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grimgravy

grimgravy

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2026
Messages
5
Location
Texas
For someone so socially awkward, I tend to be quite verbose on internet fora. I had a long, drawn-out intro typed up but even I didn't want to reread it. So, here's the shortened version.

Between growing up in my grandad's woodshop and helping my dad work on all sorts of home maintenance (engines, plumbing, etc.), I've acquired a fondness for DIY and unnecessary foul language. My primary hobbies are restoring straight razors, smoking pipes & pipe tobacco, very occasional fly fishing, and generally collecting hobbies.

To that end, I've joined this forum to talk myself out of purchasing a $3,000 metal lathe in order to make a fountain pen. I have no experience with wood or metal turning but still have pie-in-the-sky dreams of making all the things in my brain on a DMG Mori 5-axis mill that I can never afford and is ridiculous for the task anyway.

I'm here to research a reasonable, relatively affordable route to buying all the things I need to make a few nice, bespoke fountain pens. If the worst that happens is I accrete a few strange tools to my current pile of failed or forgotten attempts, I'm fine with that.

Hello. My name is Kelly, and I'm currently trying to balance my mantra of buy-once-cry-once with both my wallet and the knowledge that I collect hobbies exponentially faster than I apply myself to them.
 
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Welcome Kelly! You don't need a metal lathe to start making pens. I started turning in May 2025 and found a used Jet 1015vs wood lathe in good condition on Facebook Marketplace for $300 and it has served very well. It might require some patience, but good deals pop up fairly often and are a good way to dip a toe in without spending thousands on something before you know if you will like the process. You will however need to budget for turning tools, taps and dies, mandrels, and so on. It's not exactly a cheap hobby, but you can start with just the basics and expand your tool set as you go.

I did end up loving it, and also wanted a metal lathe, so I set a goal to save up for one and put all my revenue towards that (and other tools along the way) and was able to buy it a couple months ago. I wont say it was easy, but I think it's a realistic way to go about it without bankrupting yourself in the process. You may find yourself able to get a Mill this way too. There are also sometimes good deals on used metal lathes, but they are very heavy so it may not be as viable as buying a new metal lathe if you don't have a way to lift it and transport it. I had mine delivered with liftgate service and the driver was kind enough to wheel it into my workshop. I did have to buy a shop crane to get it onto the workbench (420 lbs), but it's not a bad idea to have a way to move your heavy tools down the road either. There's also the peace of mind with warranty and support on a new machine. For a few hundred, not too big of a deal, but when you are spending thousands, something to consider. I got a Precision Matthews 1030V, but a friend of mine opted for a lighter weight Sherline bench top metal lathe and it looks like a very capable machine at about half the cost. He's certainly making good use of it. The tooling and accessories for a metal lathe are also much more than you need to get started on a wood lathe, so that's also something to keep in mind. I also feel that starting on a wood lathe will give you a good foundational skillset to build upon, and I still use mine to do the shaping after machining pens on the metal lathe.

This forum has a wealth of information and a lot of really helpful members. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions and the community will be happy to help!
 
I'll most likely start with a wood lathe due to cost, as you mentioned. After seeing youtube videos of some older Japanese gentlemen making pens (I believe Hakase was the brand) on basically half a wood lathe, it became apparent I needed to take a breath and reassess my priorities.

Thanks for the reply!
Leonardo said:
Welcome Kelly! You don't need a metal lathe to start making pens.
Click to expand...
 
Kelly; Welcome! You can either start with a metal lathe, OR a wood lathe. There is a bit of overlap between the two. I would begin with a wood lathe.

There is a subtle difference between
"kitless" = Made & turned all the pieces except the nib. You made the threaded parts too.
"bespoke" = Made for a specific person

Bespoke pens can be kits, but are easier to do. Always buy some extra tubes. Mistakes happen. Start out with plain jane woods and save the expensive pieces when you are confident of success.
 
Welcome aboard Kelly. It sounds like you might be a fountain pen user/collector already.

Technically, to make a fountain pen from scratch, you only need a wood lathe, some basic turning tools, drill bits and a couple of taps and dies.
This was the first scratch pen I made, about 10 years ago (it's my EDC). It was all done on a wood lathe, including the aluminium accent ring. The nib (Jowo #6) and clip I bought. The original nib I used did not have my logo on it. Also keep in mind, that I had already been using a lathe for a few years, making kit pens.
I made the mandrels I needed, out of standard acrylic pen blanks I had. While not the best option for a mandrel, they work with a light hand.

I had a Delta LA100 lathe, similar to this Jet
Benjamin's best pen turning chisels
Benjamin's best mini HSS chisels
At least a Barracuda chuck Or similar
Or my preferred Er32 Collet Chuck with a full set of collets




image.jpg
 
Welcome to the Rabbit Hole, er. Craft... Kelly! :)

+1 for the "you don't need to start with a metal lathe" crowd.

I started 5 years ago with a Harbor Freight wood lathe, moved up to a Jet JWL-1221VS Midi lathe, and then a year and a half ago I added a Precision Matthews PM-1022V metal lathe to my shop.

I would actually recommend starting with at least a few component (kit) pens on a wood lathe. As Leonardo noted, there is no shortage of these on FaceBook Marketplace and they are MUCH more manageable to move and learn to use than a metal lathe. It is a great way to get started with a MUCH lower initial investment. And... you will still find uses for that wood lathe, believe me! Not a day passes that I don't wish I still had that old Harbor Freight wood lathe in the shop. I sold it to get the Jet.

