First one off the press

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Danny Linguini

Danny Linguini

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2025
Messages
7
Location
RI, USA
Literally!

Lathe and start-up set arrived yesterday. I pulled out a slimline pen and pencil to get started. Before unpacking the machine, I glued up four blanks and tubes to set overnight. Getting everything assembled and ready to run was pretty painless. And now I just finished turning my first pen. Boring stuff compared to the beautiful pieces I've seen around here, but ya gotta start somewhere, right?! The only issue I had was keeping the knurled nut tight on the mandrel. I tried just hand tightening it first, but it came loose after a couple of touches with the chisel. So I put the pliers to it and showed it who's boss, and it all behaved perfectly after that. All in all, not bad for my first dance. I got the exact shape I wanted, and I'm happy with the finish. This was just Shellawax, but I have a can of EEE coming tomorrow that I'll finish these pieces with going forward. Maybe could have used a hair more turning on the edges (or maybe I'm being too picky), but otherwise I'm very happy with how it came out. Tomorrow I'll do a matching pencil, then glue up a bunch more blanks for the next round. Gonna use up the boatload of kits and wood blanks that came with the set before trying my hand with bottle stoppers and acrylics, but I see lots of fun ahead. Gotta work a bit on the photography, too. 😁

IMG_1512.jpeg
 
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Photography looks solid to me. Good lighting and a white background is about all you need in my opinion. It looks really good!\
Also, as far as pen finishes goes I've found CA to be my finish of choice. It's very water resistant, durable, glossy, and with a little wet sanding using micromesh it is super super smooth.
CA has a bit of a learning curve and the topic of the best procedure for applying CA has always been a pretty crazy one on here, but if you ever decide to try CA, most people (myself included) are happy to provide insight.
 
Looks good for your first pen. The edges could be turned down a little more to match the hardware. For this, I would suggest you get a caliper and measure the pen parts and turn to the measurements instead of relying on the bushings.
 
Flintski22 said:
Photography looks solid to me. Good lighting and a white background is about all you need in my opinion. It looks really good!\
Also, as far as pen finishes goes I've found CA to be my finish of choice. It's very water resistant, durable, glossy, and with a little wet sanding using micromesh it is super super smooth.
CA has a bit of a learning curve and the topic of the best procedure for applying CA has always been a pretty crazy one on here, but if you ever decide to try CA, most people (myself included) are happy to provide insight.
Click to expand...

I did just grab a set of thin, medium and thick CA plus accelerator, but I thought I'd see how it looked and felt with just Shellawax first (i.e., I was too tired and lazy to do any more). I've seen it used on a number of videos, now I might try it on my next one. I don't have any micro mesh (yet), but I do have a pile of steel wool that worked nicely on this first one.

Monty said:
Looks good for your first pen. The edges could be turned down a little more to match the hardware. For this, I would suggest you get a caliper and measure the pen parts and turn to the measurements instead of relying on the bushings.
Click to expand...

Yep, I noticed that when I assembled it. It was close enough to be close enough, but I'm really trying for perfectly flush. I actually have a small caliper sitting around somewhere that would be perfect for this.
 
Good start. The only thing I will caution you on is overtightening that knurl nut on the mandrel. You will bend the rod and then come here complaining about out of round blanks. It happens. It is a fine dance you do with securing the blank and lightly touching the SHARP tools to the blank. Good luck as you continue down this path.
 
Great start! As John T said, be really careful cranking down on the mandrel nut - it leads to lots of issues. Better solution is to buy either an upgraded pen mandrel that is adjustable and only does one tube at a time - they are built a bit better, but still use the end nut. They tend to work better because they are shorter and limit the amount of stress on the turning. A good mandrel Best is to drop the mandrels entirely and turn between centers, but this will require different bushings and probably a different live center on the tailstock than you have. A decent caliper will soon be a must.

My only suggestion is to try something different each time you turn in the beginning - use the experiences to help you decide where to change technique or upgrade tooling. Try a few finishes, try different turning tools, try different materials. Each change will help you learn as you go.

