhere. This joint makes for a weak point and the finished thin acrylic tube can break at this point if too much pressure is applied.

I guess I am learning the hard way as usual. But I am not going to quit until I work out all of the headaches and end up with some pens. I'm stubborn that way. There are other acrylics that are opaque that I like and I may have to move to one of those. Also, I need to take the pen "innards" to the good hardware store nearby where they have a display of small K&S brass tubes used by hobbyists to see if can get some 12" long brass tubes that properly fit the pen parts. The fit of this brass tube to the other pen parts is one of the problems I am having. The tolerances are pretty tight, the brass tube is very thin, and the pen parts can't be easily mounted in a lathe to alter the diameter so it can slip into the brass tube without applying a lot of pressure. Forcing an ever so slightly too large pen piece into the brass tube with the acrylic outer body can enlarge the brass tube end and produce a hairline crack in the outer acrylic tube. 
Planeman


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## AST (Jan 8, 2012)

Stumpy,

Elizabeth and Gerry nailed it! They told you everything you need to know.

I'll share this. I thought I was going to sell the pens and make some type of profit. However, I have given away every single pen that I have made. I enjoy turning the wood more than I do the acrylic, probably because the acrylic takes allot of time to finish (sanding all of the scratches out). But the acrylics are very pretty when they're done right.

All in all, its fun, its challenging, its cool to see what you can create, and it is not inexpensive. Some days I wish I would never have started this pen making thing. It is quite habit forming, and like I said….expensive.

If you decide to start this process, just let you imagination run wild. You can really make some cool looking pens. But once you start, its hard to stop.

Have fun.

AST


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## D_Allen (Oct 11, 2010)

My name is D-Allen….and I turns some pens!

That's basically what you will have to say later on when you resign yourself to the fact that you have to join the PTAA…."Pen Turners Autonomous Association"

Uh oh, I just realized that I am down to 2 kits….Yikes!


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## SalvageCraft (Jun 26, 2011)

About those lathe turned boxes: aren't they called bowls?


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Planeman - that ruby/gold acrylic almost sounds defective to me, but I've never worked with acrylic so I'm not sure how much brittleness is generally acceptable.

However, just because the pen is called slimline doesn't mean you have to make it slim. I've made some pretty chunky ones (some of them were too fat to have the clip put on!) and as long as you think them down at either end they'll still work with the slimline kits. Check out http://lumberjocks.com/projects/37082 for some ideas - I've just added some pics of some older pens that I made to that project. There are also a couple at http://lumberjocks.com/projects/40013 .


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I just reread your last post, Planeman, and part of it confused me:

"Also, I need to take the pen "innards" to the good hardware store nearby where they have a display of small K&S brass tubes used by hobbyists to see if can get some 12" long brass tubes that properly fit the pen parts. The fit of this brass tube to the other pen parts is one of the problems I am having. The tolerances are pretty tight, the brass tube is very thin, and the pen parts can't be easily mounted in a lathe to alter the diameter so it can slip into the brass tube without applying a lot of pressure. Forcing an ever so slightly too large pen piece into the brass tube with the acrylic outer body can enlarge the brass tube end and produce a hairline crack in the outer acrylic tube."

If you are drilling a hole with a 7mm bit for slimline pens, the tube should slide right in with the skimpiest of gaps to allow for glue. Do the acrylics come predrilled or something? I've never had a problem getting the drilled pen blank to fit over the brass tubes.

I cut my wooden blank, drill it out, insert and glue the brass tube, and then put the wood and brass assembly on to the mandrel for turning. Is that what you're doing (but with acrylic)? Or are you talking about the other parts, at final assembly? PM me if you like. All the assembly parts (brass tubes, twist mechanism for the 
middle of the pen, and front and end metal pieces) should fit extremely tightly (and if you put the twist mechanism in too far you'll have a devil of a time getting it out), but they should fit.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Well, I have to say I have made more than one pen, I have made as many as 60 at a time to send over to the troops. I have never tried to sell any, just for the troops and as gifts. You pretty much has a great list of all the items you will need. I have used all kinds of woods (domestic.exotics), designs, patterns etc and plastics, acrylics, bowling balls, yarns, ropes, threads of various colors and sizes, hay, straw, wood chips/saw dust that has been glued together (very interesting). You can basically use anything you can drill a hole into. Have fun, do not limit yourself as to what you may have seen, think outside of the box and try new things. Having said that also do it safely.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

Errrm… I work for a pen importer and printing company we have millions of pens in stock, and some how I don't think I want to make one…. kinda sick of the sight of them … lol


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Just a quick followup … the brass tubes supplied with Slimline pen kits are 2" in length. I cut the blanks to a skosh over 2 1/8", then glue the brass tubes is. After the glue dries, I trim the blank to length with a barrel trimmer, then mount the blanks on the mandrel.