Something else to keep in mind... especially with the metal lathe, figure 50% to 100% of the lathe purchase price on tooling. IYKYK. :oops:
 
First of all, Greetings from Nebraska and Welcome to the IAP community. One member, not very active on IAP, but active on his own YouTube channels, is Robert "Bob" Blanford. A couple of years ago he did some videos called "Bespoke on a Budget" that used less expensive tools, like inexpensive single start/lead taps vs triple start/lead. When I started out I learned a tremendous amount about making pens by watching Bob's videos. Over the years I also built up more expensive tools like multi-start taps and dies by purchasing surplus or "I'm getting out of the hobby" members selling their stuff here on IAP.

Another thing to consider is the in-between type kits like those made and sold by Bullseye Turning Supply. They make a nice looking, almost "Bespoke" type of pen.

That being said, once again, once again, welcome to the IAP Community!

Dave
 
randyrls said:
Kelly; Welcome! You can either start with a metal lathe, OR a wood lathe. There is a bit of overlap between the two. I would begin with a wood lathe.

There is a subtle difference between
"kitless" = Made & turned all the pieces except the nib. You made the threaded parts too.
"bespoke" = Made for a specific person

Bespoke pens can be kits, but are easier to do. Always buy some extra tubes. Mistakes happen. Start out with plain jane woods and save the expensive pieces when you are confident of success.
Click to expand...
Got it. Thanks for the clarification.
 
darrin1200 said:
Welcome aboard Kelly. It sounds like you might be a fountain pen user/collector already.

Technically, to make a fountain pen from scratch, you only need a wood lathe, some basic turning tools, drill bits and a couple of taps and dies.
This was the first scratch pen I made, about 10 years ago (it's my EDC). It was all done on a wood lathe, including the aluminium accent ring. The nib (Jowo #6) and clip I bought. The original nib I used did not have my logo on it. Also keep in mind, that I had already been using a lathe for a few years, making kit pens.
I made the mandrels I needed, out of standard acrylic pen blanks I had. While not the best option for a mandrel, they work with a light hand.

I had a Delta LA100 lathe, similar to this Jet
Benjamin's best pen turning chisels
Benjamin's best mini HSS chisels
At least a Barracuda chuck Or similar
Or my preferred Er32 Collet Chuck with a full set of collets




View attachment 394888
Click to expand...
Thank you for the links. I think I've settled on a Harbor Freight 14x20 whenever they have another sale.

Is there any benefit to owning a full set of both imperial and metric collets or are the five with that set all you need?
 
grimgravy said:
Thank you for the links. I think I've settled on a Harbor Freight 14x20 whenever they have another sale.

Is there any benefit to owning a full set of both imperial and metric collets or are the five with that set all you need?
Click to expand...
A full metric set is a nice to have rather than a need to have, but before I got a full metric set I picked up a few individual extra collets as needed. If they are ER32 collets, you can usually find single collets in whatever side you need for $10-20 each. My metric set is also ER40 collets and I don't have a full metric set for the wood lathe in ER32. A 21mm collet is nice to have for some fatter round blanks out there, and you may need some additional sizes for your taps or mandrels, depending on what size they are (and if you are using collets for holding them vs. a jacobs chuck etc.)

Edit to add, I didn't see the link above. That's a pretty good deal on a full metric ER32 set!
 
Leonardo said:
A full metric set is a nice to have rather than a need to have, but before I got a full metric set I picked up a few individual extra collets as needed. If they are ER32 collets, you can usually find single collets in whatever side you need for $10-20 each. My metric set is also ER40 collets and I don't have a full metric set for the wood lathe in ER32. A 21mm collet is nice to have for some fatter round blanks out there, and you may need some additional sizes for your taps or mandrels, depending on what size they are (and if you are using collets for holding them vs. a jacobs chuck etc.)

Edit to add, I didn't see the link above. That's a pretty good deal on a full metric ER32 set!
Click to expand...
You guys are amazing. Thanks again to everyone!
 
Welcome! You already have one of the makings for a good turner - a constant quest to spend lots of money on new tools!! Is a problem of most everyone here. I am a long time pen maker - started out with kits, moved to more advanced kits like those sold by Kate Harrow of BullsEye Turning, and then made a full leap into totally kitless. All of this was done on standard wood lathe(s) and with hand held tools. I would LOVE to add a metal lathe to my collection (and a Corvette, and a Perazzi trap gun, and a spectacular private plane), but alas, I lack the space due to the multiple wood lathes I have already....lol. Seriously though, a wood lathe will get you a long way - just keep it clean, aligned, and running at high speed!

In my mind, to really hit what you need to begin I suggest a fairly good lathe absolutely with electronic variable speed - i like Nova, but Rikon and Jet make great ones. Add to it a good chuck, like a Nova G3 and a good ER32 collet chuck like the one made by Stainless Steel Bottle Stoppers. Might suggest a good Jacobs Chuck like the Tegara MT2 keyless chuck for on lathe drilling. A good mandrel will be required if you go with kit style pens - add a mandrel saver. As for turning tools, if you go classic try Thompson Tools or if you go carbide go with Easy Wood Tools. You'll need a good parting tool - the Sorby thin blade is a good choice. Stop along the way to buy some good measuring tools - you will need a good caliper for sure.

There. I have just spent your first $1,500 dollars for you! Lol....Welcome to our group - I hope you get as much fun and satisfaction out of this hobby as I have!

Kevin

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