Question about Lathes and other pens turning equipment.

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Band Saw Box

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Hello
I would like some input about what lathe to get for pen turning. I don't want to a lot of money, say about $250.00. I took a look at the Shop Fox W1704 on Amazon it has some good reviews there, I would like to know if any one on this forum has this lathe and what they think of it.
What's a good place to buy pen turning equipment and just what do I need to get started other then the lathe. Thanks for the help
 
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Dan Masshardt

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Looks similar to the lower end harbor freight. I'd guess this might be a bit better.

It wasn't clear from the link, but this may be MT1 which is fine but accessories won't move up with you.

If that's your budget, I'd look used. Try your hand at pens. If you like it, buy something higher quality.
 

WriteON

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I have a used CarbaTec 3 I bought from a friend. New it sells for about $250+. I like it a lot for an entry level lathe. Penn State Industries has a good selection on lathes and starter kits. Buy a lathe you will be happy with for a while.
 

carlmorrell

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There's a Ryobi ML-618 on ebay. I made about 1000 pens with one. Don't really recommend it if you are serious about this. But if you want to dabble, you might be able to get it for a good price. FYI, I think they were $150 new. I would not pay more than 50-75.
 

walshjp17

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What's a good place to buy pen turning equipment and just what do I need to get started other then the lathe. Thanks for the help

Any of the vendors here in the Vendor Catalogs tab will be able to get you started with your pen kit and blanks needs. Some offer tools as well. You can also try Penn State Industries, CS USA, Woodturningz, and other vendors mentioned here for tools and accessories. (Google the names for URLs).


If you look at this thread, http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/beginners-list-comments-please-114339/ you should have a good idea of what you will need to get started.


BTW, Dan's advice to look for used to get MT2 capability is spot on, given your budget.
 

monark88

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Hello
I would like some input about what lathe to get for pen turning. I don't want to a lot of money, say about $250.00. I took a look at the Shop Fox W1704 on Amazon it has some good reviews there, I would like to know if any one on this forum has this lathe and what they think of it.
What's a good place to buy pen turning equipment and just what do I need to get started other then the lathe. Thanks for the help

If you decide to go for the Harbor Freight model, search online for HF 20% off coupons. That will put it at around 102.00. I've used this model for about 7 years now. I also use some of my Mt1 tools on my Mt2 lathe with an adapter, no problems.
Ultimately, your choice.
Russ
 

ed4copies

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One comment (or minor correction): If you buy a Morse Taper 1 machine and decide later to upgrade, there are adapters made to put on your MT1 and use it in MT2. They are not expensive ($10ish each).

I would agree with those who say MT2 is a better investment, but sometimes it just is not raining MT2 ads!!

Ed
 

monophoto

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I have had a Shop Fox 1704 for about three years.

It's pretty good for the price. One of the things that attracted me to it is that the motor horsepower rating is a bit greater than is typically the case for small lathes. That makes a big difference if you are drilling or doing other end-grain work.

It has a 3/4"x16 MT-1 spindle - I know that some people claim that['s a problem, but I've been able to find any accessories that I needed.

I've used mine for pens, but I quickly found that I preferred doing other things - small bowls, platters, dishes, pendants, nostepinnes, seam rippers, etc.

The shortcomings that I have encountered include:
- the motor horsepower is still too low to be able to do end-grain drilling with a forstner bit. I have to use twist drills and spade bits instead.
- the swing is nominally 8" - or more like 6 1/2" over the banjo. There are time when I would like more room.
- a major swing limitation is when using cole jaws on my chuck - they won't open fully, which means that there are gaps in the range of diameters of pieces that I can mount.
- the headstock doesn't come with a knob. No problem - you can easily turn one from a scrap of wood (there are some threads on this board discussing the process).
- the tailstock spindle is held in place with set screws, and over time, they work their way out (and can fall into the pile of shavings on the floor where they can be lost forever. The solution to this is to adjust the set screw positions, and then wrap the end of the tail stock with some duct tape (naturally - there is always a role for duct tape!) to hold the screws in place.
- the handle that locks the height adjustment of the tool rest is flimsy and can bend.
- in my case, one of the tool rests broke - the post sheared between the top of the banjo and the cross arm of the tool rest. It looked to me like a metallurgy problem. I bought a replacement tool rest from Rick Herrell who advertises on this site.

Bottom line - - - it seemed perfect at the time I bought it, and I'm still having fun with it, but there are times when I wish I had something a bit larger.
 

turncrazy43

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I agree with others about a lathe with a MT2. That way you able to do so many other turnings right from the start. I would also suggest buying carbide cutting tools where you replace the cutters instead of having to purchase a grinder to sharpen HHS tools. If you progress in this as your hobby you can then purchase other items as your budget and interests progress. I would suggest finding a local IAP chapter in your area and attend their meetings. You can get a lot of knowledge and meet some really great people who will be more than willing to help you and give honest advice.
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hukcats1

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If I may, you should look on Craigslist for your area. About once or twice a week, someone dumps their lathes, tools, pen kits, etc. for ridiculous prices. YMMV.
 