Jesse-Call them what you like … I call them boxes because that's what everybody else calls them!

-Gerry


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

This is a lot of great info! Thanks!


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

While we're on the topic, does anyone know how to sharpen one of those barrel trimmers? I think mine might be getting pretty dull.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Elizabeth-Eddie Castelin did a YouTube video on sharpening barrel mills … 




-Gerry


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Elizabeth, use a diamond hone on the SIDES of the flutes. You'll see where they were originally ground. Do NOT touch the tips. There are videos on youtube to get a better idea.

Stumpy, strangely enough, you CAN make a cube or square box on a lathe. Kinda odd, and pretty easy too.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Great, thanks Gerry and Rance!


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Hello Elizabeth,

You say "If you are drilling a hole with a 7mm bit for slimline pens, the tube should slide right in with the skimpiest of gaps to allow for glue. Do the acrylics come predrilled or something? I've never had a problem getting the drilled pen blank to fit over the brass tubes."

Its not a problem getting the brass tubes to fit inside the blank. I have an extensive set of numbered and letter drills graduated by a few thousandths of an inch apart that allows me to put a micrometer on the brass tube and then select the appropriate drill needed, allowing a couple of thousandths for the glue. The problem is the brass tubes supplied can be a little bit short for what I need to turn a pen body. I don't know about some of you, but I turn my pen bodies (a "body" being the brass tube glued inside the acrylic/wood blank) slightly longer than the final length and then after turning the "body" to the required diameter and polishing it on the lathe, I then trim the ends to the correct length. I tried to lengthen the brass tubing by gluing in two tubes end to end but I find the joint makes for a weak spot and the very thin acrylic can break at this point. I have thought about locating some long (12 inch) lengths of the same brass tubing so I can have a longer brass tube that will eliminate the need tor a joint an mentioned above.

Another problem I seem to have is when I have a proper inside diameter tube that fits over a pencil barrel snugly and just right (on a pencil the top cap must be able to be removed to use the eraser), the end pieces (point and eraser ends of a pencil) that are to also fit snugly into the brass tubing are a tad too large to do so without considerable force applied with a wood vise to press the pieces in, and sometimes these end pieces are just too large to do even that. This force expands the end of the brass tube slightly and makes a hairline crack in the acrylic. Having a nice metal lathe, I could turn down these end pieces if I could accurately mount them in a chuck, but the tapered shape prevents me from doing that. Its frustrating. This is what I mean by the supplied parts in the pen kit not fitting very well in some cases).

Oh well, its back to the shop to give it another go.

Planeman


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

To Elizabeth . . .

You ask "While we're on the topic, does anyone know how to sharpen one of those barrel trimmers?".

Here is what I do to sharpen my router bits, end mills, drills, and other cutting tools around the shop. I use a diamond disc in a Dremel tool. The discs are very inexpensive at http://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-diamond-mini-cutting-discs-31501.html and last a good while. Also, they are occasionally on sale at half price if you get their e-mails.

These disks have to be used delicately as they cut fairly fast, but they give you a razor sharp edge and the sharpening is quickly done unlike using an Arkansas stone (which also works well). If you have a variable speed Dremel you can slow the speed down for a slower cut.

Planeman


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Planeman, you should be trimming to exact length BEFORE you ever turn the blank on the lathe. You'll use a pen mill for this. And as for pressing in the ends, it almost sounds like you are clamping the pen in the vise vertically and then trying to press or tap the pieces into the end sticking up. You should push the pieces into the end of the tube to get them started, then drive them home using the vise as a press. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are saying. Not trying to be a smart-alek, but have you watched anyone make a pen or have you taken a class? It sounds like some quick one on one instruction would solve a multitude of problems you are having. Maybe try to contact a penturner in your area or take a class?


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Actually rance, I am using a woodworking vise lined on both jaws with wood. I put the pen between the jaws (each end of the pen on a jaw) and then carefully close the jaws pressing the pieces together as per the instructions with the pen kit.

