RKB
Member
5" Blank lengths seem to be a 'normal size', yet I am finding that some of the newer pen kits are taking blanks longer than 2.5". I was wondering why 5" for blanks?
Why is 5" Blank length so popular?
- Thread starter RKB
- Start date
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
monophoto
Member
Not sure I understand the question.
Pens intended to be carried around for everyday use tend to be around 5" long. Sure, there are longer 'desk' pens, but they are not nearly as popular today as they were 50+ years ago when offices were larger and featured real desks. Desk pens were mainly decorative, and the cubicles that most office workers inhabit today are far more utilitarian and have little room for decoration.
And there are also specialty nib-holders that are often longer than 5" that are not made from kits. Nib holders are used by caligraphers, so are more akin to desk pens.
So there are two possible answers to this question:
1. If the pen is going to max out at around 5", then a 5" blank provides enough material to make the body of the pen allowing for finials, nibs and other machined metal components. Therefore, buying 5" blanks means that any blank can be used for any pen, even those where the turned portion is shorter than 5". After all, a pen blank isn't a lot of wood, and if there is an inch or two left over, it's not a lot of waste. And if a pen only needs half a blank, then the other half can be used in a second pen.
2. Some pen turners make their own blanks rather than buying them, and they have the freedom to make the blank whatever length they want.
Pens intended to be carried around for everyday use tend to be around 5" long. Sure, there are longer 'desk' pens, but they are not nearly as popular today as they were 50+ years ago when offices were larger and featured real desks. Desk pens were mainly decorative, and the cubicles that most office workers inhabit today are far more utilitarian and have little room for decoration.
And there are also specialty nib-holders that are often longer than 5" that are not made from kits. Nib holders are used by caligraphers, so are more akin to desk pens.
So there are two possible answers to this question:
1. If the pen is going to max out at around 5", then a 5" blank provides enough material to make the body of the pen allowing for finials, nibs and other machined metal components. Therefore, buying 5" blanks means that any blank can be used for any pen, even those where the turned portion is shorter than 5". After all, a pen blank isn't a lot of wood, and if there is an inch or two left over, it's not a lot of waste. And if a pen only needs half a blank, then the other half can be used in a second pen.
2. Some pen turners make their own blanks rather than buying them, and they have the freedom to make the blank whatever length they want.
Last edited:
For two barrel pens, 5" typically is enough material to make both the top and bottom barrel from the same blank.
fernhills
Member
If you are making a upper and lower barrel pen and it is going to be segmented then 5" may be enough or then maybe not. I just finished today a checkered pen , I started with two blanks at 5 1/4" and said to myself that should be plenty incase I mess up a couple of sections,,,ehhh I had just enough after I discarded one segment that I messed up on the bandsaw. I was lucky.
Todd in PA
Member
I knowingly ordered gaboon ebony blanks that were 3/4" x 4" on Amazon, 5 for $7.99. It might barely be enough for the Atrax kits I have, but wouldn't be long enough for the Jr series. Of course I plan to use this wood for segmenting rather than making full pens.
RKB
Member
I was looking at single barrel pens and the EDC Click Pen Kit single barrel is 2.65", Everyday Classic Click Pen Kit single barrel is 3.1" and I am sure there are other single barrel pen kits that take blanks over 2.5", so being a bit Dutch, I like to get 2 barrels out of 1 blank.
MRDucks2
Member
I looked at this quite a bit before beginning to process wood and cast blanks for sale. In the end, I settled on 5-1/4" for my standard size because it covered a wider variety of getting 2 blanks out of 1 for the shorter blanked kits. Sometimes I can't get all the blanks out of a piece of wood at least 5-1/4" but I still have them available. I have also had requests for longer blanks.
I believe 5" is just what a lot of the mass producers settled on and many makers simply follow suit.
I believe 5" is just what a lot of the mass producers settled on and many makers simply follow suit.
monophoto
Member
The hardwood dealer near me has a 'shorts' bin where he unloads odds and ends of various timbers at prices that are discounted from the normal 'per board foot' rate. He also sells pre-cut pen blanks.
