kit # 555705, info.
- Thread starter zorro9
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@zorro9
Woodworking Unlimited ????? . Can't find that vendor or any refernce to a pen kit #555705 .
EDIT: . That kit #555705 could be close to a kit pictured in the Shopsmith Forum reference given in the post immediately below.
If that's the case, it might be a kit very similar to (or the same as) a slimline kit that still exists today.
If you open one of your kits and measure the brass tube diameter and length (both tubes in the kit, if there are two) then somebody here can help you do a check to determine an appropriate set of instructions and the bushing sizes required in order to make up your pens. . I can help with that.
Your measurements of tube diam. and length should be done as accurately as possible, preferably with a digital caliper or micrometer.
Woodworking Unlimited ????? . Can't find that vendor or any refernce to a pen kit #555705 .
EDIT: . That kit #555705 could be close to a kit pictured in the Shopsmith Forum reference given in the post immediately below.
If that's the case, it might be a kit very similar to (or the same as) a slimline kit that still exists today.
If you open one of your kits and measure the brass tube diameter and length (both tubes in the kit, if there are two) then somebody here can help you do a check to determine an appropriate set of instructions and the bushing sizes required in order to make up your pens. . I can help with that.
Your measurements of tube diam. and length should be done as accurately as possible, preferably with a digital caliper or micrometer.
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BarryE
Member
Looks like they may have been sold by Shopsmith but are discontinued
ed4copies
Local Chapter Manager
post a pic of the parts we may be able to identify the kit from a different supplier
tomas
Member
I owned a ShopSmith for a number of years and bought a couple of these kits from their on-ground store in Denver. This was my first attempt at pen turning and their instructions were so poor I never could figure out how you were supposed to turn the pen. I got discouraged and ended up throwing the kits away. This was around 1994 and I didn't try again until 2006 when I got some kits from WoodCraft.
Tomas
Willee
Member
I think you are supposed to turn a top piece from the wood that is used for the blanks.
A very rudimentary kit.
A very rudimentary kit.
@zorro9
"Tubes are .742-.744 x 51.06 mm. " .... not quite making sense yet ..... 51.06 mm would be the tube length
I expected the diameter to be 6.74 mm for a so-called 7 mm tube, which would be used in a "slimline" kit
Maybe your numbers should be 7.42 - 7.44 mm, which would mean to me that the tubes are perhaps so-called 8 mm .... but still not quite right.
That diam would indicate a brass tube of so-called 7.8 mm diam., perhaps ..... a size that would be new to me.
Please check.
( The PSI Slimline Pro .... so-called 8 mm tubes .... measure to be 7.73 mm .... larger than what you report. . But yours is definitely not the same kit as this and could be something that I have never seen. . Weird size for a weird kit, perhaps.)
"Tubes are .742-.744 x 51.06 mm. " .... not quite making sense yet ..... 51.06 mm would be the tube length
I expected the diameter to be 6.74 mm for a so-called 7 mm tube, which would be used in a "slimline" kit
Maybe your numbers should be 7.42 - 7.44 mm, which would mean to me that the tubes are perhaps so-called 8 mm .... but still not quite right.
That diam would indicate a brass tube of so-called 7.8 mm diam., perhaps ..... a size that would be new to me.
Please check.
( The PSI Slimline Pro .... so-called 8 mm tubes .... measure to be 7.73 mm .... larger than what you report. . But yours is definitely not the same kit as this and could be something that I have never seen. . Weird size for a weird kit, perhaps.)
OK, so that means that the kit you have is not a "normal" slimline because the brass tubes are a little bit larger.
There is nothing wrong with that .... it is just different and non-standard.
But you are going to have a problem getting bushings of the exact right size.
Also, if you want printed instructions, they could be hard to find. . That is not really a problem after you have a bit of experience.
In order to get that experience, you might want to make a couple of slimline pen kits that are standard. . I would suggest PSI or Berea.
You could go ahead with the kits you have, but you will probably be depending on other people, and those other people probably won't have experience with those exact kits. . General principles do apply, but there could be a few minor uncertainties.
Most of us who have made slimlines would have no problem applying our experience to your kits.
So it just means that you will be asking quite a few questions ..... no problem for me ..... just makes things a little slower for you when you have to wait for the answers.
Also, the bushings will be a problem for you. . For many of us, that is not a problem because we don't even use bushings any more.
We use a technique called Turning Between Centers (TBC) and we can tell you how to do that if you want to go ahead with that.
You can read instructions online for the PSI slimline ( .... www.pennstateind.com .... )
and also for the Berea slimline ( .... www.bereahardwoods.com ....) .