And no, I haven't taken a pen turning class. However I have been building and machining in my shop since I was fifteen and I am now seventy one, so I feel a simple pen should be with my abilities to understand. I think I will take a look at some of the videos on YouTube though.

Planeman


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## darryl (Jul 22, 2006)

I've always used a 12" bar clamp to assemble my pens. I'm way to cheap to buy one of those fancy pen presses. When it comes to drilling the blanks, you can use your lathe with a drill chuck in your tailstock and hold your pen blank in the chuck on your head stock. As has been mentioned, i've always cut my blanks to just over length before drilling. I use standard size tools (again, cheap… I'm not buying specialty tools when the set I have works) for turning.

here's the last pen I made…


I buy all my pen kits from CraftSupplies USA and I use a BLO/CA finish.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Planeman, Where are you? No location, projects, blogs or buddies. I would come help you if you were close. There is often something small that can make huge differences that get lost in my words here on the net. I hope I did not upset you. It was not intended. There are plenty of videos to watch. Look for ones from Don Ward, his are good. When(not 'if') you get your pen build, please add it as a project.

I flailed miserably when trying to use SketchUp all by myself. I wish I had someone spend 30min with me to get me past ground zero. It would have helped tremendously.

Stumpy, sorry for hijacking your thread.


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## D_Allen (Oct 11, 2010)

Planeman; Build yourself one of these pen presses. I tried the drill press and that didn't work very well for me. I don't have a bench vise but it would seem to me that you would loose some of the 'feel' for the force you are exerting.
I'm not that cheap but figured if I could build what I could buy then I am feeding the need…so-to-speek.
This, as you can see, has been revised a few time but it now works quite well and nobody in China needed to bother with making it!










Also; as rance has noted, the prepared blank should be trimmed to the length of the supplied brass tube before final turning. I tried other methods but a pen mill works best. Also, I use plastic bushings on the ends before the final sanding and finishing because I too often got markings on the blank from sanding across the metal bushings. One last thing, ALL of the glue must be removed from the brass tube or this could cause the pressed fittings to be too tight and cause a blowout. You can also slightly chamfer the brass tube to aid in getting the fitting started. 
Stumpy…....I don't mind hijacking your thread! ;-)


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Nobody's hijacking anything… keep the posts coming!


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

Planeman, you wrote: "Actually rance, I am using a woodworking vise lined on both jaws with wood. I put the pen between the jaws (each end of the pen on a jaw) and then carefully close the jaws pressing the pieces together as per the instructions with the pen kit."

Are you trying to press the entire pen together at once? This will cause alignment problems and possibly the cracking that you report. Try this for a Slimline pen kit:

Step one: take the bottom half of the pen, place the tapered metal end of the pen kit against the bottom end of the blank, and press that firmly into place using your vice.

Step two: Take the top half of the pen. Slide the pen clip onto the metal top end of the pen supplied in your kit (it should slide on easily). Then take that assembly and place it against the top end of the pen blank, and press that firmly into place using your vice.

There should be no cracking so far.

Step three: I tend to make most of my errors on this step. Take the rotating interior piece of the pen, the one that the ink will eventually screw into. Play with it to make sure it is rotated to its shortest length. Take the lower end of it and put it against the TOP end of the BOTTOM pen blank. Very, very gently, push those pieces together using your vice, but stop shorter than you think you need to press it in. Take the piece out of the vice and install the ink to see if the tip of the ink shaft will properly extend/retract from the bottom of the pen when the mechanism is twisted. If it doesn't extend enough, remove the ink and press the pieces together a bit more. Repeat.

I usually screw up step three by pressing them too far together, meaning the ink never fully retracts. If this happens you have to disassemble the whole lower half of the pen, which is a royal pain.

Once you have finished Step three to satisfaction:

Step four: Your pen is now in two pieces and looking more penlike. Install the ink and retract the ink nib. Slide the central ring onto the twist assembly and butt it against the bottom half of the pen. (It should go on relatively easily.) Line up the two halves so that your grain patterns look pleasing, if applicable. Slide the two halves together. If I recall correctly you should not need a vise for this, just do it by hand.

Your pen should now be assembled.

Any help?


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Thanks for all of the suggestions. From here on I believe I can work it out!

