bassfishingpro
Member
I have never turned a pen before and I want to learn. I do not know what I need to have to get started outside of a lathe. I would like to thank you in advance for the assistance.
John
John
tools
- Thread starter bassfishingpro
- Start date
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Welcome to the forum. Here is a good thread to read. It has some good info on tools you might want to get.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31825&SearchTerms=tools,needed
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31825&SearchTerms=tools,needed
fiferb
Member
rhahnfl
Member
You came to the right place. Browse the library and watch the forums. Lots to learn here. That's for sure. I recommend the video from Penn State Industries. I got mine free when I decided to get into this. There is also a video by Bill Baumbeck of Arizona Silhouette that is excellent. Some books you can get by Barry Gross and Rex and Kip are good also.
But in answer to your question, you'll need something to drill with and a pen mandrel and some bushings appropriate to the kit you want to do. Some glue and finishing of your choice. There's more but that's a start at least. Really though get one of the videos and watch it. You'll be much more up on what you need.
But in answer to your question, you'll need something to drill with and a pen mandrel and some bushings appropriate to the kit you want to do. Some glue and finishing of your choice. There's more but that's a start at least. Really though get one of the videos and watch it. You'll be much more up on what you need.
karlkuehn
Banned
I bought the $12.00 set of 8 turning tools tools at Harbor Freight to learn which tools I would eventually grow into, with the ultimate goal of replacing the ones I use with high-end stuff. I also bought one of the sets of 5 'pen-sized' tools at a local tool shop for $25, but I rarely use the small stuff, and even though they have real brass ferules on them, I haven't noticed a difference in the steel. I've 'upgraded' the HF tools by reshaping and honing them to be razor sharp, and belt sanding off all of the really square corners on the full length of them that might catch/dig in on my tool rest and keep me from being able to slide them back and forth smoothly, but other than that, they're working great!
Aside from maybe having to sharpen them a little more than the hand-forged, cryo-ice hardened, Damascus-folded, unobtanium coated Sheffield, UK jobs that I'll eventually buy for $40-$90 a pop, I'm still hammering away with my junky tools and loving life. I mainly use a 1" skew (read about using the skew before you just 'wing' it), a 3/4" gouge, and a cheapo 1/16" parting tool I bought from the little 'impulse buy' cardboard box near the checkout stand at Woodcraft for like $2.50.
Now, if you get into bowls and such, you will need to look at some higher priced tools, but for small stuff like a pen? Go cheap until you learn what works for you, and then replace with real stuff. I'll let you know how I do when I start replacing, but my advice is learn how to sharpen! The nice thing about crappy steel tools is that you're sort of forced to sharpen a lot (repetition is practice!), and when you blow it and really muck up an edge, or angle, or shape, you're not seeing dollar signs flying out the window when you have to take off 1/8" of the tool to fix a flub.
After learning the basic stuff, I've also seen a lot of shop-made tools that are fabricated out of common materials that are used to make some really amazing stuff, for instance, Ron in Drums PA's miniature hollowing tools made out of cold rolled steel rod and 1/8" allen wrenches. I've actually held these tools in my hand and looked at them, and the only thing that's really special about them is the ingenuity it took to come up with the process of creating them!
You'll learn, as you live on this forum a while, that most of us are just winging it. As for tools, if it cuts wood, and you can figure out how to make it work for you, the sky's the limit! There are ideas coming out of the weirdest places around here, and that's what makes this forum so awesome. Any of us can think up something that will have the vets wondering why they never thought of it. Most of the stuff we do here is out of the box, and we all got different boxes, you know?
That being said, occasionally there's some freak show that comes up with really stupid and dangerous ideas - Please peruse through my previous 400 posts for good examples of this. []
Aside from maybe having to sharpen them a little more than the hand-forged, cryo-ice hardened, Damascus-folded, unobtanium coated Sheffield, UK jobs that I'll eventually buy for $40-$90 a pop, I'm still hammering away with my junky tools and loving life. I mainly use a 1" skew (read about using the skew before you just 'wing' it), a 3/4" gouge, and a cheapo 1/16" parting tool I bought from the little 'impulse buy' cardboard box near the checkout stand at Woodcraft for like $2.50.
