Few Penturning Questions from A Noob

[Wright]

I've turned 2 pens now and I am hooked!! I have a few questions.

1. Should I use the pen mill with a drill press or hand drill? I've seen people using a hand drill in videos.

2. Is it best to cut blanks with a chop saw or ban saw?

3. Is it better to put CA on the tube or in the blank hole? Seen it don both ways on U-Tube.

I'm sure these questions may be personal preference but I'd like to here from you that have been doing this a long time and what works good and not so good.

I will say thank you all for your opinions now. I am honored to be a member of the IAP with great penmakers.

Regards
Lamar

 

[booney0717]

Well here are my answers!
1. i use a drill press.
2.I use a band saw.
3. Ca on the tube. If you put it in the blank then the glue gets into the tube and i realy dont like to mess with cleaning it out.
These are just my answers, I'm sure you'll get many different oppenions. The most improtant thing is to just keep at it and with each pen you will see a big difference. I've been turning pens since Feburary and am still learning myself. Best of luck and dont forget to show em off(good or bad) you will get some very helpfull comments.

 

[gallianp]

I use a hand drill
I use a compound miter saw for most blanks
I do not glue the tubes with CA but use 5 min epoxy

 

[its_virgil]

Lamar,
First, welcome to IAP from N Texas.

here are my answers:
(1)I conwsider the pen mill to be a hand tool so I hade a handle for mine. Using it in a drill press or hand drill works and I would choose a hand drill. Using it as a power tool invites fitting blanks way too long and using the pen mill to mill them to the correct length and then we complain about the cutter head dulling. I've seen blanks milled well over 1/4 inch on both ends. Personally, I use a disk sander and a sanding jig and mostly use a pen mill whe not in my own shop.
(2) best? It is best to use what you have available. Band saws and table saws are excellent for ripping boards into long blanks. Then they can be cut to pen blank length with either or even a chop saw. Search for sleds to use with a band or table saw.
(3). It is better to not use CA for gluing tubes into blanks. Two part epoxy is a much better choice. I use 5 min epoxy and turn after 15 min or so with never a problem. Whatever glue you use be sure to get good coverage. Oh, put glue on the tube and use the tube to ispense the glue inside the blank. Plugging the inserted end helps to push the glue and keeps it out of the tube itself.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

I've turned 2 pens now and I am hooked!! I have a few questions.

1. Should I use the pen mill with a drill press or hand drill? I've seen people using a hand drill in videos.

2. Is it best to cut blanks with a chop saw or ban saw?

3. Is it better to put CA on the tube or in the blank hole? Seen it don both ways on U-Tube.

I'm sure these questions may be personal preference but I'd like to here from you that have been doing this a long time and what works good and not so good.

I will say thank you all for your opinions now. I am honored to be a member of the IAP with great penmakers.

Regards
Lamar

 

[Xander]

I use a pen mill in a drill chuck on the lathe.
I cut blanks with a hand saw and a plastic miter box
To glue tubes, I use 2 part epoxy applied to the tubes. The 'hole' in the blank is painted if it's an acrylic blank

 

[JamesB]

Hi Lamar, here's what I do.
1. I use a pen mill in a Barracuda chuck on the lathe. It seems like not many people do that. But I do and Xander does too.

2. Don't have experience with either of those, I use a scroll saw, which I can tell you is NOT the best way. I would think a band saw would be better. There are some safety concerns about a chop saw but people have modified fences to make them safer.

3. I would put CA on the tube. If you put in the hole it would probably plug the tube end, unless you plugged it with play doh or putty or something like that. I use epoxy because it doesn't fail as often for me and there's more working time. I've had the CA bond fail and the tube comes loose, or I wait a second too long and it bonds tight before it's properly positioned and THAT is frustrating!!!

 

[jmbaker79]

1. Pen mill in drill chuck on the lathe
2. Miter box and hand saw usually
3. Ca on the tubes or epoxy on the tubes

Different things work for different people!

 

[JCochrun]

1. I don't use a pen mill. After gluing, I square the blank with a squaring jig on my disc sander. I do take a little sandpaper rolled up and run it inside the blank to get any glue out of the inside of the tube.

2. I prefer to use my band saw for cutting pen blanks. I feel like I don't waste as much wood. I also make some pens from blanks that are made from multiple pieces of wood/acrylic but cut at 45 degree angles. The band saw works great for me on those

3. I put CA glue in the blank and on the tubes. I haven't had any problems except for when I was trying to turn a pine cone.

Jim

 

[mrcook4570]

With respect to gluing the tube, I put glue BOTH on the tube AND in the hole. This helps to ensure near 100% glue coverage after the tube is inserted in the blank. I prefer epoxy and gorilla glue over CA for gluing tubes.

 

[Ulises Victoria]

I've turned 2 pens now and I am hooked!! I have a few questions.

1. Should I use the pen mill with a drill press or hand drill? I've seen people using a hand drill in videos.
I use a disk sander. I also use a set of brushes to clean the inside of gun barrels. They work great to clean up the inside of the tubes, and I have all the diameters I need and more

2. Is it best to cut blanks with a chop saw or ban saw?
I use a NOBEX Mitre Saw

3. Is it better to put CA on the tube or in the blank hole? Seen it don both ways on U-Tube.
I put Gorilla glue on the tube

As you can see, there are as many different methods as there are turners :wink:

 

[devilfan]

i use a hand drill,scroll saw,and i put thick ca on both the tube and the blank

 

[Glen Schumann]

I've turned 2 pens now and I am hooked!! I have a few questions.

1. Should I use the pen mill with a drill press or hand drill? I've seen people using a hand drill in videos.
I use a hand drill.
2. Is it best to cut blanks with a chop saw or ban saw?
My preference is a band saw.
3. Is it better to put CA on the tube or in the blank hole? Seen it don both ways on U-Tube.
I do both and also plug the end of the tube with an ~ 1/4 inch thick piece of potato.

Regards
Lamar

Just my $0.02

 

[ren-lathe]

Good Morning Lamar, & welcome from Michigan.
As you see you will get as many replies as there are members here. What is going to work best is the method that functions best for you in your shop with the tools you have. Each method calls for specific items to work. If you have it great but remember that it all costs money & sometimes buying cheap tools is more expensive in the long run. Good luck & enjoy the hobby

Dale

 

[Justturnin]

Great questions. I wish I would have asked too instead of botching so many in my learning/to proud stage.

1. Should I use the pen mill with a drill press or hand drill? I've seen people using a hand drill in videos. I use it in a hand drill because I can run it slower than my drill press. I place the blank in a vice on my bench
2. Is it best to cut blanks with a chop saw or ban saw? I say bandsaw for a couple of reasons. W/ a chop saw you have to get too close to the blade unless you have a way to hold the blank in place. Also a Bandsaw has a thinner kerf thus giving you a thinner cut which will aid in grain matching on 2 part pens.
3. Is it better to put CA on the tube or in the blank hole? Seen it don both ways on U-Tube. When I used CA, I used thick and I put some in the blank on the opposite side that I was going to be pushing the tube in then I put some on the tube and inserted it into the blank and twist the blank to spread the glue. Be fast though becasue it can set up any second. Consider moving to Epoxy (that's what I use) or a poly glue like Gorilla

Good luck and cant wait to see some pens.