Planeman


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I'm looking forward to seeing your next pen Planeman!


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## MrWizard (Sep 21, 2010)

I have been sitting on my hands the last three years, wanting to start turning again. My wife, being the angel she is Purchased me a Shopsmith several years ago so I could have a lathe. and all the other things the SS does is just a bonus. I didn't even know you could turn your own opens till a couple years ago, I always thought they came from a factory. Well I have move out from under my rock and haven't turned back. Its still taken me some time to pull together the other tools and supplies needed to start but I am off and running and I am not looking back! Since the beginning of the year I have already produced about a dozen pens. I know, SO WHAT!
The what is, its a great adventure, I'm re-learning the lathe, that I fell in love with in Jr,High school wood shop. re-learning the tools, the woods, the finishes and a whole new industry that seems to scream we want more! Tonight for example, I took a couple hours and starting from the lathe created a Beautiful Mesquite pen, which I adorned with 24kt gold slim line kit! By far one of the best I have done so far. Every creation is a step ahead. Do I know it all NO way, I have to learn how to repair blowouts when something goes wrong, and I am still building my resources for suppliers, But i have a direction and I am so thrilled to be doing something with wood again!
Is it all i am going to do, no. Buts thats just another reason to enjoy it all the more.


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## moke (Oct 19, 2010)

StumpyNubsd and all,
I got bit hard by the pen bug about 5 years ago. I was doing flat work but due to my drive for perfection ( a disease) and working a lot, it seemd like it took me 4 to 5 months to finish a project. I had always looked at pen making and thougt I might take it up to be able to have something to show more often. I got caught up in it and now I have two lathes, and I am about to get a metal lathe in addition. I have made countless pens, the amount I do not know, but I would think it would be 600 or 800. I have never turned anything other than pens. I would like to turn some bowls and I am gathering the knowledge right now.

Wood is easier to turn, for a finish most pen guys use CA (superglue), usually thin and put on 15 to 20 coats. It gives a great finish!! I mostly turn acrylics now. They are really no harder, you just have to take lighter cuts with sharp tools.

To answer your questions about equipment, I use a "woodchuck" mostly. Send me a private message and I can tell you where to get one….it is a replaceable carbide tip tool. I also use some Sorby tools, which you may already have. DO NOT buy the mini tools. They are too small. The one thing I hve noticed is the guys that have done flatwork have the tools and are better suited to make jigs and not have to buy as much stuff, becuase you have used the "stuff" for other applications. If you are ready to do this, I can send you a list of websites that have custom stuff or are resellers of the bigger places with better prices and certainly quicker response times.

You might consider joing/reading the International Assoc of Penturners website. There are a lot of guys on here that also frequent that site. THey have a great "library" to cruise and learn….just be carefull it is addictive!
Mike


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## shopmania (Sep 8, 2009)

Maybe this is sacrilege, but I bought an EZ Wood tools mid sized smoother and have made entire pens start to finish with that one tool, including rounding the rough square blanks. It is really sweet! I sometimes use a spindle gouge for smoothing, but usually don't need it. Abranet abrasive is really good for smoothing, and Shellawax is a really nice finish.


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## Bobmedic (Sep 24, 2010)

I turn pens. If you have a lathe and tools you are almost there. You need a trimmer kit, bushings for whatever pen you want to turn. You can drill the blanks on the lathe with a tailstock chuck and a headstock chuck. I have both chucks and get a perfectly centered hole every time. Thick CA glue for gluing the tubes and I also finish my wood pens with CA glue and polish them by wet sanding and using micro mesh wet sanding pads. I made my own pen press with a board and a block and t-track and a horizontal jig fixture clamp.


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## harry1 (Feb 22, 2012)

"You wanted to turn boxes on your lathe? You do realize that square things are not made by turning, right?..." 
 
Not so Stumpynubs!


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## harry1 (Feb 22, 2012)

Here are a few shots showing how I make pens.










The above home made drilling jig was OK, but this one is better.










For Acrylics I find this the easiest method.










For wood, I find the 1 1/4" gouge is very fast.










Finally, a few examples of finished pens. These days I only make slimlines because everything that I make that isn't kept, is given as presents and when offered a boxful of pens to choose from, the slimlines are chosen.



















