John,
I saw some cheap giveaway pens similar and started looking and searching for baseball bat kits and stumbled onto it.
Lou,
I too have the special mandrel that CSUK sells for the pen, but the desk pen mandrel that is sold (or used to be sold) by woodcraft is much better...it has threads onto which the blanks are screwed..the mandrel I was sold had no threads and was confusing for me to figure out. If you know how to use it, bring it with you to Provo and you can teach me how to use it. HINT: Make the handle section a little longer than the (and I use the term loosly) instructions show. I had a few handles break on the first ones, but making it about .25" longer seemed to help. The refill that comes with the kit it terrible (and blue), but I get cross type refills, remove the black threaded thingie and shorten it to match the refill that comes in the kit or make the bat a little longer to handle the corss refill. Glad to know that Woodchuckers carries the kits. May be a little cheaper that getting them from the UK.
Glen,
This particular pen in 6.18 inches long. I make them a little longer sometimes. A fun kit to make and the kids love them. Our HS baseball team is in the playoffs and if they win this weekend they will be in the state tournament, and if they happen to win the whole thing, I will sell lots of them, engraved with State Champions, bla bla bla.
Do a good turn daily!
Don