Band Saw Box

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Thank you everyone for tbe help. There's a lot of information for me to look at. Thanks for your comments on the Shop Fox Louie. I think that some none harding lock tight well stop the set screws from backing out on there own yet still allow them to be removed if need be. I can say for sure that I'll be getting the chisels with removable cutters as I really dislike sharpening. I looked at Penn State to see what they had to offer and it's a lot. I had no idea there was so many kind of pens. Has anyone made there own pen press or drilling vise? I'm thinking about going to Harbor Freight tomorrow to take a close look at their lathes, their lower priced one looks like the Shop Fox.
 

Band Saw Box

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A question about blanks do you have to cut them in half and if so what do you cut them with? I have a table, miter and scroll saw.
 
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monophoto

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A question about blanks do you have to cut them in half and if so what do you cut them with? I have a table, miter and scroll saw.

If you are making pens, and if the pens you are making involved two pieces, of wood (or plastic), then you have to cut your blanks. On the other hand, some kits are 'one piece'.

I usually use a table saw cuz that's what I have. But you could also use a chop saw, band saw, back saw, hack saw, or sharp axe.:biggrin:
 

Dan Masshardt

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If I may, you should look on Craigslist for your area. About once or twice a week, someone dumps their lathes, tools, pen kits, etc. for ridiculous prices. YMMV.

This varies very significantly by area.

It is not the case in my area at all. It's all old craftsman tube lathes with old turning tools.
 

ironman123

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Question about Lathes and other pens turning equipment

Another bad thing if you are going from a MT1 with adapters to MT2, you are loosing space center to center that you may need.

A suggestion only would be the 10X18 HF Wood Lathe with MT2 and right now you can find 25% OFF coupons then you can buy a 2 yeasr replacement policy on it. Who did that...Oh...I did that about a year ago.

Like I say, it is just a suggestion


Ray
 

Band Saw Box

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There seams to be mixed feeling about #1MT v #2MT. I looked at Penn State and I'm not sure I want to pay that much for a lathe at this point. I'm going to keep an eye on the local craigslist to see if there are lathes that would be worth having I did look yesterday and the one I saw looked like they would be good for one thing, a boat anchor and rusting would not be a problem as they were covered with rust to start with.
 

monophoto

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In terms of migration cost and practicality, you have to consider both spindle thread and MT1 versus MT2 i I've given a lot of thought to how I might migrate from my present ShopFox 1704 (3/4x16, MT1) to something larger. Here's my plan:

MT Accessories -
- pen mandrel - probably simply replace it. I agree that an MT1-MT2 adapter is not an appealing option, and a replacement mandrel would cost about the same as the adapter .
- step center - replace it for the same reason.
- Jacobs chuck - my chuck has a removable MT1-J33 arbor. I can purchase a replacement MT2-J33 arbor for about a third the cost of a new Jacobs chuck.

Thread-on accessories:
- scroll chuck - the native dimension of mine is 1"x8tpi, and it came with an adapter for 3/4"x16tpi. So all I have to do is sell the adapter with the old lathe.
- I have made a bunch of specialty chucks using a 3/4"x16tpi spindle tap, and they would have to be either replaced or rethreaded, but that means that I would have to buy a new spindle tap
- bottle stopper chuck - I could either make a new mandrel out of wood, or simply replace it since stopper chucks aren't very expensive.
 

Band Saw Box

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I went to Harbor Freight today to check out their bench top lathes. they both seam to fairly good for the price point, they have good reviews and with a 20% discount it would only cost about $176.00 for the 5 speed and just over $100.00 for the VS. They also have a 90 warranty they say allows you to return it if your not happy so I could return it if I'm not happy with it or if I find I really don't care for pen turning or if I find I really like it I guess I could return it and use the money for a bigger bench top lathe. I'm going to get the measurements of the lathe of that type so I can build a stand with locking casters so I can move it around.

I was looking at some videos on like and I see some fold using a handscrew clamp and some use a pen vise to drill their blanks. I would like to know what you folks use.

In the same videos some used a pen press to attach the pen parts and others used a quick grip type clamp. What do you folks find works best.

What about centers is a live center better the a mandrel better and is a MT mandrel better the one that threads to the head stock?
Thanks for the help
 
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monophoto

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In the same videos some used a pen press to attach the pen parts and others used a quick grip type clamp. What do you folks find works best.

What about centers is a live center better the a mandrel better and is a MT mandrel better the one that threads to the head stock?

