Hello From Port Angeles, WA

[Don Gaiser]

Hello all, my name is Don Gaiser.
I manage a 40 unit apartment complex in Port Angeles WA. I am 42, live here with my wife, three kids and 5 cats. My main hobby at the moment is designing 3D spacecraft on my computer. The other day my maintenance man was filling out a maintenance slip for some work he had done, when I noticed his very stylin pen. I'm like "wow, where'd you get that pen?" He tells me he made it on a wood lathe at home. Well that was two weeks ago, and now I'm hooked, and have not turned a thing yet. I've been surfing the websites, joining the forums, and getting lots of catalogs in the mail. ( I love new catalogs! :biggrin
I haven't bought a thing yet, but I have but two more car payments and it will be paid off. My plans include a Jet 1014VS, a small drill press, and all the other goodies to start making pens. Anyway, I have about 6 weeks before I can start buying, but I will in here often watching and learning. Thanks for having such a great resource available. By the way, some of the work you guys do just blows me away. I can't wait!!

 

[ldb2000]

Welcome to the group Don . The greatest way to avoid mistakes is to expect them . Read all you can find and turning that first pen will seem like something you've done a bunch of times .

 

[ngeb528]

Hi Don,

We're glad you're here. I'm sure you'll have lots of questions. Don't hesitate to ask anything you need to. Everyone here is really helpful.

Check out the library under the forum heading at the top of the page for some great information. It will answer a lot of questions initially.

I've also found UTube has a bunch of how-to video's. Just do a search for 'wood turning'. I've found them very helpful.

 

[broitblat]

Welcome, Don.

There's a lot you can pick up here while you're waiting, and we'll wait to see what you turn out.

-Barry

 

[leehljp]

Welcome Don. I am including two links that might help in getting up to speed on some things :biggrin: and might confuse on others. :wink:

The first link is to a PDF file that goes over many aspects of pen turning from finish - to pens - to tools - to methods etc. It is not in detail but a good overview for pen turning. Hope it helps.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42446

Also included is a link to a new post that gives some information that people wished they had known earlier in pen turning. Some good information by those that make pens.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46654

 

[Fred]

Welcome to the Forum, Don. Just remember that your FIRST pen will cost you several dozen $100 dollar bills ... and then some more as there are the accessories that you just HAVE to get.

Be sure to keep and cherish your first pen ... it will amaze you in later turnings as to the improvement you have made over time.

BTW, don't get a small drill press UNLESS all you ever intend to drill is pen blanks. Drilling on the lathe is easy and extremely accurate, so maybe you don't need a drill press imediately. Besides, an MT2 drill chuck is available to allow you this luxury.

Try to avoid the pitfall of buying small or inferior products ... in the end the replacement costs and aggreviation will far outweigh what it would have cost you to buy better tools, equipment in the beginning.

For instance, a three jawed chuck is not nearly as easy to use as is the four-jawed chuck. The big thing is that four jaws allows a square piece of wood to be 'centered' with no problem. (Get it - a square has four sides and a three-jawed chuck just doesn't fit the bill at all.)

If you have the room I would also suggest up-scaling the 1014 to the JET 1642 lathe. I know it is larger, but the things you can do with it later on will make the difference worthwhile to you. Have it wired for 220v - it does make a hugh difference in operation.

Good Luck on your new found "hobby" and remember we are all loaded with information, suggestions, and lots of experience in everything you could ever imagine - including wood working things, and such. :biggrin:

Oh yea, one other tidbit of info ... get a good spell checking program and use it religiously as you post here. That way you can avoid the Wrath of "Cav", our resident mis-spelled word guru. He tends to carry and use very well, old rusty and dull dentist tools on those that make errors here.

 

[Don Gaiser]

I am willing and almost ready

I will... if fact I know a lot of you make and sell your pens, but I'm not sure I could part with something that I have spent so much time on.

I saw a video on youtube somewhere that showed someone drilling on the lathe, and looked rather clunky, and time consuming. I live in an apartment so I really cant go for a bigger lathe... The Jet 1014 is a good unit I take it... seems a lot of people use them.

Did I speel somting rong? I did yoos the speel chek becuss I is terble speeler.

:biggrin:

Welcome to the Forum, Don. Just remember that your FIRST pen will cost you several dozen $100 dollar bills ... and then some more as there are the accessories that you just HAVE to get.

Be sure to keep and cherish your first pen ... it will amaze you in later turnings as to the improvement you have made over time.

BTW, don't get a small drill press UNLESS all you ever intend to drill is pen blanks. Drilling on the lathe is easy and extremely accurate, so maybe you don't need a drill press imediately. Besides, an MT2 drill chuck is available to allow you this luxury.

Try to avoid the pitfall of buying small or inferior products ... in the end the replacement costs and aggreviation will far outweigh what it would have cost you to buy better tools, equipment in the beginning.

For instance, a three jawed chuck is not nearly as easy to use as is the four-jawed chuck. The big thing is that four jaws allows a square piece of wood to be 'centered' with no problem. (Get it - a square has four sides and a three-jawed chuck just doesn't fit the bill at all.)

If you have the room I would also suggest up-scaling the 1014 to the JET 1642 lathe. I know it is larger, but the things you can do with it later on will make the difference worthwhile to you. Have it wired for 220v - it does make a hugh difference in operation.

Good Luck on your new found "hobby" and remember we are all loaded with information, suggestions, and lots of experience in everything you could ever imagine - including wood working things, and such. :biggrin:

Oh yea, one other tidbit of info ... get a good spell checking program and use it religiously as you post here. That way you can avoid the Wrath of "Cav", our resident mis-spelled word guru. He tends to carry and use very well, old rusty and dull dentist tools on those that make errors here.

And thanks to everyone else for the warm welcome... I have already downloaded the entire library and have been reading through them for the past week or so.

 

[rherrell]

Welcome!

 

[Jim15]

Welcome Don.

 

[leehljp]

I saw a video on youtube somewhere that showed someone drilling on the lathe, and looked rather clunky, and time consuming.

Drilling on the lathe is a more than adequate alternative to a drill press. However, if it looked clunky, don't judge it by its appearance to you. The lathe is far more accurate for the average user. Some people who make segmented pens will drill with a drill press, but when precision is needed, the majority will use the lathe. But even this depends on what someone calls "precision". For entry-exit holes that need to be within 1/100th inch tolerance or better, lathe drilling is far more predicitable, unless you are a machinist like Paul in OKC! :wink:

I use the DP for most pens but I also drill some segments on the lathe that require a precision that is only appreciated after a drill bit on the DP exits off center by a millimeter.

 

[Longfellow]

Welcome

Welcome from Sunny St. Cloud, Fla. Home of beautiful Florida wood.

 

[mitchm]

Don, welcome from sunny South Africa!

 

[Ligget]

Welcome to the IAP!

 

[NascarBowl]

Don,
Welcome, I was in Port Angeles back in May of 2007 on business, fortunately,I had some extra time to be able to see some of the area, beautiful country out there. Hope to be able to come back out for a vacation sometime. Pen turning is addictive and a lot of fun. Many a night, I have gone in the garage at about 7:00 PM and have my wife come out at 7:00 AM in the morning to ask me if I thought it was time to take a break. My response is, I am taking a break. Pen making is a big stress reliever for me even when it is stressful.

Gene in Georgia








http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&lpver=3&ref=12