I got introduced ......

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kinggabby

kinggabby

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
316
Location
Oklahoma
I got introduced to pen making through a fellow burn survivor that I met on a burn survivor forum. He had interested me because he was a former firefighter who was burned really bad in a fire burned 85% of his body and losing all his fingers. after talking with him for almost a year I decided to get my first set up. ( on my second one now ).

So what is your story on how you got started ?
 
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Took carpentry in high school (voke, trade school). 3 of us finished the project everyone was given early. They let us 3 play with this monster lathe (8'-10' bed).
Never planned on turning again after that. 3 years ago I was looking for a hobby that didint take up as much space as flat work. I went to the local Rockler for a pen demo. I walked out with a lathe and cheap turning tools. I have no figured out I use/ need/ want more tools then I ever did in flat work.
 
my story is not very exciting. I saw the rockler video about pen making on youtube while looking for something else. looked like fun, and I was right!
 
wife wanted me to stop playing World of Warcraft and knew I liked wood working, but my space was limited. so she got me this cheap off brand mini lathe and some turning tools.

Of course I spend a lot more time and money on wood turning now then I ever did playing video games. She seems ok with that though.


Stan
 
I was turning bowls and stuff, and then took a 1/2 day pen class. I've been hooked ever since.
 
I was cruising the internet looking at woodworking sites. I have always had this need, but never indulged in doing something with my hands. I'll be honest and say I don't know the first thing about doing flatwork, but wanted to do something with wood. I found this site and it all looked very interesting to me and thought it was something I could do. Don't remember how, but Roy (Oklahoman) and I somehow spoke to each other by PM. He offered to teach me and it all started from there. I am no longer turning pens, but would love to. I did find something more through the process of all this. A very good friend in Roy that I truly enjoy the time we have spent together and the emails we have shared. I enjoy the friendship more than the turning. I hope to get better soon and start this wonderful hobby again and hopefully rekindle my friendship with Roy and others here.
 
I never took any tech class in school, but I always had an interest in those things. My senior year in HS, I built my first computer, and got into building computers. From there, I got into computer case modding while I was still in college. I build a few decent systems, and then all of the sudden computers started to come with a high end paint finish and the cool lights out of the box.

From there I got into Home Theater. I bought an OK TV for my budget, a Home Theater in the Box, and a pair of Wharfedale SP-87s. It was awesome...

After college, I was still interested in A/V, but very budget conscious. I wanted bang for my buck, and there was a DIY speaker building thread at the A/V forum I frequented. So I was convinced to build my own speakers. I had very few tools (my main tool was a Dremel, which I used to do my case modding). I got a router and a flush trim bit, and a jig saw. All of my cuts were rough cut with the jig saw, and then flush trimmed to final dimension.

I built the speakers, and they rocked. But I really enjoyed the building process, and I thought "I have all these tools, why not get into woodworking?". Silly me, I thought I'd get a few more tools, and I'd then be ready to start building dressers and beds and armoires, oh my! Cut to almost a year later, and I'm still building my shop, and not so much woodworking. I saw a Jet 1014 at a local used tool shop. It was $120, and in great shape. I picked it up on a whim. It sat in my shop for a while, and after a bit I got a faceplate and tried a few bowls. I loved turning, and was very very happy to finally have a finished product so quickly.

So, wanting to try more turning projects and have something finished to show for it, I decided to try making pens. I picked up the mandrel, bushings, and a set of HF chisels and just started doing it. No classes, and it was a while before I came across this site, and I've done nothing but improve since then.

So, long story short, the progression is Computers-> Computer Case Modding-> Home Theater-> Speaker Building-> Woodworking-> Turning-> Pen Turning-> Pen Making (more advanced stuff, kitless, etc)(the future!).
 
I had a manager at the store I worked who turned pens and then I went to the woodworking show in Columbus about 4-5 years ago and stopped at the CSUSA booth. I bought my lathe with the next tax return and then started looking on the net to find out how to turn pens. I stumbled on this site and the rest is history.
 
Grandpa got me started with flat work at the age of 10. May he rest in peace. The first pens I made for gifts were cedar that Grandpa harvested decades ago. I made them for Xmas gifts (after he passed) and it made a few tears flow from his children. When he passed I had the honor of being a pawl bearer and wearing my CPO uniform and present a flag to Grandma for his service in the Army. While at the viewing I pinned a CPO anchor on his lapel. He was a special man. Hand me a tissue......
 
Went to wook for Woodcraft. 50% of our customers are turners. They were asking questions I couldn't answer. I took a pen turning class and got hooked. I bought a PSI comander midi lathe, now my scroll saw is begging for shop time.
 
Took a woodshop class in college and finished a project early. They let me go play on a lathe and I loved it. A couple of years later a friend from church overheard me say that I wanted to buy a lathe someday. He had one in his garage that he never used, so he gave it to me. (It's a harbor freight with serious alignment issues, but I'm working on it. Can't say no to free.) I took a wood turning class at CSUSA over the summer and haven't looked back.
 
I've always had an interest in woodworking. Did the usual handyman stuff but my real passion was furniture restoring. Fast forward, 4 years ago I suffered a stroke. While in rehab I meet a man who made pens. That peaked my interest, bought a lathe this past Christmas and the rest is history. This is without doubt one the most enjoyable activities I've done.

Carl
 
Turned a bit in Jr. High and then again in High School. Made a really nice "Tire Checker" :eek: out of oak.....

Didn't get back to turning until about 7 years ago when a guy at work got me to go to a Dallas Area Woodturners meeting and the following Saturday, I went to their open shop and turned a Catalpa bowl.... A couple years later, I did a web search on turning and discovered Pen Turning. Bought a Jet Mini from HUT and the rest is history... Now my shop has grown by lots of equipment.

