Scottydont
Member
I wanted to post this after posting in the discussion about how do you organize your pen kits? I have developed an efficient process to help me more consistently turn my pens to the right diameter to get a perfect fit and finish. Most newbie pen turners get frustrated trying to turn down to the bushings only to find out that the wood hasn't been turned flush with the hardware. You can remedy this with the use of a caliper. I prefer using a digital caliper like you can find at Harbor Freight.
Rather than measure the bushing, I prefer to measure the actual pen components first because they can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. For those who think that is too much trouble its not. I keep seperate plastic bins for each pen kit style. In it I have the pen kit instructions, extra bushings, hardware diameter measurements. I only take the measurements once on each kit, then I can refer to the diameter measurements when turning and caliper checking each pen.
Happy turning!
Rather than measure the bushing, I prefer to measure the actual pen components first because they can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. For those who think that is too much trouble its not. I keep seperate plastic bins for each pen kit style. In it I have the pen kit instructions, extra bushings, hardware diameter measurements. I only take the measurements once on each kit, then I can refer to the diameter measurements when turning and caliper checking each pen.
Happy turning!