pen turning questions

[rdewinter]

Turning 7mm pen blanks for Christmas and I'm new to pen turning.
Questions: Do you turn the blank down even with the bushings? Any reason one can't make your own pen blanks out of scrap wood? What if the hole bored into the blank isn't perfectly centered? What woods should a novice turner stay away from? Any tips on drilling a perfectly straight hole in the blanks? Any tips on sharpening the lathe tools?

Bob
San Diego

[paulmcohen]

Turning 7mm pen blanks for Christmas and I'm new to pen turning.
Questions: Do you turn the blank down even with the bushings? Any reason one can't make your own pen blanks out of scrap wood? What if the hole bored into the blank isn't perfectly centered? What woods should a novice turner stay away from? Any tips on drilling a perfectly straight hole in the blanks? Any tips on sharpening the lathe tools?

Bob
San Diego

For 7mm pens you must turn the blank even with the bushing otherwise the pen is very uncomfortable to use and looks bad.

You can use any scrap wood you want to make pen blanks.

The hole will be in the center as soon as you touch a tool to the wood. If you start with a standard blank (I forgot the exact size) and drill an off center hole you will not have enough wood to end up with a round pen. If you start with a wider blank, it is not as important to be exactly centered. Most commercial blanks are barely wide enough for any play.

No comment on wood choice, but highly figured woods look great for pens but are harder to turn. Straight grain wood is easier to turn but may not look as good.

I use a wood jig (purchased from Rockler) to drill the holes, they just came out with a newer one made of metal that I love. If you Google "Pen drilling Jig" you will find lots of free plans.

[Gampa]

Here is a link to a Saw Dust session that should answer most of your question plus a few.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Archives/SS108/SS108_Turning_Pens.htm

[cincinnati10]

Bob,

You turn the pens flush with the bushings at the ends. This way the pen part that presses into the tube blends at that end. I have tried some designs that involve a curve profile of the lower barrel. A few are OK, but many I dislike. I prefer a straight even diameter upper pen barrel because the clip will bend if you try much of a fancy profile there. Experiment with the cheaper slimline kits.

You do not have to start with a perfectly drilled center hole. The closer you get to center, the less imbalance you have as you start to turn the pen. The important thing is to have a clean and straight hole with no wobble of the blank or the bit. Us some sort of blank drilling vise and a drill press. Use sharp clean bits. Use sharp clean lathe chisels.

I have a Water cooled sharpening wheel and a honing wheel to touch up the tools as I use them.

[fjimp]

I have tried several pen drilling vice jigs. The only one I have ever had excellent luck with was made by Paul Huffman in Oklahoma City. A search on google this evening came up blank. Have have no idea if he still makes them. You will be far happier with your pen making once you find a means to centere drill your blanks. If he still makes them you should find information on the vice on penturners.com which is an excellent discussion group for a beginning pen turner to learn the craft. fjimp

[jbooher]

There are several ways to drill the holes in the center. One way is to use the drill press as already stated. Another is to use a chuck. Put the pen blank in the chuck and use a drill bit in the tail stop. Run the SS at a slow speed and move the quill lever. With 7MM bits you have no problems with blow out. When using larger bits make sure your blank is cut longer then you need. Drill a little deeper then you need but not clear thru. Then cut the blank to correct size. This way you will avoid a blow out.

One other tip is to make sure that you are square on both ends of the tube. If you do not then a gap will appear. Gaps are one of the most common mistakes in pen turning.

[fjimp]

When I have a few minutes I will take a picture of the jig and vice I use for pen blank drilling. I found it took such a combination to achieve accurate center drilling for pen blanks. Perhaps more important than the jig and vice combination is a very sharp bit and extreemly slow drilling. One must stop frequently and back out of the hole all the way to clear chips and be certain the bit remains cool. Remember please you are drilling into hard materials and the bits tend to find the course of resistance. Slow drilling with chip free bits is the best way to get the results you desire. My jig pictures have been taken and hopefully will follow later this evening. fjimp

[curiousgeorge]

I use a very, high tech method to drill my pen blanks....