Its a bit on the thick side of material for pens I realize this.  How ever I wanted to give it a go.  I wanted to try Oak for the first pen since it seems like a bit easier bunch of material to attempt a first one.  But cut off 5 inches of the 30 inch long 1 inch piece of oak that I picked up a couple of months ago.  I'm thinking just doing a single piece but I'm trying to also figure out exactly how to get it mounted to the lathe unless I need to pre glue the brass insides in first before I start turning.  Not sure exactly what to begin with..... besides of course drilling the hole out which my first attempt on the drill press was an epic failure.  The HF drill press was NOT good enough (5 speed and small).  Suggestions?

7 minutes ago, AndrewB said:

Suggestions?

Start with pen kit instructions.  This will give you dimensions for two short blanks say 2 1/2 inch long.  Cut you long blank to that size.  THEN drill your hole (see directions for proper size).  Once the holes are drilled use CA glue to insert brass sleeves.  Let cure. Square up the blanks to the sleeves using barrel trimmer.  Now take and mount your two halves to a pen mandrel on your lathe.  Using correct bushings (see directions) you turn it down to desired shape and put finish on it.  Let finish cure overnight, and then assemble pen per directions.  Assembly in proper order is important, FOLLOW the directions.  

 

Tools NEEDED

 

Pen mandrel for your lathe,  pen kit bushings specific to your kit, a barrel trimmer to square up ends of blank to the brass sleeve.  Possibly and suggested would be a pen ram to assemble.  You can make one, or purchase one.

 

LABEL and sort all bushings.  Unless you want to have to guess or measure using a caliper which ones go to which kit.

 

I would start with slimline pen kits.  They are easy to assemble, and more popular so less moments when you have a mistake that makes you start over.  

That's what I went back to I had a blank Just don't think its properly straight but it should do the tick just gotta figure out how to get it mounted into the lathe so I can turn it down to a pen shape LOL.  I some how managed to drill but not perfectly straight but its a first time go so its not going to be perfect unfortunately.

@Charles Nicholls, our resident pen turner.

+1 on everything @Gunny said and I'll add one thing to his list of required tools- correct sized bushings for the pen kit. 

 

Also, reiterating, FOLLOW the kit instructions.

 

I think you said your pen making kit is from Rockler. Here's their video on making one-

 

 

I do all my pen drilling on the lathe. That way there is no need for the pen vice.

 

 

Okay now I think I realize where I've messed up LOL.

Here's a picture of a pen press idea I stole from the Internet

I will probably pick something up in the long run for that.

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by AndrewB

You have great pen jaws for your scroll chuck and I think you said you have a jacobs chuck. Pretty much all you need to drill on the lathe,

Yea for some reason the pen jaws did not fit not sure why the blank sits extremely loose in them.  I stand corrected operator error I didn't have it tight enough

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by AndrewB

33 minutes ago, AndrewB said:

That's what I went back to I had a blank Just don't think its properly straight but it should do the tick just gotta figure out how to get it mounted into the lathe so I can turn it down to a pen shape LOL.  I some how managed to drill but not perfectly straight but its a first time go so its not going to be perfect unfortunately.

 

This set up will not produce a pen such as the kit from Rockler.  No pen bushings, it is a solid piece, not two halves as per directions, and no brass sleeves installed.  This will be a frustrating experience for you.  Can't even call it a learning curve, consider it bent over.    Take a moment, study the instruction sheet, assemble the correct tooling, then start the process.  

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by Gunny

Just now, AndrewB said:

I will probably pick something up in the long run for that.

I saw a young pen turner use the tail stock as a pen press. Mounted a round piece of wood in the scroll chuck and a dowel in the jacobs chuck the set the tail stock close enough to crank the parts together

 

I may be doing the tail stock thing and giving that a go.  How ever I managed to correct my two miss steps and miss stepped approach so I'm correcting the first 3 mistakes I made LOL.  Yep I'm still a noob.

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by AndrewB

Okay so with all that being said I managed to the pen parts on the lathe.  I think I'm missing a couple spacers on the so I'll fix that when I go back outside.  How ever the problem that I've been running into is that the pen blanks seem to love to catch every time I try to cut into them.  Is there some sort of technique I need to use or to I just need to use a different chisel?

Alright well PROGRESS MADE, don't get too mad at me if my set up is entirely wrong, but I made it work LOL.  I wound up having to use my HSS spindle gouge my smallest one to get a decent cut.  I think I'll be using that more often to carve out pens.  But how ever I think I am getting some where with this.  I'm going to have to order more separators and pen blanks at this rate LOL LOL LOL.  I honestly think I like this as much as I like turning a good bowl.  I think it may be because it challenges me just like a good game of warships can give me a challenge.  This does the trick.  I went simple, I was able to use the MT2 Taper end and toss that into the headstock I'm using the 60 degree angle as a stopper for the tail stock end, how ever I will probably have to come up with something different for that.  But for now that's working.  Fortunately  the 60 degree chuck is cheap and I can re order if necessary.  But yep I think I might be making a boat load of pens so I will probably be picking up a pen press in August.  What I am considering is making a bite block for the end of this pen jig as well so I can properly seat the 60 degree chuck into it so its a bit better and locks easier just not too sure on how I plan on threading the hole for the jig. 

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by AndrewB

Almost ready to put this together, I think I'm going to give it about 3 coats of stain and call it good with that.  Then I'll try and work out how I'm going to press everything together.  So far this has been negotiable but simple once explained better.

The brass bushings are typically used to size the pen wood at the ends. Notice the image of the pen on the video a few posts ago. See how the wood tapers to the same diameter as the pen parts. This allows the pen's working parts to be assembled and fit properly.

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by lew

hmm I may have messed up but if I did thats no big deal we shall see.

I’ve cut it back further I’ll have to rebrand and restrain the wood after it’s don I’ll have to sand the tips flat.  But now everything is flush with the spacers

2 hours ago, AndrewB said:

I’ll have to sand the tips flat.

Get one of these.  Use this barrel trimmer BEFORE you chuck up the blanks in the lathe.  Now you have square flat ends from the brass sleeve to the blank.  Even if your hole is off center this fixes that.  No sanding needed and perfect fit every time.

 

Barrel Trimmer