On a $/board foot basis, pre-cut pen blanks are very expensive, while shop-made blanks cut from scraps purchased from that 'shorts bin' are the least expensive.
greenacres2
Member
I've wondered if someone at the USPS (United States Postal Service, for our non-USA friends) was a woodturner. The small flat rate box is perfect for 20 blanks at 5" x 3/4", and the medium and large boxes seem perfectly sized for bowl and pepper mill blanks. It's like the box designers actually sell wood, and maybe helped firm up the "standard" sizes!!
If i'm cutting my own pen blanks, i'm mostly squaring at 3/4", but rip the length at whatever it is--cutting off what i need for a pen. When i buy Diamondcast from McKenzie, i normally buy his 9" kitless blanks--which yield 3 tubes, often with room to spare--i can do a Jr series plus a 3" single and still have a segment piece that is well over an inch long. I think those are 0.70" in diameter, so the 12.5 mm bore for the upper section has to be centered--but not a problem there.
earl
If i'm cutting my own pen blanks, i'm mostly squaring at 3/4", but rip the length at whatever it is--cutting off what i need for a pen. When i buy Diamondcast from McKenzie, i normally buy his 9" kitless blanks--which yield 3 tubes, often with room to spare--i can do a Jr series plus a 3" single and still have a segment piece that is well over an inch long. I think those are 0.70" in diameter, so the 12.5 mm bore for the upper section has to be centered--but not a problem there.
earl
As I see it, the reason for the 5" blank length is largely historical. . I think that IT IS NOW TIME FOR A CHANGE TO 6" LONG BLANKS.
5" long blanks are barely adequate for making two single-barrel pens . . .
. . . based on the usual "yardstick" of a Sierra, Gatsby, or Wall Street III TWIST pen kit, all of which have a finished barrel length of 2.20"
If you want to make two of the CLICK versions of those pen kits (finished barrel length of 2.42") . . .
. . . you might not have enough length in a 5" long blank, depending on your saw kerf, and your accuracy when you cut the blank.
To get two of THOSE pens, the "standard" should have been a blank length of no less than 5 1/4" and preferrably 5 1/2".
Today, however, many of the more recently designed pen kits have barrel lengths of greater than 2.5".
So, I would strongly suggest that the "standard" pen blank length should now be increased to 6" or even 6 1/2"
Some manufacturers of blanks do use the 6" length as their standard for what they make . . . thinking of . . . LeeValley . com
Many blank vendors are just resellers, so they have no control . . . the real onus for change is on the original manufacturers .
As "kitless" pen-making becomes more popular, many of the smaller blank manufacturers do offer 7 1/2" - 9" long blanks.
As with everything else . . . only the buyers can force manufacturers to provide longer blanks .
5" long blanks are barely adequate for making two single-barrel pens . . .
. . . based on the usual "yardstick" of a Sierra, Gatsby, or Wall Street III TWIST pen kit, all of which have a finished barrel length of 2.20"
If you want to make two of the CLICK versions of those pen kits (finished barrel length of 2.42") . . .
. . . you might not have enough length in a 5" long blank, depending on your saw kerf, and your accuracy when you cut the blank.
To get two of THOSE pens, the "standard" should have been a blank length of no less than 5 1/4" and preferrably 5 1/2".
Today, however, many of the more recently designed pen kits have barrel lengths of greater than 2.5".
So, I would strongly suggest that the "standard" pen blank length should now be increased to 6" or even 6 1/2"
Some manufacturers of blanks do use the 6" length as their standard for what they make . . . thinking of . . . LeeValley . com
Many blank vendors are just resellers, so they have no control . . . the real onus for change is on the original manufacturers .
As "kitless" pen-making becomes more popular, many of the smaller blank manufacturers do offer 7 1/2" - 9" long blanks.
As with everything else . . . only the buyers can force manufacturers to provide longer blanks .
sorcerertd
Member
I completely agree!
