Arizona Newbie Needs Guidance

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Azch

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Apr 5, 2015
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I have just begun trying to turn pens. Bought a (new to me) used lathe and tools. Am turning the first pen using cocobolo blanks which were included in a kit bundle from PSI. So far I've spent about 4-5 hours turning this pen. To me, this is an outrageous amount of time for turning. But maybe it's unrealistic to think the time should be less. I have to believe either my technique is terrible or the lathe tools I have need to be sharpened. I've tried sharpening them a bit, but how sharp is sharp? In other words, how sharp do they need to be? I've tried using mostly the gouge and skew but neither seems to be very effective. The cutting area of the tools is about the centerline of the pen blank.

Can anyone offer any suggestions or tips? How long is reasonable to turn the pen on the lathe?

Thanks for any help.
 
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Many years ago, I remember saying that a "plastic" pen could not be made in less than 90 minutes.

Today, I turn them routinely in about ten.

The difference is technique.

Pour yourself your favorite beverage, and park in front of the computer for a while:
Exotic Blanks :: How To Videos

Pick the subject you enjoy most--there are over 70 free videos to show one way that may work.

Enjoy! And welcome to IAP
 
My suggestions...

...since I don't see where you live in your member profile, I can only make some general suggestions.

First, if you have a woodworking store in your area (Woodcraft, or Rockler, for example) go to them and ask for help. Most places like that have people who turn. Take your tools in with you and have them look at them. Using the wrong or dull tool will never work.

Look for a Club in your area and contact them. List where you live in your next post; perhaps you already have a 'friend' here that would be willing to mentor you.

I am sure that an experienced turner could spend a few minutes with you and either correct your procedure or your tools to get you a LONG way along.

I am not an experienced pen turner myself, having only turned perhaps 50 or so items. What helped me immeasurably at first was having a friend who invited me over to his place, let me watch and then try my hand. His coaching was the best thing that ever happened on my journey. As suggested, I have also watched a lot of videos available on line, and although I learned a lot from them, having someone to spend time with me one-on-one was the best.

As for how much time it takes to turn a pen, let me say that that is what I love a lot about this hobby. My 'shop' is my garage; I can pull the car out, roll the lathe into place, hook up my dust collection to the lathe, set up a small table and the roll-around cabinet that has my 'stuff' in it; cut, drill, install brass tubes, turn, sand, square then ends, finish and assemble a pen, then put everything back in less than 90 minutes.

Good luck! Don't let this initial experience get to you. You can do this!

Best wishes on your journey.

Warren
 
Welcome to IAP, I agree with recent posts and if your tools are not sharpened properly it can be very frustrating, I would recommend buying a carbide cutting tool it will make your life much simpler and they will stay sharper for a much longer time. Have Fun :)
 
Welcome from Ohio!

Fear not! You will get much quicker in short order.

Watch the Video's Ed noted, plus dig into the library here on IAP. And yes, also look for any local hands-on assistance.

Get some lather-time under your belt, and keep asking for pointers!

Where is your general location (if you wish to share), maybe there is an IAP chapter nearby.
 
To answer one question, your tools should be scary sharp. It looks like there is a Woodcraft in Tuscon, and Phoenix. There are often clubs associated with Woodcraft stores, or they can direct you to local woodturners. Check out the chapter listing of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) at American Association of Woodturners
 
How sharp is sharp??? Well basically if you can shave with it it is sharp. But and there are many buts. having the correct cutting angle on the tool is important. Having the correct presentation of the tool to the project is important. Having the correct tool bar height is important. The correct stance, the correct tool, the correct speed of the lathe and so on. So your question is not a simple one. The best and most effective way to learn is have someone who knows what they are doing show you one on one. the next best thing is watching videos. There are a ton of utube videos and also the one's Ed mentioned. There are some videos by YO-YO-Spin here in the library.also. The next way to learn is ask questions here but what you want to do is get a feel of what to ask and that comes with watching and absorbing. people telling you does not have the same effect.

Remember too learning to turn a pen blank is only the beginning. learning tool control and tool sharpening go hand in hand. At least you have some idea as to what to look for when watching said videos. Remember too Rome was not built in a day so take your time and learn proper techniques. Good luck.

By the way welcome to the site. I see it is your first post. Maybe you want to swing over to the introduction forum and give a little detail about yourself.
 
From Arizona

If you live close to Maricopa let me know, maybe I can help. If not Woodcraft in Phoenix has been a great source for me and there is one in Tucson. But the internet is the best.

I'm fairly new and the help here has helped.:tongue:
 
Azch said:
I have just begun trying to turn pens. Bought a (new to me) used lathe and tools. Am turning the first pen using cocobolo blanks which were included in a kit bundle from PSI. So far I've spent about 4-5 hours turning this pen. To me, this is an outrageous amount of time for turning. But maybe it's unrealistic to think the time should be less. I have to believe either my technique is terrible or the lathe tools I have need to be sharpened. I've tried sharpening them a bit, but how sharp is sharp? In other words, how sharp do they need to be? I've tried using mostly the gouge and skew but neither seems to be very effective. The cutting area of the tools is about the centerline of the pen blank.