Definitely advise you to do that. . Instructions assume you have the bushings, so bear that in mind.
Oh .... the drill size. . Probably around 7.8 mm diameter is what you will need .... that is not a standard size, so lets see if there is a close equivalent. . 7.8 mm = 0.307" ..... you can probably actually buy a 7.8 mm drill as a specialty item from a machine shop supply store
close equivalents would be ....
1) 19/64" (0.297" ... probably a little on the small side .... keep in mind that the ACTUAL tube size is 7.44 mm = 0.293")
2) N-size (0.302" ... close & maybe the best fit .... can be bought from a specialty tool store)
3) 5/16" (0.3125 ... probably a little large, but not too bad .... definitely worth trying on scrap wood to see if the fit is close )
5/16" drill is easy to get . . Drill sets from Big Box Store would have it. . Also probably available as a single drill bit in shrinkwrap pkg.
Once you drill the hole, you are going to glue (epoxy) the brass tube in, so the glue will take up some slack if it's not too much.
The hole you get from a particular drill is usually a bit smaller that the drill size and the difference in size depends on the material
For wood the "shrinkage" is more than for plastic.
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Thank you for your support. I have turned a number of pens, including slim lines, but do not understand how u do TBC.
I can be reached at zorro4122@yahoo.com.
Regards
Peter
I can be reached at zorro4122@yahoo.com.
Regards
Peter
What magpens said - it appears to be an early version (ca 1995) of the slimline that used to be marketed by Shopsmith. As such, standard slimlinecbushings probably won't work, and you also need to measure the nib to see if it will fit into the tube or if it is intended to slide into a step-drilled portion of the blank. Some of the Shopsmith 5557xx kits had that feature, but I'm not sure about this one.
Also, as Willee said, the tenon on the cap allows you to turn an end piece from a portion of your blank.
The key dimensions are the diameter of the cap, nib, and center band where they meet up with the blank. They will probably be different from standard slimline bushings. Also, as I mentioned, be sure to measure the nib to see if it is intended to slide inside the tube. Also check the transmission to see if they still work freely after 25 years. They may be different diameters from standard slimline transmissions and if so, you probably won't be able to find replacements. It might be possible to use standard transmissions with those tubes, but you might have to fabricate a sleeve of some type.
Frankly, I'd like to get some of those kits, so if you are interested in trading some or all of them for standard slimline kits or some other kits, please let me know.
Also, as Willee said, the tenon on the cap allows you to turn an end piece from a portion of your blank.
The key dimensions are the diameter of the cap, nib, and center band where they meet up with the blank. They will probably be different from standard slimline bushings. Also, as I mentioned, be sure to measure the nib to see if it is intended to slide inside the tube. Also check the transmission to see if they still work freely after 25 years. They may be different diameters from standard slimline transmissions and if so, you probably won't be able to find replacements. It might be possible to use standard transmissions with those tubes, but you might have to fabricate a sleeve of some type.
Frankly, I'd like to get some of those kits, so if you are interested in trading some or all of them for standard slimline kits or some other kits, please let me know.
TBC (turning between centers) means that you mount a tube directly between your dead & live centers for turning rather than using a mandrel.
Dead & live centers with a 60 degree taper generally work best. Bushings are available for TBC turning with a 60 degree recess on one side to fit the centers and a tenon & shoulder to fit the tube & component diameters. You won't find any standard TBC bushings for that kit, but you can turn your own out of corian, MDF, or even wood.
You can also do TBC without bushings - just put the centers into the tube & use calipers to measure the blank thickness to determine when you get down to the desired size. Just bs careful not to over tighten the tail stock which can flare out the tube & crack your blank.
I do some TBC turning, but I still mostly turn with standard bushings on a mandrel.
However, I do recommend getting a set of 60 degree centers, whether you ever do TBC pen turning or not. I prefer them over the standard centers that came with my lathe for any between center spindle turning.
Dead & live centers with a 60 degree taper generally work best. Bushings are available for TBC turning with a 60 degree recess on one side to fit the centers and a tenon & shoulder to fit the tube & component diameters. You won't find any standard TBC bushings for that kit, but you can turn your own out of corian, MDF, or even wood.
You can also do TBC without bushings - just put the centers into the tube & use calipers to measure the blank thickness to determine when you get down to the desired size. Just bs careful not to over tighten the tail stock which can flare out the tube & crack your blank.
I do some TBC turning, but I still mostly turn with standard bushings on a mandrel.
However, I do recommend getting a set of 60 degree centers, whether you ever do TBC pen turning or not. I prefer them over the standard centers that came with my lathe for any between center spindle turning.