Now, if you get into bowls and such, you will need to look at some higher priced tools, but for small stuff like a pen? Go cheap until you learn what works for you, and then replace with real stuff. I'll let you know how I do when I start replacing, but my advice is learn how to sharpen! The nice thing about crappy steel tools is that you're sort of forced to sharpen a lot (repetition is practice!), and when you blow it and really muck up an edge, or angle, or shape, you're not seeing dollar signs flying out the window when you have to take off 1/8" of the tool to fix a flub.
After learning the basic stuff, I've also seen a lot of shop-made tools that are fabricated out of common materials that are used to make some really amazing stuff, for instance, Ron in Drums PA's miniature hollowing tools made out of cold rolled steel rod and 1/8" allen wrenches. I've actually held these tools in my hand and looked at them, and the only thing that's really special about them is the ingenuity it took to come up with the process of creating them!
You'll learn, as you live on this forum a while, that most of us are just winging it. As for tools, if it cuts wood, and you can figure out how to make it work for you, the sky's the limit! There are ideas coming out of the weirdest places around here, and that's what makes this forum so awesome. Any of us can think up something that will have the vets wondering why they never thought of it. Most of the stuff we do here is out of the box, and we all got different boxes, you know?
That being said, occasionally there's some freak show that comes up with really stupid and dangerous ideas - Please peruse through my previous 400 posts for good examples of this. [
]
rhahnfl
Member
Jeez Karl... sounds like you use just about the same turning tools as me. I have trouble with the skew though. But I use the exact gouge and parting tool. Although, I did buy a new Rorbert Sorby parting tool on my last trip to Woodcraft. You can put a wicked sharp edge on them (HF tools)if you are patient. I just do mine by hand... no jig. Probably could get a better edge if I used a jig.
karlkuehn
Banned
I did the same thing for a year, one water stone, no jig, just scrape scrape scrap and test the edge on the thumbnail, most of the time resulting in an edge that was worse off than when I started - GAH!
I just kept scraping away until I learned how to make that stone sing. I still blow it sometimes, without a jig, you're susceptible to all kinds of variables, how tired you are, lighting, bad luck, little, devastating mistakes when you've almost got it perfectitjustneedsonemorepass, etc...
Since I bought the cheapie 8" grinder from Home Depot, life has changed, though! Even with the really coarse wheels it came with, I was at least able to muck my way through and get a better edge even using the hokey tool supports that came with the grinder. I've since replaced the 20 grit wheel with a Norton Alum-oxide white 150 grit wheel, and it really works great, and stays much cooler than the gray colored ones. I hardly ever overheat and 'blue' the steel anymore.
I've just ordered some T-track from Rockler (they have it on sale right now for the 4' kits) to make my own 'Wolverine' jigs out of wood that I have here at the shop.
I still use the water stone to hone, though, but that may change based on Rifleman's posts in the 'best new tool I've bought' thread that I started in 'Tools, Jigs, and whatever'
I've still not tried turning with a 150 grit edge, but I'm going to try, if I can ever peel myself away from the forum! hehe
oldelmer1
Member
Bassfishingpro,
You can also go to you tube and see some videos on pen turning.
You can also go to you tube and see some videos on pen turning.
txbatons
Member
Welcome, Joe! Lots of info here. And know-it-alls, too! []
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pentex
Member
If you live near a Woodcraft store, you might sign up for one of their pen turning classes. Not to expensive and you get to turn a pen, use the tools you will need, and keep the pen.
jrc
Member
Try to find another pen turner and visit him.
GBusardo
Member
Welcome! As the others suggested, go to the library on the home page and read and watch. Use the search function and don't hesitate to ask questions here. There are some gimmic tools out there that are about useless. I know this can get to be expensive and you don't need to waste your money on useless tools. I know this from experience [B)] Another good tip is to use the classified. The wood for sale there is usually much nicer and cheaper than you will at Woodcraft, Pennstate, or just about any of the big stores. Besides, you'll get to know some really nice folks. Most of all, read and ask questions
Good luck, you are about to have some fun!
PS when you start beating your head against the wall trying to figure out why this or that happened, you'll know your addicted
Good luck, have fun and maybe you will make a few bucks too!
Good luck, you are about to have some fun!
PS when you start beating your head against the wall trying to figure out why this or that happened, you'll know your addicted
Good luck, have fun and maybe you will make a few bucks too!