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Tom.1946

Tom.1946

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2021
Messages
41
Location
Northern Ireland
Hi all,
As you know I have just started out and have only been able to produce one pen as I personally don't have a lathe.
I know that the majority of members come from North America and was looking for some help?
1. The majority of woods used I don't think are available in the UK and have heard someone tried to buy a blank recently but cost of shipping was £15 ($22). What wood that is available in the UK would be the next to try.
2. I keep seeing a lot of segmented pens on the forum. Is there any plans etc for a beginner to try to follow or do you have to use your own imagination to produce something distinctive,?
Especially as I don't really know enough or am I trying to run before I can walk????
I would love to have a go but where do I start

Tom
 
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howsitwork

howsitwork

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2016
Messages
2,320
Location
Thirsk
Tom

I suggest you start with Cherry, Walnut , Beech , Mahogany blanks. Ok you get a plain pen but you get to practice safely and a result.Spalted beech or Elm scan also be very attractive and not too difficult depending upon how soft and punky the blank has become with the spalting. Try https://www2.theturnersworkshop.co.uk/offers.html

and not forgetting https://www.beaufortink.co.uk/pen-blanks/wood-pen-blanks

I would avoid black palm if I were you at this stage Nd also some of the expensive exotics but it's your call.

You can buy acrylic blanks if you want to be more adventurous , note acrylic is a generic name , the specific plastics vary but all get called acrylic ( bit naughty but that's how it is ).

Segmenting is a whole new ball game and I strongly suggest practicing first . You will learn lots of new swear words otherwise
 
Alan Morrison

Alan Morrison

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
3,089
Location
N Ireland
Tom, when I started turning I bought a couple of oak drop-leaf tables and was able to cut more blanks than I could ever use. They can be cut along the grain, diagonally cut or cross-cut, giving plenty of variety and plenty of timber to practice on.
You should be able to pick up tables, including mahogany ones, very cheaply in second hand shops/ charity shops or auctions for £5 and up
( just check for woodworm!! )

Buy some brass tubes and practice drilling the blanks and turning before spending money on pen kits.

You don't need exotic timbers if segmenting, just timbers that will give a bit of contrast.
Check out the segmenting forum to give you ideas and try to construct something similar.

If you are in my area again, give me a shout and I'll have some timber for you to practice on.

Alan
 
Tom.1946

Tom.1946

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2021
Messages
41
Location
Northern Ireland
Thanks for your reply I will have a look at these.
Was definitely wanting to do an acrylic for my granddaughter starting secondary school in September... maybe will have to wait a bit longer.....
Tom
 
magpens

magpens

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
15,911
Location
Canada
As Ian said, best to do some practicing on blanks consisting of just one material for starters, before you get into segmenting.

You actually have plenty of suitable woods in the UK ..... walnut is pretty good; oak is good for practice but maybe not as interesting finished.

Here's the Beaufort link for wood pen blanks .... https://www.beaufortink.co.uk/pen-blanks/wood-pen-blanks

Chechen (one of my favorite woods ... can have lots of character), Bubinga, and Pink Ivory are reasonably priced.

You can often get cut-off pieces of some woods at some "big box" stores at cheap prices.
 
Tom.1946

Tom.1946

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2021
Messages
41
Location
Northern Ireland
alanemorrison said:
Tom, when I started turning I bought a couple of oak drop-leaf tables and was able to cut more blanks than I could ever use. They can be cut along the grain, diagonally cut or cross-cut, giving plenty of variety and plenty of timber to practice on.
You should be able to pick up tables, including mahogany ones, very cheaply in second hand shops/ charity shops or auctions for £5 and up
( just check for woodworm!! )

Buy some brass tubes and practice drilling the blanks and turning before spending money on pen kits.

You don't need exotic timbers if segmenting, just timbers that will give a bit of contrast.
Check out the segmenting forum to give you ideas and try to construct something similar.

If you are in my area again, give me a shout and I'll have some timber for you to practice on.

Alan
Click to expand...
Not to bad for kits club buy in bulk. I got a seirra and two slimlines for £10....
 
mikespenturningz

mikespenturningz

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
4,368
Location
Claremont NH
Tom.1946 said:
Hi all,
As you know I have just started out and have only been able to produce one pen as I personally don't have a lathe.
I know that the majority of members come from North America and was looking for some help?
1. The majority of woods used I don't think are available in the UK and have heard someone tried to buy a blank recently but cost of shipping was £15 ($22). What wood that is available in the UK would be the next to try.
2. I keep seeing a lot of segmented pens on the forum. Is there any plans etc for a beginner to try to follow or do you have to use your own imagination to produce something distinctive,?
Especially as I don't really know enough or am I trying to run before I can walk????
I would love to have a go but where do I start

Tom
Click to expand...
I just love maple. You can get that very cheaply and it is a joy to turn..
 
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