Pen Press = HAMMER !?!

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How about the pen mill in the lathe and using your hand to hold it. There are so many new "techniques" in this video:eek:
 
It looks like I can sell a lot of the stuff I bought.... saw, drill press, pen press and few other things.

What kind of finish was he putting on the pen?
 
I especially liked the part where he so casually moved the tool rest right up next to the chuck with the lathe still running:eek: While he did sucessfully turn and assemble a pen, he sure used some techniques that I've never seen used, nor would I be willing to try them.

I guess there really is something to the old saying "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

Jim Smith
 
It never ceases to amaze me how many different ways people approach turning a pen. I have to say his cost of tooling is fairly low compared to mine.
 
Russianwolf said:
was the centerband just glued to the end? it didn't look like he turned a tennon on the upper blank?

The hammer was funny.
Click to expand...

Yea, I caught that too. At first I thought that he had turned narrow tendon so that the centerband was supported for about 1/2 it's length, but it was just a trick of the light. Looks like it was glued on flush with the end of the upper section.

Funny how he can use all those tools so nicely and with obvious skill, but didn't make up a set of inserts to use the lathe as a pen press. (That's what I'm doing now, works great, no fuss, excellent control over the process) Even after rounding off the blanks, I think he's heading for a trip to the ER at some point hand-feeding the blanks into the trimmer. What I'd call an Unintentional Self Inflicted Injury.

Steve

Steve
 
Somebody need to send him a pen press. otherwise that was actually one of the best pen making videos I have seen. Had some different ideas, including the hammer. (not sure I want to use them) but some where not to bad like parting the blank on the lathe.
milling the barrel on the lathe I have thought of but have to justify my drill press.
He did capture the quick and simple with flare.
 
I used to use one of those hammers with the plastic on one side, rubber on the other, and a metal center. Just out of lazyness. It worked for hundreds of pens, but I've upgraded to a clamp recently. I liked his video, gave me some Ideas, gets you thinking of different ways to use the lathe. It did seem like it would take him a lot longer to make a pen than most though.
 
I use the "hammer" method, mine is a mallet out of hard rubber. For each pen I have Delrin drilled out that the parts to slip into. For a Slimline I tap the nib into place, stick the barrel with the nib in place and start the transmission then slide it into my Delrin tube and "hammer" away, the hole in the Delrin keeps the transmission from going in too far.

Marvin
 
with my luck using a hammer I would have the transmission flush with the end of the blank..

I often hold the blank by hand under the drill press to mill the ends, but this past year, I'm losing some strength in my hand, so now I'll more often set the blank on a piece of wood, and hold it with a pair of channel lock pliers, then mill it on the drill press.

Another thing I don't round the blanks before I drill... I cut the square blank to length, drill it, glue up, mill it and then turn it round.

Also looked like he put a small spacer or something between the bushings... I thought at first he was using the center band as a bushing??
 
ozmandus said:
<snip>
Also looked like he put a small spacer or something between the bushings... I thought at first he was using the center band as a bushing??
Click to expand...

I can't quite tell, it looks to me like he has the centerband glued flush with the end. It was obvious when he put the top and bottom together that the nib end slide quite a way into the centerband. I know when I do a Euro I like to have just a little bit of an overhand of the centerband over the lower section, but not nearly as much as he does. It looks like a very weak attachment.

Steve
 
Quite obviously not the first pen he's made, he's obviously practiced his own technique to its perfection. I'd agree that holding anything with a blade 1/2" from your fingers spinning at 2000 rpm is just a future emergency room visit waiting to happen. If all you have is an old lathe and a hammer, then this wasn't such a bad method. The only problem is I don't have an extra couple of inches on all of my blanks to turn them down like he did:wink:
 
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