Recommendations please - pen mill and mandrels...

[thewishman]

I am starting to make some sales and making more pens - due in LARGE part to what I learned here. Now I am needing to upgrade from my less expensive (cheap) starter tools to more reliable, higher precision tools.

Any recommendations for the following?:

Pen mill (barrel trimmer) with sleeves

Mandrel(s)

Pen press/arbor press




Thanks to all of you for your continuing help and advice.

Chris

 

[mewell]

Couldn't go wrong with a Paul Huffman pen press(<u>when he starts making them again!</u> [])

I'm currently using the PSI press in lieu of my home-made one, but I'd really like to replace it! I have been happy with my CSUSA adjustable mandrel and can't speak for a barrel trimmer since I'm sanding blanks, not "trimming" them, per se.

Mark

 

[leevis]

I've started using the Harbor Freight 1 ton arbor press and love it:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=3552

They have a 1/2 ton press that's a bit cheaper, but I like the 1 ton because it has a greater height and can accommodate longer pens. I started out with the press sold by Woodcraft. It works ok, but in my opinion, it's not very sturdy over the long run. The locking knob that's used to adjust the press length is metal-to-metal and can strip quite easily.

 

[toolcrazy]

I use the pro mandrel from PSI, pen press and barrel trimmers from from woodcraft and I make my own bushings out of 7mm tubes and red oak.

 

[Monty]

If you can, get the Beal Collett Chuck. With it, the mandrel shaft lines up perfect with the live center every time.
I use the barrel trimmer from PSI. Suggest u you make your own bushings as not all the pen tube have premade bushings that fit.

 

[bjackman]

Chris,
Tell us a little about the tools you're using now, you might generate a few more suggestions and others who use similar items.
Barrel trimmer/end mill: I'm still using the same CSU large trimmer I bought when I started turning pens. I have 7mm tube/wood sleeve that I keep with the bushings of each type of kit I make. At one point I took it to the belt sander and removed most or all of the shoulder behind the cutting blades.
Mandrels: I love my Beall collet chuck, but many great pens have been done with standard mandrels.
Pen press: If you have a drill press you already have a decent pen press. I have a HF 1 ton arbor press sitting in it's box still. I'll get it set up some day, but most of what I do these days I clean out to a slip fit and epoxy in place, so not much need to press things much.

 

[jjenk02]

Originally posted by mewell
<br />Couldn't go wrong with a Paul Huffman pen press(<u>when he starts making them again!</u> [])

I'm currently using the PSI press in lieu of my home-made one, but I'd really like to replace it! I have been happy with my CSUSA adjustable mandrel and can't speak for a barrel trimmer since I'm sanding blanks, not "trimming" them, per se.

Mark

Paul Huffman makes vises, I never heard of a Paul Huffman pen press??

 

[thewishman]

Thanks for the suggestions! I started out last year with very little money, being between jobs. Things are better now and I'm paying off debts from that lean time.

Bill, your suggestion is excellent! My current tools:

1. Jet mini (non VS) and stand
2. Woodcraft Pen and pencil makers mandrel $9.99
3. Woodcraft Pen mill $19.99
4. Quick clamps - cheap knock-offs
5. Live center - stock Jet mini
6. Drill on lathe - Nova precision midi chuck + HF Jacobs chuck + HF 115 TN M2 bits
7. Stanley plastic miter box saw $14.95
8. Oilstone to sharpen tools &lt;$5.00


My current wish list:

1. 60 degree live center
2. Inserts for pen mill (my main problem is milling anything larger than the 7mm stuff, putting electricians tape around the 8mm sleeve to center it in the larger tubes doesn't work very precisely)
3. Something to press my pen parts together
4. Grinder to sharpen tools

Thanks to all who share ideas and help at IAP. I have never been "handy" but pen turning has added new skills as well as new friends to my life. Now it is also helping to pay for itself.

Life is good!

Chris

 

[LEAP]

Chris,
I'm also new to the pen turning habit er hobby and my tool list was remarkably similiar to yours for the first few months. The additions since have been the WC pen mill set, the additional sizes are worth the extra cost. A 60 degree live center. A grinder and the wolverine jig for sharpening. I have the WC pen press its good enough but I'm thinking of modifing it with a cam lock on the shaft to make adjustments easier. A set of diamond paddle type stones. I'm a sharpening freak and constantly touch up the edges of my tools. A buffing rig for the lathe. It makes the plastics so much nicer. I already had a decent collection of power tools from doing some construction and furniture making. My wish list includes the beal collet chuck, a larger drill press and a band saw. I'm on Paul's list for a pen vise, my current vice came from WC and has way too much deflection in it for my tastes. The vise from Lee Valley looks better than the WC version but I get the impression the PH vise is worth the wait. Short reccomendation: GET A 60 DEGREE LIVE CENTER. Dont wait on this one you'll find any out of round problems dissapear. Next is a sharpening system, the rest can wait.