One thing for sure..... The lathe was the cheap part of turning!!! :redface::rolleyes::biggrin:
 
A friend at work recommended MLCS for router bits etc. So I went online and ordered their catalog. It came paired up with a PSI catalog. Looked at the PSI catalog and it peaked my interest so I asked my friend at worked if he knew anything about pen making. He replied that he had but it had been a while and he figured I could get started without much investment. So with some web searches one of which brought me here and YouTube videos I decided it was something I could do. So with part of a bonus check and a 20% coupon to Harbor Freight I marched and it has been a pretty good trip so far.
 
while I was attempting to make a more marketable stylus "way back when," I went to check out a penturning demo at closest Rockler's. I had a long talk with my cousin. Because of a neurological problem, doing bilateral activities with my upper body cause severe spasms. We went through different set ups to make it easier. She sawed off the legs or a table so the wc fit up against it. I went and bought the lathe and other materials, dowels, tools. In about a month I was making pens & my Styus.
;-) been "down hill ever since." I never read a book or knew about UTube flicks - leanred here from IAP members. Best teachers!
 
Actually I didn't want to turn pens...I wanted to learn to do bowls... the wife and I were in an art gallery in Fredericksburg, TX and I saw a bowl there that took your breath away... it was about 12-13 inches out of red mesquite... I remarked that I would like to learn to do that... just a comment to the wife to compliment the work... she told my son I wanted a lathe for Christmas and he bought me one from Home Depot, along with a set of tools and several pen kits. He and I turned our first pen in the garage that Christmas day and I was wound in.... about 5 years later I learned to turn bowls and other things... I had to get a new lathe for the bowls though.... the one I got for Christmas had a low end speed of 750... waaaaaaaaaaaaay too fast for starting a bowl.
 
I have wanted to do woodworking as a hobby for many years. Finally purchased the land next to my house with the intention of building a three car garage for a complete shop. That project got bigger when the wife wanted an office and new bedrooms for the kids. 2700 sq ft later and about $350K out of my earnings, I have a shop (and the other stuff). This was 4 years ago. I have been outfitting the shop ever since. A little over a year ago I wanted to try turning and purchased the Grizzly 16" from a guy on craigslist. Loved it and began tuning bowls and bottle stoppers. When I tried to do a big piece of mesquite and it wobbled so much as to cause the lathe to fall over and almost kill me, I decided to go for the Powermatic 3520b. After giving bowls a shot, it seemed like a natural progression into pens. Bought my son a Rikon midi for his birthday (wink-wink) and he and I started doing pens. My main focus remains bowls but I do love the pens. I have not really attemped to sell them so the wife is looking at me kinda funny about the money I spend on the pens and kits. I just remind her that she came out much better than me on the home remodel.
 
NORM!!! That's right. I had an interest in woodworking and Norm did some turning. Saw a repeat episode and then it was all over. Went from garage single day set up to dedicated area of basement and 3 lathes.
 
My liniage has always worked with wood, carpenters mostly. My Father was the first to go to college and he bacame a shop teacher. All the projects he would work on with the students were brought home to us and summers at a job site with my Dad drew me into woodworking.

I graduated High School and got an Associates Degree then went into the Semiconductor Industry. Got married at a young age so had a family to care for, tried making ends meet by selling Fiberglass recurve bows(on of my Dads school projects) but didnt have the right tools, or space to make them to my satisfaction. Looking for another way to raise money My Dad bought me a lathe from Rockler and introduced me to pen turning. Found this site in 07 and still love the smell of sawdust in the morning and the marbleing of the finished timber.
 
2 years ago I found myself laid off the week before Thanksgiving and needed to do something for Christmas gifts. My stepdad suggested to give out pens that year. So I used his lathe and kits. I made 12 Slimlines. Thankfully I found another job in Jan. so by June I owned my own lathe and the rest is history.
 
Great stories! I took shop class in Jr. High and first year of High School, built scenery in college theatre, then did no wood working for about 20 years. Then about 11 years ago my wife wanted crown moulding in our living room...that began my wood-working habit.
Began building small projects like boxes, etc. I began thinking about turning and bought a Rikon midi about 3 years ago, mostly to turn pens and small things to give away as gifts. Then I wanted to turn bowls and hollow vessels. Recently I bought a Nova 1624 and love it!
 
About 7 years ago, I picked up a table top lathe at a garage sale for $75.00 (including a set of tools), the green HF kind, with the idea of making canes. I went to Woodcraft to find some quality wood and ferrules. While in there, I ran across the penturning aisle and the man sent me home with $90.00 worth of material to turn one. I never did turn a cane staff. I turned about 6 more pens and my wife asked me why I needed so many pens and I said I love to turn them. I took them to a local jewelry store and sold 3 of them for $25.00 each. She sold them for $75.00 each and I figured I should make the profit, not her, that was over 700 pens ago.
 
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Was taking a Wood shop night course building flat stuff. Took a square piece of wood and made it round on the lathe on night and I was hooked.
 
I went to visit my daughter in Michigan and my son in law took me over to his uncles house to watch him make a pen. On our next visit my son in law had started making them too and when we went over to Woodcraft I bought a couple of kits to try them because it looked like fun. Needless to say after making them the turning vortex had claimed another casualty.
 
I had always received the PSI catalog and really thought the art of pen making was interesting, especially with the different colors of woods, acrylics, etc. Of course a lathe was necessary so that was low on the priotity list. Years later, a co worker said he signed him and his son up for a class at Woodcraft. Every time I would see him, I would ask if he made any pens. He said no and his new lathe and tools were just sitting collecting dust.
Having wanting to get into it, I purchased a lathe and tools etc. (I should have bought his now that I think about it) and I have been making pens ever since. He has not made one!
 
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