Right now I turn two barrel pens on a mandrel with mandrel saver, single barrel pens with bushings no mandrel or between centers. On the the mandrel or with bushings but no mandrel I still verify bushing diameters against the pen parts before I start to get a feel for how close I can go. Once I get there I measure then turn. You get a feel for how much you take off with different materials/tool combinations. I have found once I start measuring I become more conservative and seldom end up removing more than .5mm at a time unless I consciously make an effort to do so.
When using no bushings, I tend to stop earlier and measure more. On weeks I turn 1 Pen, it takes more time. When I turn 2-4 pens a day or a few days back to back, my eye becomes better calibrated.
Have been bitten once by a non-stabilized blank that had a soft band of wood just before I would normally stop. Turning fine, getting closer then the Skew cut much deeper/quicker than it had been when it hit the soft wood. Ended up small on both ends, tear out at center on lower barrel and just right at center on the upper barrel.
That pen became one of my everyday pens.
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