My best suggestion is to JUST HAVE FUN! Penturning is a fun journey!

Kevin
 
Nice work! You are well on your way! It's more about getting a feel for the lathe, tools, and different materials at this point.

Danny Linguini said:
The only issue I had was keeping the knurled nut tight on the mandrel.
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I've honestly never had this problem. Hand tight is all you should ever need. Maybe you were aggressive enough that vibration caused it? Maybe the length of the mandrel needs to be shortened or another spacer put in to hold more securely against the blanks? Another thing to beware of is overtightening the tailstock on the end of the mandrel. That's a worse problem than the nut as it can bend the mandrel. The mandrel saver can help, but I'm happier without a mandrel. See below.

d_bondi said:
Eventually, you will want to move on to turning between centers (TBC).
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I wish I had not waited so long to switch to this method. I spent too much on different mandrels and related items.

About finishing: There are many preferences out there, but you will find what works best for you with trial and error (like the rest of us). Turn a small piece down, finish it, turn it the finish off and finish it again. (Lather, rinse, repeat?) Do several different ones on different pieces and compare them for look and feel. Different types of woods will accept finishes differently depending on how much natural oil is in the wood and how open the pores are.
 
d_bondi said:
I 100% agree with Kevin.

While you are at it, pick up a Mandrel Saver. I didn't see one at Woodcraft so the link is Amazon. This way you completely get rid of that brass nut and the pressure is only on the blank/tube.

Eventually, you will want to move on to turning between centers (TBC).
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what Dave said....

I'm just now three years into this and have gone from knurled nut to mandrel saver to TBC. I much prefer TBC. I've been much happier with the results.

One thing I have found (at least for me) is to make sure I have a hand on the tailstock when I I lock it down and advance the quill to hold the blank. It makes sure everything this lined up right and won't allow the tailstock to "rise"
 
d_bondi said:
I 100% agree with Kevin.

While you are at it, pick up a Mandrel Saver. I didn't see one at Woodcraft so the link is Amazon. This way you completely get rid of that brass nut and the pressure is only on the blank/tube.

Eventually, you will want to move on to turning between centers (TBC).
Click to expand...

I had looked at this at PSI; I liked the idea, but the reviews were mixed - seemed to be issues with noisy bearings for some people, so I moved on. But if that issue is not common, I will definitely give it another look.

What do you use in the tail stock for TCB? I've seen it done in a couple of videos, but I couldn't find the center that was used anywhere.
 
Honestly, I think from a general standpoint I would buy the TBC from Exotic Blanks because they add in a couple plastic washers to use with them because they have a depression that can catch a bushing. The washer prevents it. I'm not sure if their kit comes from PSI or is ordered and manufactured through an Exotic Blanks supplier

This is the one I use and given that it's Cyber Monday it's even on sale.

I can only comment that it's the TBC that I use and seems to be in somewhat wide use by people on this site. I've liked it. perhaps the best thing with it is the ability to use regular bushings and not have to order the special ones. I have not tried any other TBC setups.

Re: your question on the tailstock, this kit comes with a piece for head stock and tail stock both.
 
^^^ Thank you! Ordered me one.

Meanwhile, piece #2 just came off the assembly line, a matching pencil for #1. I got closer on the wood to hardware gap, but still have about a fall a hair to go. Also the finish came out better than the first one, I think because I applied the Shellawax even thinner and buffed it with a dry cloth a little longer. Next time I'll try a CA finish. Baby steps.

IMG_1513.jpeg
 
Danny Linguini said:
I had looked at this at PSI; I liked the idea, but the reviews were mixed - seemed to be issues with noisy bearings for some people, so I moved on. But if that issue is not common, I will definitely give it another look.

What do you use in the tail stock for TCB? I've seen it done in a couple of videos, but I couldn't find the center that was used anywhere.
Click to expand...

True TBC uses a live center in the tail stock and a dead center in the spindle. This method uses no bushings, you turn down to size by turning, stopping and measuring with a caliper and repeat until you are where you need to be.

The one that Kent (@bugradx2) suggested is fine, but it still sets you up to use bushings.
 
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