New From SW Washington

[RustySocket]

Hi everybody,

I live south of Olympia, WA in the Pacific North Wet. I spend a lot of time on some of the knife forums and came across some handmade pens that caught my eye. Initially I was just curious how the maker had crafted the clip and the metal parts of the pen (it was a keltic knot design) and after doing a little searching it became obvious that these were off the shelf parts that could be purchased. A little more googling and I came across some videos of pen turning and decided that was something I thought I might enjoy.

I've been lurking here for a while doing some reading here and there and began putting together a mental list of what I needed to acquire.

I know that HF tools are not the best and can be hit and miss, but for a starter lathe the price point fit my budget so I picked up this lathe:

Benchtop Wood Lathe - 5 Speed

I had done a little research prior so the first thing I did was check the centering which was spot on. I had a 20% off coupon which made it that much better of a deal.

I also purchased an inexpensive set of gouges and skews and a 2MT Chuck . I don't own a drill press yet and that will come with time, but I have read that many have acceptable results boring the blank on the lathe and it is my intention to go that route. I came across this Dedicated Pen Blank Drilling Chuck on the PSI website. It is currently out of stock but I thought I would ask if this is the only option available or does anyone else make something similar that is less expensive.

I intend to pick up a few kits and will stick with wood for a while. But I was also fascinated with casting some polyester blanks and will likely attempt some polymer bodies as well.

For now that is all I have. Obviously there are quite a few supplies I will need and I will pick up things as I go. My real first task is simply getting my garage in order so I have some space on my workbench, getting things organized so I have a place to work with some lighting and setting up a rudimentary dust collection system (Shop Vac)

I'm open to any ideas or thoughts any of you may have as to where to start as a beginner.

Point me in the right direction for purchasing a few pen kits, what to avoid at the beginning.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[markgum]

welcome to the Party.. I miss the PNW; lived in Lake Stevens for a couple years.
best advice is the check out the Library lots of great information there.
looking forward to seeing your work.

 

[magpens]

Welcome to IAP !!!

If I were starting penturning again, I would not start with slimline pen kits.

I would start with a 30 Caliber Bolt Action pen kit (or a Sierra twist pen kit, or a Mesa, or one of those look-alikes). The reason is that you get a much more attractive pen with less chance of encountering tricky turning situations. The bolt action barrel looks great when turned straight-sided, whereas the slimline does not. The bolt action is a single barrel pen, whereas the slimline has 2 barrels. The slimline does not offer the degree of satisfaction which the bolt action does for a first pen. I think that is important for a beginner.

As far as that PSI pen chuck goes, it is rather expensive for what you get. I would put my money into a proper 4 jaw chuck for the lathe. Be sure to get a match for the spindle threads of your lathe. And do your drilling on the lathe. You'll never need a drill press for drilling pen blanks; it's very inaccurate and frustrating. You'll find lots of uses for a proper lathe chuck.

Other things you'll need are a Jacobs chuck and arbor for your tailstock, a good set of drill bits, preferrably Norseman brand, and a live center for your tailstock. There are other things that will come to light as you talk to other people.

 

[RustySocket]

Welcome to IAP !!!

If I were starting penturning again, I would not start with slimline pen kits.

I would start with a 30 Caliber Bolt Action pen kit (or a Sierra twist pen kit, or a Mesa, or one of those look-alikes). The reason is that you get a much more attractive pen with less chance of encountering tricky turning situations. The bolt action barrel looks great when turned straight-sided, whereas the slimline does not. The bolt action is a single barrel pen, whereas the slimline has 2 barrels. The slimline does not offer the degree of satisfaction which the bolt action does for a first pen. I think that is important for a beginner.

As far as that PSI pen chuck goes, it is rather expensive for what you get. I would put my money into a proper 4 jaw chuck for the lathe. Be sure to get a match for the spindle threads of your lathe. And do your drilling on the lathe. You'll never need a drill press for drilling pen blanks; it's very inaccurate and frustrating. You'll find lots of uses for a proper lathe chuck.

Other things you'll need are a Jacobs chuck and arbor for your tailstock, a good set of drill bits, preferrably Norseman brand, and a live center for your tailstock. There are other things that will come to light as you talk to other people.

