Pen Turner Gone Astray

[kludge77]

"My name is Peter, and I haven't turned a pen in 8 months."

I think I just burned myself out with the sheer numbers I turned in 2008 & 09. Anyway, I just ordered a bunch of the Elegant Sierra kits, and I have a handful of cheap-o Slimlines in the pile and I'm actually excited about pen turning again. We'll see if it lasts.

Anyone else ever been there? Just like you needed a pen turning sabbatical?

 

[Smitty37]

tiring

"My name is Peter, and I haven't turned a pen in 8 months."

I think I just burned myself out with the sheer numbers I turned in 2008 & 09. Anyway, I just ordered a bunch of the Elegant Sierra kits, and I have a handful of cheap-o Slimlines in the pile and I'm actually excited about pen turning again. We'll see if it lasts.

Anyone else ever been there? Just like you needed a pen turning sabbatical?

I think you can reach that point. I've been off for 6 months and am getting back turning different kinds of pens

 

[jskeen]

I've been there for a while seems like, Haven't done a pen just to add to stock seems like in months. A couple of special, one off's, but nothing just to build the selection lately. Don't really know why. Made some pen stands, and some display boxes, couple of other honey do projects. Blah......

Anyway, Ordered a collet chuck this week, should be here tomorrow. Hoping that kinda kick starts the penmaking jones again. If you start seeing a bunch of new stuff you will know it worked

 

[Padre]

I think it's kind of a natural human 'thing' to take some time off now and then. Sometimes we just need a break. If we are doing it every day, and some for production, I think we do in fact burn out.

Glad to see you are back in the saddle though.

 

[gr8danish]

I can see getting burned out if you're making the same thing all the time. For me, every pen I make is different in both design and concept. That keeps things "fresh" for me, instead of feeling repetitious.

If I get bored, I try something Ive never done before. This week I just purchased a miniature oxy-acetalene torch system so that I can start playing a little bit more with metals.

When I get bored of that, I'll pick up the indexing rig for my mill that I've been drooling over for the past 6 months. Then I can play with inlay, stripes, flutes, crazier segmentation, etc...

 

[hanau]

Been there and sold off all my turning equipment.
Now I am rebuilding my setup again.
But this time went with a small lathe so I can pack it away the next time.

 

[warreng8170]

Just coming off a sabbatical myself. I Went through a period where I wasn't selling ANYTHING so I got a little disheartened plus the summer here in the south was absolutely brutal so the shop was a miserable place to be anyway.

BUT, cooler weather is here and I just found out that another IAP member live just down the road, so we got together last weekend. I've already turned few pens in the last week and looking forward to making more again.

Maybe I need to look into casting so I can split my time between the two and not get burned out this time.

 

[kludge77]

Wow! Glad I'm not the only one!

I think the other thing was completing a set of barrels that were perfect, to only have them bust during assembly. Serious shop temper tantrum time!

Never had that happen with a stopper but on the flip side a perfect pen is more rewarding for me than a stopper.

After I turn the last few slimlines in my pile, I doubt I'll buy any more of them.

 

[gketell]

Christmas of 2008 I had a big order for a friend's company. I got so burned out on pens that I have only made 4 since, and those with the people working with me. Bowls, ornaments, stoppers, etc are all still fun but pens... not so much any more.

 

[JimMc7]

Same as an earlier poster -- slow sales and very hot weather so I didn't make a pen for about 4 months. Now the weather is cooler, I'm looking at some of my 1st pens and not sure why I picked some blanks/combos! I have lots more blanks than kits so re-using clunkers keeps me busy at no additional cost.

 

[All Thumbs]

I had the same problem. Then I got smart. I take one week to make scroll saw parrerns. One week to do mill work. One week to turn pens. The last week to scroll. Then I start over again. I find this keeps me fresh. When I am scrolling I'm thinking about pen turning.
This way I feel fresh no matter what I'm doing this week. A special order now and then adds some spice to the mix.

:bananen_smilies046:

 

[Ligget]

If I loose motivation I look through the members galleries on this great forum and find that this inspires me to get my butt into the workshop and start on a pen. Once started I realise how much I enjoy making pens and this keeps me turning.

I should add though that I do not make a lot of pens, I turn for therapy and now give most of my work away for free or at most what the pen cost to make!

 

[TellicoTurning]

Christmas of 2008 I had a big order for a friend's company. I got so burned out on pens that I have only made 4 since, and those with the people working with me. Bowls, ornaments, stoppers, etc are all still fun but pens... not so much any more.

I think that where I got to also... I started with pens and turned them for the first 5 or 6 years that I turned almost exclusively, but find I would rather do bowls and pepper mills now.

I still keep a small inventory of pens, but would rather work on other things.

 

[intillzah]

I haven't turned a pen for about 8 months. I'm itching to get back out to the shop as soon as I get a new bandsaw blade and some Aero kits..

I had a motorcycle I was restoring and a new puppy that have kept me busy for a while..

 

[fernhills]

I thought it was just me. I have not been in my shop for a couple of months accept for just a couple of one offs i made. The few things i did sell, i felt good about because it was old investment money and not new money. The last bit of money i spent was for Smitty`s Jr Gent buy and that was a few months ago. Carl

 

[reddwil]

SAme as most here. I try to mix it up with other woodworking. I've got where I only make pens when I get orders or I find something new or different I want to try. During the cold weather months I tend to do more pyrography and jewelry making. I've been on walking cane kick here lately and I'm starting to get a little burned out on them.

 

[kludge77]

I've just been informed by my bride that a box arrived from bearahardwoods today.

Looks like a walnut Sierra might be in my future...

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I build pen blanks.

 

[kludge77]

I build pen blanks.

... You mean as a method to help keep you interested in pen turning? Or just sharing? :biggrin: