New to pen turning

[jasonmac73]

I retired from the Army and been going to school for the past few years and now that school is over, I need a hobby.

I enjoy woodworking and just stumbled across pen turning. I am fascinated by the pens that are made. I have not started to turn pens but I am planning to begin. I am trying to figure out what lathe I should start with. I am researching as much as I can right now and found this group which appears to be a wealth of great information.

I would appreciate any advice someone can give to a newcomer. Look back on your experience pen turning and what would be the one thing you wish someone told you starting out. Please tell me what that is.

 

[DJBPenmaker]

I retired from the Army and been going to school for the past few years and now that school is over, I need a hobby.

I enjoy woodworking and just stumbled across pen turning. I am fascinated by the pens that are made. I have not started to turn pens but I am planning to begin. I am trying to figure out what lathe I should start with. I am researching as much as I can right now and found this group which appears to be a wealth of great information.

I would appreciate any advice someone can give to a newcomer. Look back on your experience pen turning and what would be the one thing you wish someone told you starting out. Please tell me what that is.

Hi and welcome.
I've been turning pens for nearly a year now purely as a hobby. I bought a Warco mini wood lathe with variable speed and so far can see no reason why I would want to change.
The one thing I wish that others would have told me was how addictive the hobby can be. So much so in fact, that you are forced to start selling the pens you make in order to keep cost under control [emoji1]

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Marnat3]

Welcome to the great addiction.

 

[mark james]

Hi Jason: Welcome to IAP!

These are links to the IAP Library which has a ton of sawdust to sift through:

http://content.penturners.org/library/pt101/choosing_lathe.pdf

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/if-i-had-known-earlier-46654/

http://content.penturners.org/library/pt101/tools_pens.pdf

I have a Jet Mini Lathe (Non Variable speed) and a Nova 16-24 (Non VS). Both are excellent for my purposes. Consider the many similar models.

Keep asking questions - you will get many suggestions.

Have FUN!

 

[magpens]

Welcome to IAP, Jason !!!!

 

[Jim15]

Welcome Jason.

 

[Mr Vic]

Welcome to IAP Jason and thanks for your service.

I'd suggest you check out the local AAW Chapter in Jacksonville http://jaxturners.org/ . I'm willing to bet there could be several pen turners in the group. If not at least there are turners and the opportunity to learn the basics as well as to see and possibly try out different lathes before you buy.

 

[liljohn1368]

Welcome from Mississippi, Jason.....

 

[TonyL]

Thank you for serving and welcome

 

[MDWine]

The one thing I suggest is to get the best lathe you can afford. If your budget is limitless, I'd temper that decision a bit until you get comfortable and decide to continue to turn.

One think I think is very helpful is the variable-speed built into the motor, not by changing belt pulleys. An easy way to alter speed is extremely helpful and you'll use it quite a bit, methinks.

The other bit of advise has already been stated, find a club (or two!) and other turners. This will be extremely helpful. Check for online forums that have people close to you. (I'm pretty sure you'll find members here that are close enough for at least an occasional visit!)

Have a ball and make some shavings! Welcome to the madness! :hypnotized:

 

[jttheclockman]

Welcome to the addiction. Lots of great info here and you already got some. I will add that there are a ton of videos today out there that will get you on the right tract. Watching someone do something is better than trying to explain it with words. If you have questions always feel free to ask them here. They will always be answered in a timely manner. You may get various opinions but many times things come down to you. Try things on your own and pick what works for you. remember the golden rule though Photos are what we live for here. Oh yea work safe and understand your tools.

 

[rholiday]

Welcome from South Carolina.

 

[JimB]

Welcome from western NY state.

The one thing I wish I knew in the beginning was sharpening. You will find that new HSS tools, although they appear to be ready to use right out of the box, are not properly shaped and are not as sharp as they should be. Learning to use the tools properly is a learning process. Learning to shape, sharpen and hone them is also a learning process.

 

[jasonmac73]

Thank you for the welcome. I will be sifting through the the mounds of information to learn as much as possible. From my readings and advice, there is a common tidbit of info, get a VS lathe instead of a belt lathe. I can see the value in this.

Money is not unlimited for me but I refuse to settle for the cheapest tool. I would rather save because every time I have settled in the past on anything, I have ended up buying again because the cheaper product was "cheap".

I have found so many brands of lathes out there and it is making this decision confusing. I will continue to search.

Once I settle on a lathe, I then have to sell the idea to my wife and I find this works best by showing her how she will benefit from my new found hobby. This is how I justified the rest of my woodworking tools. LOL.

Thank you for the welcoming to this community!

 

[JimB]

If you have narrowed your choices down a bit feel free to list them here in a new thread. Folks here are happy to let you know the positive and negatives of each lathe or if there is a better choice within your price range.

 

[RobS]

Welcome!!!
Rockler has pen making classes and will likely give you a 10% discount coupon after taking the class.

This book is worth reading for a one stop pen making tutorial: https://www.amazon.com/Pen-Turners-...F8&qid=1482249406&sr=8-10&keywords=pen+making

So is this one, but its more for general turning and how to mount stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1565235193/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also learn more about a BEALL Chuck, and use with a pen mandrel rod and mandrel saver it will allow you to have great accuracy.
The Beall Tool Company
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMSTS2.html
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/XPKM-ELC.html


and about turning between centers, requires a dead center and 60 degree live center.

Best of luck with the addiction which will ensue.

RobS

 

[tomtedesco]

Welcome from Colorado.

 

[OZturner]

Welcome Jason, from Sydney Australia.
Brian.