As a matter of interest, the new pen press (as it was advertised as by TIMBERBITS.COM) turned out to be useless as anything but a drilling jig, however, at just $A40.00 it was still good value. I did carry out modifications which turned it into a complete drilling and assembly jig. If there is any interest in this I'll be happy to post a short pdf.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Harry … Thanks! I appreciate the detail you provide in the projects you post!

-Gerry


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## harry1 (Feb 22, 2012)

I'm a great believer in "a picture being worth a thousand words" Gerry!https://s3.amazonaws.com/vs-lumberjocks.com










This last shot shows how I square the ends of the blank level with the tube. I find this method far quicker than with a pen mill, even a really sharp one!


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## ArlinEastman (May 22, 2011)

This is the information and links I wish I had started out with years ago when I started making pens.

From Penn State Ind

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CSCPENCHK.html Now this is a great tool I wish I had. I will be buying 6 for Vets I teach

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DVD.html Free

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKBGDVD.html Good info

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKBGDVD2.html Good info

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PK-BK05.html Great reading

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LDC2MT.html

Now this is a great tool I wish I had, it will work in the headstock and tailstock.

Very nice.
From Woodturningz

http://woodturningz.com/Products/PTRIMKIT9.jpg

http://woodturningz.com/products/PKMSTS1.jpg

http://woodturningz.com/products/PKMWR.jpg

http://woodturningz.com/products/PKDISXX.jpg

http://woodturningz.com/products/PKDISPEN.jpg

http://woodturningz.com/Glue.aspx

Should have 1 thin, 1 thick, 1 debonder, and 2- 12oz applicator

http://woodturningz.com/products/PKFINKIT2X.jpg

http://woodturningz.com/products/sp5roll.jpg Should start with one, however, in the future have 2 on hand.

These are all 7mm pen kits and use the same bit, however, not the same bushings so order 3 or each kind. That way when one gets worn out or just wrecked you will have a spare.

http://woodturningz.com/Slimline_Pen_Kits.aspx

http://woodturningz.com/Saturn_Pen_Kits.aspx

http://woodturningz.com/Comfort_Pen_Kits.aspx

This is optional if you have the other tool to press pens together

http://woodturningz.com/products/PENPRESSPREM.jpg

From Woodcraft
These drill bit sets are the same thing I hope to be getting. They have every bit that a pen kit would take and is great to have in the boxes so they are not lost or left laying around, which happens since it is bought individually.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2081362/30392/woodriver-29-piece-fractional-inch-brad-point-drill-bit-index-set.aspx

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2081362/30393/woodriver-25-piece-metric-brad-point-drill-bit-index-set.aspx

Also when you get very good at making and or selling pens Woodcraft sells wonderful pens

http://www.woodcraft.com/Category/1002283/Pen-Kits.aspx

From Craft Supplies
By far the best woodturning videos I know of for beginners to intermediate.

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Videos___Pen_Making___Turning_Pens_with_Kip_and_Rex___kip_rex_basics_vid?Args=

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Videos___Projects___Woodturning_Projects_DVD_Volumes_1___2___rex_kip_combo?Args=

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Videos___Projects___Woodturning_Projects_Volume_3_DVD___rex_kip_volume3?Args=

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Videos___Projects___Woodturning_Projects_Volume_4_DVD___rex_kip_volume4?Args=

These last two DVDs I do not even have yet, however, it is like there other ones they are top notch.

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/New_Products___Woodturning_Projects_Volume_5_DVD___rex_kip_volume5?Args=

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Videos___Projects___Woodturning_Projects_Volume_6_DVD___rex_kip_volume6?Args=

I know it seems a lot, however, if I had all of this when I started it would have been much easier.

All the Best
Arlin


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## Denvy (Jul 17, 2012)

Pens….









When I was 58 years, I chose to make some pens when I turned 59. For my birthday I started buying tools. The first pen cost me $475.59 and I have not looked back. Pens? They turn into turning Pepper grinders, tops, wheels for semi-trucks, spindles, bed posts for a queen bed, chess sets with folding game boxes, the end is not in sight, I am now at the young age of only 67. So, be ware….it can get you by the interest you have and the skills you develop. Creativity? Never-ending. Buy a good book on making pens and learn…..have fun making chips and for your sake,.....be safe in your choices and you shall have fun !


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

When you decide to really go prehistoric - 
you will just use a hand bow to turn the lathe, and hold the tool with your feet.

This guy in Marrakech really knows how to used the Skew!


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