 

[meshel]

Hi Chris,

A 60 Degree live center will help you a LOT (I can't even explain how much better my pens have got after I did that change from the stock JET center - can't say my pens are that good, but at least they are not as much off-center as they used to be)...

I bought from LMS (little machine shop):
This would be my first choice ($24): http://tinyurl.com/yrquws (good for serious turning)
and the cheaper, but good for pens ($12): http://tinyurl.com/2dcmfg

Amazon is now selling PSI stuff on sale and they have a Heavy Duty one ($13): http://tinyurl.com/ythfzw

About the rest, I'm working with a set of tools very similar to yours, so can't really help you on more.

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by thewishman
<br />.....2. Inserts for pen mill (my main problem is milling anything larger than the 7mm stuff, putting electricians tape around the 8mm sleeve to center it in the larger tubes doesn't work very precisely)....

This is an easy problem to solve. Make your own sleeves. Drill out a few scrap blanks and glue in 7mm tubes. Then turn these "blanks" down so they will fit inside whatever other tubes you wish to use. If you are not real good with a skew or gouge, when you get close to the final diameter, you can use some sandpaper backed by a flat piece of wood to be sure your sleeves are a good fit to the larger tubes.

I agree with those who have said to get a 60° live center immediately. There have been quite a few posts recently about problems with the LMS live centers. You might prefer to try one from PSI or Grizzly instead. Personally, I have one from LMS and have used it for 2+ years without a problem; but am wondering if I was just lucky.

 

[mewell]

Originally posted by jjenk02
<br />

Originally posted by mewell
<br />Couldn't go wrong with a Paul Huffman pen press(<u>when he starts making them again!</u> [])

Paul Huffman makes vises, I never heard of a Paul Huffman pen press??

Yup - Take a look at this.

 

[Buzz]

Hi All

When you guys are saying you make up your own sleeves for larger pens out of 7 mm tubes, where do the 7 mm tubes come from? I don't have any pen kits in my range that have tubes with a 7 mm internal diameter.

And why is there no pilot shafts available that fit inside a slimline tube? The smallest barrel trimmers I've seen all come with a 7 mm pilot shaft which is too big for a Slimline.

Thanks

 

[Randy_]

Buzz: 7mm is the size of the hole that is required to drilled for the tubes used in the slimline kits. The tubes are called 7mm tubes because of the hole they require rather than the actual size of the tube. The ID of a "7mm" tube is a few thousandths of an inch larger than the standard 7mm mandrel diameter which is actually around 0.245"±0.002. The "7mm" pilot that comes with pen mills is designed to fit inside the slimline tube and is not actually 7mm in dia. Most all of the items are referred to by their nominal diameter rathar than their actuall measured size except for the drill bit, itself.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Yep, making your own sleeves is easy as pie. If and when you get into the larger pen kits it's pretty much a custom sleeve set for each pen. They just take a couple minutes to make and once you have them, you are done. Buy a package of slimline replacement tubes (10) and make them as you go.

For the mandrel, I would steer clear of the PSI one as it's the smallest of the "big three". I have the CSUSA one now and it does fit a couple kits much better than the PSI one I had prior. That said, I will be buying the collett chuck someday soon.


I keep my sleeves in a plastic box sitting on a wood tray which is bolted to the foot of my "pen mill drill press" They share it with a few odd ball drill bits I don't have a better place for yet. []

Don't forget to check, many kits can use the same sleeves like cigars and americanas.

 

[Buzz]

Thanks Randy

I picked a barrel trimmer and pilot shaft off the shelf at a local woodcraft supplier and the pilot shaft was marginally too big for the slimline tubes. I ground it down to fit, and thats fine, however it it is only fitted with a 1/2" trimmer. I did get a 3/4" trimmer from somewhere too that I then found needed a much smaller diameter shaft than the one I had. I mounted this on an old drill bit and made a sleeve to get it up to slimline size, and then made sleeves for the sleeve (if you know what I mean) for use with bigger diameter pens.

I'll now do what I should have done months ago and order a 7mm pilot shaft and 3/4" trimmer from CSUSA. The range of pen turning accessories (or lack of it) down here can be a challenge!

Thanks again.