I purchased a Jacobs style chuck when I purchased the lathe as I had watched a couple videos on how to use a lathe to bore blanks rather than a press and knew I'd need that sooner rather than later. I've got enough bits to get me started but will replace them as I go with better.

Your the second or third person to mention the PSI chuck is expensive for what you get and that I should look into a proper 4 Jaw chuck. I see they come in lots of flavors and sizes. Can you make a specific recommendation that will work for 3/4" sq. pen blanks. It is easy for me to get stuck in the cycle of researching and chasing rabbits down holes forever on the internet and never making a decision. The reason I chose the PSI chuck was I had watched a video how to use it that made sense and I decided to just get something rather than research and research and then not get anywhere. But I did purchase from Amazon and it's returnable if there is a better option that is more versatile.

For Pen Kits to get started I chose the Celtic and Dragon Twist Starter kits that came with bushings and then another 7mm bundle that came with 8 pens. I figured that gave me a variety of things to try. I can see that starting with slim pens could be difficult as a beginner based on how thin they get cut down, lots of opportunity to mess up I suppose.

Thanks again for the welcome and please comment if you have any suggestions.

Scott

 

[SDB777]

Welcome aboard!!!!



Scott B

 

[Edgar]

Welcome from Texas, Scott.

I started with the Rockler equivalent of your lathe 3 years ago and it has served me well. They are identical except for the name & color. I recently moved up to a full-size lathe for larger projects, but I'll continue to use my mini-lathe for some small projects and may eventually use it as a buffing station.

I bought the Barracuda 2 Chuck System from PSI. As you noted, there are many to choose from, but this is a pretty good one for the price. It comes with a set of pin jaws that are good for drilling pen blanks, but also has several other sets of jaws that will be good for bowls & other projects. You can also buy extra chuck bodies from PSI when you get tired of changing jaws from one project to another.

The only drawback to drilling on the lathe that isn't variable speed is that you will need to move the belt frequently. Fortunately, it's pretty easy with that lathe. You should drill at the lowest speed & turn at the fastest speed that's comfortable for you. Some also like to slow the lathe down for sanding & finishing, but that's not really necessary. I turn, sand & finish at full speed with my lathe. Sanding takes a light touch & good quality sandpaper - I like Mirka Abranet & Mirka Goldflex, but there are many others to choose from as well.

Have fun & be sure to join in on some of the BASH contests & activities going on right now. Let me know if you have any questions about any of them.

Edgar

 

[liljohn1368]

Welcome from Mississippi.

 

[Magicbob]

Welcome from beautiful Akron, Ohio.

 

[dickbonnet]

Pen Making

Hi Rusty,
I use a 4 jaw chuck in the drive and a drill chuck in the tailstock for drilling blanks. Be sure to center the blanks before drilling. I typically cut them to size before drilling and then use a barrel trimmer to square the ends after the tubes are glued in.

A few notes on acrylics. When drilling make sure to go slow and cool the bit. A hot bit will melt the acrylic and will be a bitch to get out without ruining the blank. When sanding use WET sandpaper. I use 180 grit to start and smooth out any bumps or gouges. Then work up to 400 grit.

Finish either wood or acrylic with Crystal Coat Friction Finish varnish.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[magpens]

The Barracuda chuck that Edgar mentioned would be suitable, but check that it will fit your lathe spindle (I think an extra adaptor is included with the package).

Barracuda 2 Chuck System from PSI

 

[jsolie]

Welcome from Southern California!

 

[RustySocket]

The HF lathe has a spindle size of 1"x8 TPI so it does appear that the Barracuda 2 Chuck will fit it. It must come with an adapter as it shows that it will fit two spindles in the specifications.

At this stage I think that I will give the one I purchased a shot and see how it goes. The Barracuda 2 cuts a little deep into my budget at this stage and while eventually I can see that in order to do other types of projects I will need a four jaw chuck it's a little out of reach right now. I will keep my eye on craigslist and maybe something will show up that route.

@edohmann; in regards to the Lathe not being variable speed, I knew that going into the purchase and it was one of the compromises I made to be able to get started now rather than waiting several months. I've experimented already changing the belt positions and it doesn't take long. I've printed out the chart from the manual and will tape it on the front of the lathe for reference. I am surprised that there wasn't a sticker or something supplied (but again, it was a very inexpensive tool.)

