Best Kits for a Beginner

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aggie182

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Missouri City, TX
I have a bunch of blanks on the way and I am looking to purchase a few dozen or so kits to learn on. What would you suggest? I think the obvious answer would be Slimline kits or something from the Funline Series on PSI but I wanted to expand my search before purchasing.

They need to be heavy on the cost effective end of the spectrum in order to keep the wife happy since I just made the initial investment on the lathe, tools, etc.
 
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I second the Sierra/Gatsby style kits. Single turning per pen and makes a quality pen.
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The pen kits look like this and they run about $6 a kit. Other advantage is they only take half a blank so 2 pens for 1 blank.

Slimlines are more also more difficult to make.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 
Glacia would be another good choice, blank doesn't get quite as thin as a Sierra when you get close to being finished.
 
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Well, in my opinion, the 30 Caliber Bolt Action Pen Kit is the best starting kit because the sides are straight and are meant to be straight. . Also the turned barrel wall is not overly thin. . However, the kit price is high, round $12. . But it is a satisfying kit for a beginner to turn. . It is a PSI kit but many companies sell them.

My second choice would be the Sierra-like kits and I would recommend the Zodiac or the Ellipse from ExoticBlanks.com .... for your purposes those kits are equivalent to the Sierra but in fact the end result is far nicer and satisfying because of a few shape and adornment issues in the metal parts. . You might get these or similar kits at a better price during the January sales (~$5). . You can turn the sides straight and still end up with a satisfying and good-looking result.

I would definitely not advise starting with slimlines or anything like them ... the turned thickness of the material walls is just too thin if you turn them straight, and they don't look appealing if you turn them bulged. . Those kits are for more advanced turners who want to customize the turned shape of the barrel into something interesting.

Most PSI kits are not suitable for beginners, IMHO ... for various reasons.

Oh, yes, it is good to get some practice wood, but I would recommend a wood denser than Cedar
 
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Get a coup[le of 2"x2"x6' to 8' and cut about a foot long or what fits your lathe. Then practice on those.

Purchase a couple Sierra/Wall St II or similar pen kits that you like the look of the fittings and then get an extra bag or two of matching tubes. Turn the tubed blanks and when you get a finished blank you are happy with assemble a pen and keep it. You only make your first one, one time.

I also suggest checking out a local AAW chapter or Wood Turning Guild.
 
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Thanks for the info folks. I appreciate it! I was planning to buy extra tube to have on hand to practice with to start.

The lathe I bought is coming with 10 slimline pencil and pen kits. I will check out some of the pens suggested. They're definitely more appealing from what I have seen.
 
donstephan said:
If you plan to use tools you don't have experience with, my suggestion would be first to get some scrap wood, enough for twenty or thirty "blanks," and gain experience with the tools. Once you have some confidence using the tool(s) then buy some kits.
Click to expand...

This is exactly the way I started out. Buy, (maybe a dozen), slimline kits from PSI and do those, then, go to Sierra Style kits. You will find those are actually easier to make than Slimlines and look great.
 
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Started with the 7mm starter kit, from PSI.

This included 2 each of Simline, Trimline, Designer NT, and Comfort Grip, in 2 finish colors each (typically gold and gunmetal or chrome).

This gave me a small variety to play with right away, along with the required bushings for each of them.

I enjoy turning the Comfort pens quite a bit ... nice thick barrels so it's easy to get a comfortable and pleasing shape and appearance.


You'll find what works best for you as you go, but the single barrel pen designs may be the easiest for a beginner...

The cheapest single barrel design pens I've seen lately, though, were about 5 dollars each from Smitty's ... the Le Roi Elegant Long Barrel (version 1 .... sell out 5-packs for 25 dollars in gold titanium nitride/black titanium nitride). The detailing and color of the finish on this pen is gorgeous, but the barrel thickness is pretty thin. You'll want something opaque unless you're OK with the barrel's brass color running interference with the colors of the acrylic blank you are using. Or you could backpaint the blank and/or the barrel before gluing it up. Possibly not the best choice for a beginner, for those reasons, but the price is more than reasonable and you can make these straight or add curves of your choice.
 
