Using the lathe as a pen press

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sbwertz

sbwertz

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Phoenix, AZ
It was difficult for my blind students to use a standard lever operated pen press. I had made these wooden mandrels for turning peppermills, and by putting one in the head stock and tail stock they are able to assemble their own pens with only a little help, just by turning the tailstock wheel to press the parts together. It has a #2 morse taper on one end and a one inch tenon on the other that fits in a 1 inch hole on a peppermill blank.
 

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Pressing between centers is the way I assemble all kit pens now. I agree with @Hippie3180 that it gives you much more control. I tried several pen presses and didn't care for any of them.
 
I've got plans for a pen press in a .doc
The picture below and the base plan below.. I think it would work great for students. The pen actually rest on the bottom of the press.
 

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I tried putting the .doc file on here ... it won't work. I could send it to you... PM here if interested.
 
sbwertz said:
It was difficult for my blind students to use a standard lever operated pen press. I had made these wooden mandrels for turning peppermills, and by putting one in the head stock and tail stock they are able to assemble their own pens with only a little help, just by turning the tailstock wheel to press the parts together. It has a #2 morse taper on one end and a one inch tenon on the other that fits in a 1 inch hole on a peppermill blank.
Click to expand...
Very creative... I swear by the lathe-press system. Delivers the perfect tension
 
Nicely done.

When I bought the PSI Commander lathe I use from a kid heading off to college, he'd purchased the pieces from PSI to use his lathe to assemble pens. They were included when I bought him out.

I prefer the pen press, but the lathe option works well. I have a tendency to drop small parts.
 
Woodchipper said:
I bought the parts from Woodcraft for using the lathe. It will work and can be easily controlled by your students.
Click to expand...
I have those woodcraft black plastic pen press parts at home, but found my peppermill mandrels worked better for the blind center. They are larger, shorter and easier to use by touch. Also, at home I only have one of the peppermill mandrels because I only turn on one lathe at a time. At the center I have two because we are sometimes turning peppermills on both lathes at the same time so I already had two of them.
 
I've been using my lathe for years. I just turned a couple of pieces of oak to fit the head and tail stocks. Works for me. And yes a piece of paper towel laying over the lathe bed helps for when I drop parts. And a magnet on a stick helps with the items that roll off the paper towel.
 
sbwertz said:
It was difficult for my blind students to use a standard lever operated pen press.
Click to expand...

I'm sighted, but I have problems with those infernal machines too. The number of times I overshot, the number of times I saw the parts twist out of alignment and needed 3 hands - one for the barrel, one for the transmission, and one to catch the ... too late, the lever sprung back and now I have to start over again.

Using the tailstock quill to apply pressure means I can let go the handwheel and ... and nothing happens. The parts stay exactly as they were. I can straighten whatever is kinked and continue. And I don't overshoot the mark.

I got really lazy, turned a piece of Delrin to fit the headstock, and in the tailstock I use a drill chuck holding a screwdriver by the pointy end, handle against the pen barrel.
 
derekdd said:
Nicely done.

When I bought the PSI Commander lathe I use from a kid heading off to college, he'd purchased the pieces from PSI to use his lathe to assemble pens. They were included when I bought him out.

I prefer the pen press, but the lathe option works well. I have a tendency to
Click to expand...

Woodchipper said:
RDHals, I got a telescoping magnet at Harbor Freight. Paid for itself yesterday.
Click to expand...
Mine has paid for itself a dozen times over LOL. Unfortunately, it doesn't help for that little brass mandrel nut, and it is amazing how far that little sucker can roll!
 
I didn't care for most of the options in my situation. I often do finishing and assembly at home. For finishing, I have a small, underpowered "Pen maker" lathe that's great for CA glue application and wet sanding. I use the shop I'm a member of for dust collection related work. ;-) That micro lathe would be a nightmare to assemble on.

After exploring and trying various alternatives, I'm hands-down happy with the Milescraft pen press. https://milescraft.com/product/penpress/ (a bit less expensive at Amazon).
 
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