drilling blanks

Hi folks, As I'm a beginner of pen turning, I have already failed a few blanks. I cut them a little too short, turned too much and blanks cracked. Now, I don't know why the hole I drilled on my lathe is off center. First, I noticed that the tail head is wobbling, so I stopped and checked...

I am very new to pen turning as well as new to the forum, and thus far I absolutely love it. The problem I am having is that when I advance the drill bit in a little it gets caught, and unscrews the bar inside the tailstock that holds the drilling chuck. I have to back it off, and tighten it...

I'm new to pen making. I'm sure this idea is here somewhere, but I have not seen it. I made a jig from scrap 1/2 " plywood and a 1/8" bolt. I clamped the plywood to the table on the drill press so that the tip of the drill bit hits the center of the bolt. I then marked both ends of the blank...

I searched high and low for an alternative way to drill pen blanks without a drill press. Finally I created my own alternative. Check out the pics and video on my web site at Turn On A Dime Woodworking - Home and go to the drill rig page.

Hi, I have decided to do my blank drilling on the lather rather than my drill press - think I would have better control with the VS. I was think about getting the Large Dedicated Pen Blank Drilling Chuck from PSI, but then I thought about the Utility Grip 4 Jaw Chrome Lathe Chuck System...