Aggie182, there are excellent suggestions here on the Sierra style pen kits as starters. Let me tell you about another factor that makes this pen a good "first kit". The exact tube length is not as critical as MOST of the other kits - because the design allows for about 1/4" of play in the final length. The way the top finial is pushed onto the twist mechanism makes this possible.

As mentioned, you also get two pens per blank, which is a big plus on COSTS.

One of the other factors that make this pen easier is the point where the tube meets the lower portion of the pen. On slimlines, and other kits where you're mating the pen body to a tapered tip, the tolerance requirements make getting a clean mate more difficult - too easy to end up with a lip exposed by over or under turning.

Another set of kits that are single barrel are the Executive, and the Vertex Click. The nib insert design of these two pens is NOT a tapered tip, and is much easier to get a good mate with the pen body. On these kits, the length is critical, though - you've got to nail it within .015, as the twist mechanism is fixed into the TOP of the tube and you don't have the leeway of the Sierra.

If you want your first pen to be worth keeping, bag up the Slimlines and put them on the shelf for a year.
 
Sierra or a Sierra clone is what I used in a Woodcraft class. The students did fine!

For practice with turning blanks, just drill your practice blanks with a 1/4" bit. Then slide them on your mandrel and turn.....no brass tube necessary for practice blanks.

Good luck!
 
Mr Vic said:
Get a coup[le of 2"x2"x6' to 8' and cut about a foot long or what fits your lathe. Then practice on those.

Purchase a couple Sierra/Wall St II or similar pen kits that you like the look of the fittings and then get an extra bag or two of matching tubes. Turn the tubed blanks and when you get a finished blank you are happy with assemble a pen and keep it. You only make your first one, one time.

I also suggest checking out a local AAW chapter or Wood Turning Guild.
Click to expand...

Now, that is advice I "wish" I had seen and taken before I got this far. I got a deal on lot of slimline pencil kits, (not knowing anything). Made a mess, asked a few questions, bought some sensible kits, and did cut up a 2"x 2" for practice. Got a LONG way to go but, enjoying every bit.
Folks here have tolerated and helped me along.

Regis
 
Smitty's Pen Works Le Roi V2 and Le Roi Elegant V2 are a Sierra/Gatsby style with finial twist. They use a smaller tube than Sierra or Gatsby so the material left on the tube is thicker when fully turned. This might make them a tad easier to turn. They are now sold by exoticblanks.com
 
Devil's advocate here :biggrin: : I used to be one who suggested using scrap wood and practice, practice, practice and learning FIRST. But sometimes it helps to make one, or two or three pens right out of the starting gate.

That will get the "I gotta make a pen as fast as I can" satisfied. Then look at it or them and compare them to some here on IAP. More than likely, you will see the need for improvement.

Ask, "Why does mine not look like those that are pictured on IAP?"

THEN get the scrap wood such as pine from a 1x4 or 2x4 and practice practice, practice. Do the same on three or four with finishing. You are not trying to make a pen, you are honing your skills with the tools. Like the old Karate Kid example of "Wax on, wax off." This kind of practice really helps when you start turning a fine piece of wood into a pen.
 
I agree, when I started I turned just enough scraps to learn how to use a tool - then I started turning pens. The first ones were not show quality but they were acceptable to give to close family and friends with the promise that if they liked them I'd give them another when I got better at it. Some of them are still in use after about 9 years.
leehljp said:
Devil's advocate here :biggrin: : I used to be one who suggested using scrap wood and practice, practice, practice and learning FIRST. But sometimes it helps to make one, or two or three pens right out of the starting gate.

That will get the "I gotta make a pen as fast as I can" satisfied. Then look at it or them and compare them to some here on IAP. More than likely, you will see the need for improvement.

Ask, "Why does mine not look like those that are pictured on IAP?"

THEN get the scrap wood such as pine from a 1x4 or 2x4 and practice practice, practice. Do the same on three or four with finishing. You are not trying to make a pen, you are honing your skills with the tools. Like the old Karate Kid example of "Wax on, wax off." This kind of practice really helps when you start turning a fine piece of wood into a pen.
Click to expand...
 
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