Supply question

[Jimbo1943]

I know this has probably been asked a million times BUT do most of you order pen kit or make your own kits? If you make your own kit where do you get you parts?

 

[jttheclockman]

99% use kits. For kitless info look for threads that have words kitless or bespoken pens in them.

 

[Jimbo1943]

99% use kits. For kitless info look for threads that have words kitless or bespoken pens in them.

Where is best place to by kits? I been ordering from Penn State. But need to buy set of bushings for every different pen.

 

[jttheclockman]

Every vendor listed here is great. They may be redealers of PSI kits or have some Dayacom kits which are the very best on the market hands down. Then there are vendors that are copying and making clones of various kits and put different center bands or clips on them and call them new kits and they sell them. Do not ask what kits are best because you will get 5000 answers from 50 people. You have to make the decision of what type kit fits your needs weather for sale or for give aways. The price range in kits usually tell the story as to quality. In the library there is a list of vendors. I will try to find for you. As I said they all will be good vendors and no one is better than another. They all have pros and cons to them. You need to go through their wares and choose what you want and do your homework. You can do a search here for the millions of threads that talk about pen kits and maybe you can get some useful info from them so Good luck. These are my opinions.

https://www.penturners.org/resources/world-wide-pen-suppliers.286/

https://www.penturners.org/threads/which-pen-suppliers-do-you-purchase-pen-kits-from.168454/

Here is another survey that was taken and shows the various thoughts. No one answer fits all.

https://www.penturners.org/threads/which-kind-of-kits-do-you-prefer-to-turn.169829/

 

[Bats]

I know this has probably been asked a million times BUT do most of you order pen kit or make your own kits? If you make your own kit where do you get you parts?

John already mentioned the kitless/bespoke route, which is definitely the advanced class. I've also made kit pens from scratch (all except the damn clips - never quite got the hang of those), but that was more an exercise in "can I do it?" than anything anyone would actually suggest making a habit of.

Where is best place to by kits? I been ordering from Penn State.

"Best" is an open question - and probably one with a lot of complicated and highly personal answers (the place with the best prices may not have the best quality, the one with the best selection may have lousy customer service, and then there's that one that you don't really like much at all, but is the only one who stocks your favorite kit) but PSI (who you've already dealt with), Berea Hardwoods, and Craft Supplies USA are three of the biggest names - the brick & mortar chains like Rockler & Woodcraft tend to resell kits from one or more of these (although they often change the names, and occasionally offer different platings). I tend to do a lot of my shopping at Woodturningz or Exotic Blanks. Turner's Warehouse and Lazerlinez have some high quality kits that aren't available elsewhere (including some of the very few domestically made kits). And then there are all the Asian sellers.

There's a poll you can take a look at for some idea of popularity:

Which Pen Suppliers do you Purchase Pen Kits from?

Current Suppliers Chart Here. Revised 2-1-2023 NOTICE: IF YOU ADD OR CHANGE A VOTE YOU MUST RE-ENTER ALL PREVIOUS VOTES! Many members ask the simple question, Which Pen Suppliers do you Purchase from? Added points below 5-7-2022 Here are some things you should consider, when choosing a kit...

www.penturners.org

But need to buy set of bushings for every different pen.

Changing vendors isn't going to help you with that one. The only way you'll get away from buying bushings is to either make your own, or start looking into TBC (Turning Between Centers) - both of which take a little getting used to, but aren't particularly difficult - although in either case you'll need a micrometer or some good calipers (dial or digital will save you a lot of squinting).

 

[jttheclockman]

Where is best place to by kits? I been ordering from Penn State. But need to buy set of bushings for every different pen.

If you are a bushing user I highly suggest buy bushings for the kits you use.

 

[Bats]

Oops... Looks like John beat me to my answer by about a minute.

 

[jttheclockman]

Oops... Looks like John beat me to my answer by about a minute.

I type faster. 25 words per hour.

 

[Bats]

I type faster. 25 words per hour.

I get distracted faster.

 

[flairwoodworks]

I started turning pen from kits (1 kit yields 1 pen). Then I realized that many kits use the same sizes of tubes, so two or more kits could be combined to create a different look. I eventually started sorting my bushings by compatible tube size and used calipers to confirm which bushings to use.

Making a pen without a kit requires many more skills. I can make clips, but they ain't pretty so far!

I have a satirical resume that includes:

• Types 80 words per minute, or 35 words per minute left-handed while eating fried chicken and chips with right hand.

 

[penicillin]

Some people here buy pen kits and supplies in sufficient quantities that shipping is relatively small in comparison to overall costs. Not me.

I buy most of my pen kits at the local Rockler store, to save money on shipping. Many of the pen kits are also sold by Penn State. Penn State has items that form a set with the pen kits at Rockler, such as a matching pencil kit or other platings that work with the bushings I have, so every once in a while I put together a sufficiently sized order from Penn State.

The cost of bushings is not small compared with pen kits, so I try to buy pen kits that work with the families of bushings that I already own. Every once in a while, you must bite the bullet and buy a special pen kit and the matching bushings to make the perfect gift.

The pen kits that I buy from Rockler and Penn State are not the finest, best quality pen kits, but they are good enough for my needs. Many of the sellers here at Penturners.org sell far better kits for a far better value. If it weren't for quantity and shipping costs, I would buy everything from them. Really.

 

[leehljp]

I started turning pen from kits (1 kit yields 1 pen). Then I realized that many kits use the same sizes of tubes, so two or more kits could be combined to create a different look. I eventually started sorting my bushings by compatible tube size and used calipers to confirm which bushings to use.
Making a pen without a kit requires many more skills.

1. Excellent summary above.
2. As mentioned - Calipers or micrometers for sizing; DO NOT use the bushing outside diameter for sizing.
3. Another excellent summary:

"But need to buy set of bushings for every different pen." Changing vendors isn't going to help you with that one. The only way you'll get away from buying bushings is to either make your own, or start looking into TBC (Turning Between Centers) - both of which take a little getting used to, but aren't particularly difficult

This whole thread and each person's response is excellent! This thread link is going into my notes.