Please understand that you will get at least as many different answers as there are people who answer your questions. It's all about opinion.

I generally hold blanks with a hand screw when drilling with a drill press. That works just fine for me.

My pen mandrel is the MT version - because that's what came with my lathe. I really haven't thought about other configurations - again, that's what I have and it works for me.

Many people prefer the TBC (turning between centers) approach instead of the mandrel. I haven't tried it, but I suppose it would be fine for conventional two-bushing pens. As I said, my lathe came with a mandrel, so that's what I've always used.

I have done a few 'closed end' pens - they have to be done on either a mandrel or a pin chuck.
 

Dan Masshardt

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If you are trying to save money and not sure about turning. My advice has this in mind.

- for drilling get a wooden hand screw clamp of a decent sIze. You may already have one. Notch it out so it will hold a blank straight and upright she you lay the clamp down flat on the drill press table. Rather than buying a drilling vise.

If you stick with pen turning, drill on the lathe instead.

- there is no need to buy an assembly press even if you stick with it. I use a wood workers vise and it works mint. I started with a quick clamp ad it works but not as well.

- mandrel saver is recommended for the tail stock over a live center for mandrel turning.

I turn between centers but mandrel turning is fine too and probably just as well in your situation.

If I was going to buy one of the HF lathes, I'd go for the green 5 speed. It reminds me of the rikon.
 

Band Saw Box

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Dan when you turn between centers do you drill for the tube after rough the blank. Do you know of any video that show how this is done. I would like to see one made this was, I've only seen it done with a mandrel.
 

walshjp17

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If there is a Woodcraft store nearby, you may want to take a turning class to make sure you are comfortable with turning and so you can test out various tools. The folks that teach the classes are good resources for techniques, tools, accessories and safety tips.

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner
 

Sandy H.

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I use the 5 speed Harbor Freight lathe. Today its fine for me. When I bought it, it wasn't. In a while (months, years, ???) it probably won't be. Here are my thoughts:

Everyone knows about the general quality at Harbor Freight. The 5 speed lathe I got is on the better side of that equation, but it is still medium quality at best.

Having said that, it has enough power to turn pens. It is an MT-2 machine and it has minimal runout. The factory tail stock center is junk, both in bearing quality and the taper angle. Replace it immediately. I don't mind switching belt settings and I don't know if I would trust the Harbor Freight electronics for variable speed. My next lathe will have variable speed. The tool rest is OK, it helps to clean it up with a file, as the casting/machining wasn't great. I've been using it for about a year and nothing has broken or gone bad.

Personally, I believe that the sharpness of your tools is the most important factor in turning once you develop some basic techniques. My wife exclusively uses carbide insert tools and I use standard HSS tools 85% of the time. She's better with hers and I'm better with mine, but I sharpen often and she doesn't at all.

Also, in my opinion, the second most important thing with pen turning is the squareness of your cuts on the prepared blanks. There are a bunch of ways to get them square, but make sure you understand how to do it and that you do it well. Unsquare cuts leads to a temporarily warped mandrel when you tighten it and the result is off center turning, which lowers the quality of your pen significantly. Many people swear by turning between centers, which removes the issue, but another way to remove the issue is to square your blanks well to start with. Read the forum and decide how to proceed based on what you read, but I assure you that using a mandrel with poorly squared blanks will yield poor and frustrating results.

I use my drill press as a pen press and it has worked fine. If I had the choice between buying a pen press or putting the dollars towards a Craigslist drill press, there would be no question: drill press.

As a new turner, I'm sharing the experiences I've had over the past year and a half. This is an accessible hobby if you don't go off the deep end at first and buy all kinds of things that aren't needed.

Lastly, check the chapter forum to see if there is an active IAP group in your area. They could answer your questions in a hands-on way that is hard to beat.

Good luck.

Sandy.
 

Dan Masshardt

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Dan when you turn between centers do you drill for the tube after rough the blank. Do you know of any video that show how this is done. I would like to see one made this was, I've only seen it done with a mandrel.

The preparation process is exactly the same for mandrel and between centers turning.

I drill square blanks normally. Some people will round them before drilling.

After gluing or epoxy the tube in and trimming the ends with a sander or pen mill, you gotta get it on the lathe.

With a mandrel you slide the bushings and the pen on an either use a brass but tighten it and a live center in the divot end. Or you slide a mandrel saver in the tailstock taper up right.

Turning between centers requires a 60 degree dead center in the head and 60 degree live center in the tailstock. You can use stock bushings for some kits (except 7mm kit) but you have to be careful. Or you can get TBC bushings from a couple vendors. Or some people turn on the centers directly and use calipers to measure.

There are YouTube videos. JohnnyCNC (John goodin) explains the process well. He is on YouTube and sells some of the supplies as well.
 
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