@dickbonnet ; Thanks for the heads up regarding drilling acrylics and heat. That's common sense but without the warning It likely would have cost me a bit. I ordered this Barrel Trimmer Kit from Woodturningz. It seems versatile and inclusive enough, but again I don't really know enough at this point. Initially I thought that I would need to purchase a disk sander for my bench to square up blanks, but if I'm thinking about this correctly the barrel trimmer will take care of that by giving me a surface that is square to the bore to mount against the spacers (guides) on the mandrel. Correct?

While I was on that site I convinced myself that I must at least have a few nice blanks to admire while I'm learning so that when I'm ready to try a real nice piece I won't have to wait on an order. I love Boxelder so I ordered one nice blank to have when I'm ready.

Thanks again for all the input. It's been beneficial and as I learn little by little other things are starting to make sense. I just have to stay focused on making some pens and will acquire tools as I go, little by little I will find my way and get what I need. I can see that I underbudgeted by quite a bit and that there are some expenses that are not readily apparent at first glance. That's ok. I will just have to take some time to acquire things as I progress.

I'm fairly confident at this point (once these supplies come in) that I have the basics required to get started.

I'm not sure what Bash and there are a ton of subforums that I haven't even touched on yet. I try to do lots of searching before asking questions and not be "that guy" who shows up on the forum and asks the same newbie questions that have been answered just hours before... although when your that green sometimes you don't even know what to ask.

Again, thanks for all the assistance.

EDIT:

What is the difference between this economy chuck and the above referenced Barracuda 2 chuck. It comes with some extras and is closer to my budget.

 

[Edgar]

I'm not familiar with the utility chuck, but I suspect that it's not quite as rugged as the B2. Probably still quite adequate for mini-lathe work though.

The biggest thing that contributes to the cost difference is the operating mechanism. The utility chuck uses tommy bars to tighten the jaws which require using both hands. Sometimes you could sure use a third hand to hold the workpiece steady while you are tightening the jaws, but it's not an insurmountable problem. The B2 uses a single T-handle with a worm gear mechanism similar to a drill chuck. It's a lot more convenient to use, but it is a more expensive mechanism to manufacture.

The sale price on that utility chuck is quite good though & it now includes an 8" set of jumbo jaws which will really come in handy when turning bowls (it holds the top end of a turned bowl so you can finish off the bottom of the bowl).

A nice thing about the jumbo jaws that come with the utility chuck is that they can also be used on any of the PSI "C" series chucks, including the B2. So, if you find yourself getting into bowl turning, you could later buy just a B2 chuck body to mount the jumbo jaws onto.

 

[Edgar]

Check out http://www.penturners.org/forum/f302/beginners-guide-iap-birthday-bash-137716/ for a little information about our annual BASH celebration.

All the contests are listed on the IAP Home Page, so just click on those links to learn more about whichever ones seem interesting to you. And if you click on the New Posts tab each day, you will see threads for that day's Trivia Contest (going on now) or Puzzle Contest (starting next week). Your chances of winning a prize in either of those contests are as good as anyone else's.

Then, early in March, we will hold our annual Loser's Train Contest. This is one final chance for everyone who did not win any kind of prize during BASH to sign up for a drawing.

 

[Ligget]

Welcome from Scotland!

 

[rholiday]

Welcome from South Carolina.

 

[RustySocket]

Thanks again for all the welcomes. I have spent the good portion of the last four hours watching one youtube video after the other trying to understand more about lathe techniques.

I now have a completely different perspective and understanding about all the possibilities that get opened up with a 4-jaw chuck. I particularly enjoyed watching how boxes with lids were made. It never occurred to me to consider the steps involved and some of the mystery is removed.

It will take me a little while to save enough money to purchase one but it's on the sooner rather than later list. I have also decided rather than getting an economy one that I will spring for the Barracuda 2. It's amazing what you can learn by watching youtube. I will keep my eye on craigslist as well. Is there a significant risk any purchasing a used chuck? I would assume they are durable and robust? Maybe something will come up here in the classifieds as well. A 60 degree live center is also on my list.

I don't know that I will have a chance to get anything accomplished in time to enter into any of this years BASH, but you never know. I'm still awaiting some boxes from the UPS man and now wishing I'd sprung for something other than ground shipping. It will all get here eventually.

Thanks again, I appreciate all the welcomes and insight. This has been very educational and I know I have much more to learn .