Can anyone offer any suggestions or tips? How long is reasonable to turn the pen on the lathe?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

First, welcome to the forum!

The gouge and skew are good tools to use for pen turning. Like others have said, they do need to be sharp. What do you have for sharpening? Grinder? hones? Sandpaper and a chunk of hardwood? (Yes, I have used that to sharpen my skew and it worked better than I thought).

Cocobolo is a pretty hard wood, but I wouldn't think it'd need that much time on the lathe. With prep time (including waiting for epoxy to dry), I could see it taking a couple hours for that and not a whole lot of time on the lathe.

When I started turning pens a couple years ago, it would take 2-3 hours for the whole thing: cutting, drilling, gluing, trimming, turning, finishing. It still can take that long, but I spread things out now, usually doing the prep work one day, and the turning and finishing another day.

One of the things that helped me quite a bit was running the lathe faster. I have turned quite a few bowls and start those out slow due to their size, speeding the lathe up after getting things round and balanced. With pens, you can start faster since the diameter is a lot smaller than a bowl. I'll regularly start with my lathe around 1600 RPM to knock off corners and then it's up to 2600 or so for shaping. I'll drop it down to the slowest speed for sanding so as to lessen the amount of heat generated (some material does not like heat and will get even with you if you get things too hot).

Anyway, I hope this helps. If that pen keeps giving you trouble, keep asking. I've found the people here very willing to share knowledge. Sometimes even slightest mention of something in a "Hey, I need some help" type thread can solve a problem that's been vexing me for months.
 
Azch said:
I have just begun trying to turn pens. Bought a (new to me) used lathe and tools. Am turning the first pen using cocobolo blanks which were included in a kit bundle from PSI. So far I've spent about 4-5 hours turning this pen. To me, this is an outrageous amount of time for turning. But maybe it's unrealistic to think the time should be less. I have to believe either my technique is terrible or the lathe tools I have need to be sharpened. I've tried sharpening them a bit, but how sharp is sharp? In other words, how sharp do they need to be? I've tried using mostly the gouge and skew but neither seems to be very effective. The cutting area of the tools is about the centerline of the pen blank.

Can anyone offer any suggestions or tips? How long is reasonable to turn the pen on the lathe?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

If you're in the Phoenix area, we've got a fantastic club here:
Arizona Woodturners
The next meeting is April 18.
 
Welcome to the group from Wichita Falls, Tx! You have come to the right place for any kind of help you can imagine. This is great group of folks!
 
Welcome to IAP .... from Canada.

I can relate to all you said. I have been making pens for 5 years and it still takes me a lot longer than I think it should.

But the reward is in satisfaction with the finished product and the fun of sharing everything with the great folks here !!

At one time I thought I could make some money selling pens .... :biggrin: ... :eek: !!

Ed4copies says "I turn them routinely in about ten [minutes]." Ummmm ..... :cool:
 
Last edited:
What grade glue?

ed4copies said:
Many years ago, I remember saying that a "plastic" pen could not be made in less than 90 minutes.

Today, I turn them routinely in about ten.

The difference is technique.

Pour yourself your favorite beverage, and park in front of the computer for a while:
Exotic Blanks :: How To Videos

Pick the subject you enjoy most--there are over 70 free videos to show one way that may work.

Enjoy! And welcome to IAP
Click to expand...

Any idea of the glue they use in the "gluing tube in" video?..there is no way I have the amount of time that he uses as mine seems to set in seconds.
 
Good Turning

Welcome aboard. In regard to your question. You have gotten good advice. Find some Videos to watch - when I started I had never turned a stick in my life, I watched a video from PSI and turned my first pen successfully about half an hour after watching it. John (JJtheclockman) gave you good information....there are many things which will affect how fast and smooth you will be able to turn. You'll find lots of help with technique on videos. Ed at exoticblanks.com has a lot of them available free for the watching.
 
Simsonicole said:
ed4copies said:
Many years ago, I remember saying that a "plastic" pen could not be made in less than 90 minutes.

Today, I turn them routinely in about ten.

The difference is technique.

Pour yourself your favorite beverage, and park in front of the computer for a while:
Exotic Blanks :: How To Videos

Pick the subject you enjoy most--there are over 70 free videos to show one way that may work.

Enjoy! And welcome to IAP
Click to expand...

Any idea of the glue they use in the "gluing tube in" video?..there is no way I have the amount of time that he uses as mine seems to set in seconds.
Click to expand...


Thick CA glue was used. It takes some time for this glue to set so beware of that. Many people use med CA. It too will take some time to set. Others use epoxy as I do and this will take time also to set depending on which set time glue you use. If you are looking for brand name it really does not matter. I am a fan of Satellite City CA glues. They have a page in the Vendors forum.
 
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