Hello from TN

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TheCraftyCarver

TheCraftyCarver

Member
Joined
May 27, 2021
Messages
104
Location
Tennessee
Hi folks!
I'm a total newbie to turning; a month or so ago I bought a lathe, a good amount of "the trimmings" (carbide tools, assorted shop type tools, a drill press, pen vise, etc) & I have figured out the machines & tools enough to have turned 3 (mostly successful) wood pens, 1 acrylic pen (not very successfully) & 2.5 wine bottle stoppers.

I also have a fine collection of "rejects" growing on my "live & learn shelf of shame" of badly drilled blank bits, shattered blanks, wood broken off tube ends and so on. Each one is a learning experience, so I keep them around as reminders of "what not to do/what didn't work". 😆

I'm entirely self taught & pretty much just go out there for a few hours a few times a week & see what I learn off of trial & error & instinct. I'm also attempting to make my own blanks, but success has been varied.

Glad to be here!

Also, my username (TheCraftyCarver) I got from Pixar's "Merida". She cracks me up so I figured it was a fun one to use ☺️
 
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Welcome to IAP Lauren, have FUN learning. I still have my initial 'bucket' of 'lessons' and it gets an inch or so added to every year.

Early on it was basic mistakes, now the rate is slower, but they are complicated/advanced mistakes. A wise mentor many, many years ago told me: "If you are not have a steady stream of failures you may not be pushing yourself enough to explore."

Gratefully he was talking in reference to doing basic experimental research... not driving, SCUBA diving or relationships 🤣

IAP will be a great resource for you.
 
Welcome to the site from NJ. This is the way to make an introduction. Thanks for telling us a little about yourself and your interest. You have shown us you are dedicated to learn and grow with this hobby. It is addictive and could get pricey but many pens have been made from less expensive kits and blanks. The more you get into this you will develop your own style and and this will lead you down a certain path. Now that you found us take some time and look through the various forums here and enjoy the show. ask all questions and they will get answered. You may find that at some time there is not one way to do things and multiple answers are listed and it up to you then to try and decide what works for you but most of all have fun. Good luck.
 
Lauren ( and Mark) a wise friend once told me " if at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you !".

I decided I fancied paragliding instead ,as for you to go up the shute must be open !

I still have some of my early bowls to humble me when I get one right! Pens have been more challenging and, as you say , there's a lot to practice and learn. The fellowship and cameraderie on this site has helped me and many over this past time. The inspiration here is good too !!

Your list doesn't mention a grinder? Very useful , nay essential for keeping HSS bits sharp before honing the skew.
List also doesn't mention biscuit barrel, coffee machine or beer chiller but these probably (??)come later in the addiction.

Have fun😉
 
Welcome Lauren.

Self taught was basically my method too, with pointers from people here. After three or four "less than so-so" pens behind me, I took a 2x4 piece of soft pine, made about 10 blanks, drill holes, put tubes in and turned. I turned all of them to near size, then sanded to size (I rarely sand anymore) then spent the next few hours applying finish and sanding. I did not make pens out of them, but rather used that for practice, getting the feel of turning, and the feel of the tool and learned how to apply finish to get fairly decent repetitive results.

Below is an old thread of things others wished they had learned sooner. Some good information in it:

If I had known this earlier . .

I am on a fact finding mission. Can you help? What do you wish you had known earlier in pen turning? or in different words: Knowing what you know now - IF you could go back and start over in pen turning - what would you skip, change or do differently? answers for instance: - I wish...
www.penturners.org
 
howsitwork said:
Lauren ( and Mark) a wise friend once told me " if at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you !".

I decided I fancied paragliding instead ,as for you to go up the shute must be open !

I still have some of my early bowls to humble me when I get one right! Pens have been more challenging and, as you say , there's a lot to practice and learn. The fellowship and cameraderie on this site has helped me and many over this past time. The inspiration here is good too !!

Your list doesn't mention a grinder? Very useful , nay essential for keeping HSS bits sharp before honing the skew.
List also doesn't mention biscuit barrel, coffee machine or beer chiller but these probably (??)come later in the addiction.

Have fun😉
Click to expand...
i DO have a grinder, not a slow speed one (I can't remember the speed, but it was a little bit above the recommended speed for chisels). I bought it mostly as a buffing wheel and swapped one of the grinding wheels for a cotton buffing wheel. I'm currently highly unconfident in my sharpening skills; I've watched endless videos and read lots of articles, but don't feel ready for it on my "less than ideal" grinder set up (especially since it's on a tool stand that won't accommodate a "angle guide" set up tool thing).

So for now, I have a set of carbide cutters to do my lathe work and as my obsession grows, I will consider getting a grinding system designed for HSS chisels and practice on my cheapo harbor fright chisels before I run down to woodcraft fir "some real chisels". But since that's a $1500 swap for my carbides, I'm sticking with them for now.

No snack machines yet, but I have a collection of LaCroix cans out there and I bring a large cup of ice out there each time to add to the drinks to stay hydrated... I have a 2000SF workshop (well, I get 1/2, the other half is for my riding lawnmower and my husbands car restoration project) and it's set back into a wooded area in our backyard; I'm still training the local critters to stay out, so no food scents allowed to stay out there just yet ☺️
 
Hi Lauren, I am a new again newbie. I have some pictures to show you from my Pen Turning Hall of Shame. The first pic shows my 10.5 mm drill bit buried and broken. That was a fun one. Then, my blank fractured. That was even more fun. I did find a use for the fractured piece. It's holding my olive zen pen. I thought you would get a kick out of these. Take care and welcome!
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0653CF1E-779F-4BD9-A67C-7B501CF62856_1_201_a.jpeg
 
Midi O said:
Hi Lauren, I am a new again newbie. I have some pictures to show you from my Pen Turning Hall of Shame. The first pic shows my 10.5 mm drill bit buried and broken. That was a fun one. Then, my blank fractured. That was even more fun. I did find a use for the fractured piece. It's holding my olive zen pen. I thought you would get a kick out of these. Take care and welcome! View attachment 308986View attachment 308987View attachment 308988
Click to expand...
Lol! Oh dear! I need to get a photo of my collection! My first item was a honey dipper that caught and sheared off completely and just get more depressing from there! 😆
 
TheCraftyCarver said:
Lol! Oh dear! I need to get a photo of my collection! My first item was a honey dipper that caught and sheared off completely and just get more depressing from there! 😆
Click to expand...
Haha. Oh, about the drill. I use a pen blank chuck and drill on my lathe. I find it's much more accurate.
 
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