West Penn Hardwoods blanks are typically 6" except for the Aussie burls, which are 5. There may be other ones less than 6", but it will list the sizes clearly on their site. I buy most of my blanks there, but I also am lucky enough to be within an hour drive from them so I can pick out my own blanks from the warehouse.
hokie
Member
Amen brotha! I've been sizing my blanks to 6" almost as soon as I started breaking down my own lumber. I *rarely* buy blanks less than 6" unless it is spectacular wood I'm willing to limit myself with.
For kit pens that would use almost every millimeter of a 5" blank, it's nice to have the wiggle room on a larger blank. For me though, I kinda knew I wanted to get into wooden kitless pretty quickly, so 6" was pretty necessary.
penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,036
-> I just want to commend the people above for their excellent responses. Great question. Great responses!
P.S.:
For solid woods, I buy the ends of boards and cut my own pen blanks at a significant savings compared with buying precut pen blanks.
True Confession:
I am still a sucker for "specialty" pen blanks, like the ones that glow in the dark, or come from ancient submerged wood, or have embedded money or coffee beans or whatever, or have some special pedigree (e.g., Bethlehem), etc. I can't help it.
P.S.:
For solid woods, I buy the ends of boards and cut my own pen blanks at a significant savings compared with buying precut pen blanks.
True Confession:
I am still a sucker for "specialty" pen blanks, like the ones that glow in the dark, or come from ancient submerged wood, or have embedded money or coffee beans or whatever, or have some special pedigree (e.g., Bethlehem), etc. I can't help it.
MRDucks2
Member
When I first got into this I acquired wood and immediately cut it into blanks. I soon realized that even for stock I got only for blanks, I was better off leaving it large until I knew specifically what the need was. Even my blank stock that I cut to dry I cut oversized and leave as long as possible.
ed4copies
Local Chapter Manager
Interesting topic!!!
Please go here and vote on your favorite length:
THANKS!!
Ed
Please go here and vote on your favorite length:
What length would you prefer?
A recent thread discusses the desire for 6" blanks. So, since we buy a lot of blanks, this is important to me. Please take a few moments and "vote" and give comments. This WILL have an effect on the products we offer. One note: commercial acrylic will take a LONG time to change, so I am...
www.penturners.org
THANKS!!
Ed
penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,036
Like @MRDucks2, I leave the boards as boards until I need a blank. When I need a blank, I cut out just the blank I need. To reduce waste, I use a bandsaw or a hand saw, whichever is more convenient at the time. I have a few "L" shaped boards in the shop, where you can see that they donated pen blanks.
The rest of the board is still available for woodworking, scroll saw, or woodturning projects (including additional pens as needed).
RunnerVince
Member
Just want to add that many pen kits have some flexibility as to the required barrel length. For example, any two-barrel pen where you press the transmission into the lower barrel has some wiggle room. The transmission can be pressed in farther (for example, if you messed up the tube and recut the replacement slightly longer) or not as far (for example, if you accidentally shortened the barrel when squaring the blank). There are of course limits, particularly with a shorter-than-factory barrel (you have to be able to press the transmission in a certain amount to ensure it stays put).
All that is to say that you can sometimes make a pen with less material than than the total lenght of the barrel tubes. If you start with a 5" blank and have two tubes of 2.5" each, you may still be able to make it work, despite the length you'll lose to the saw kerf and squaring of the ends. Most importantly, this often has no effect on the end customer.
The downside is that this messes up the proportions and overall length of the finished pen. In many cases, this is no big deal, or you can even out the proportions by taking an equal amount off the lenght of the upper barrel, provided you leave enough room for the length of the ink refill.
If it's a cheap kit and blank (say, a slimline with a walnut blank), it may not be worth it to you. For me, I can usually find a use for a less-than-perfect finished pen, even if the components and blank aren't "the nicest." Personal use, donation to a good cause, gift to someone who doesn't know any better/doesn't care, display pen, etc. And of course, the more I've spent on the components and blank, the more likely I'm going to want to save it.
All that is to say that you can sometimes make a pen with less material than than the total lenght of the barrel tubes. If you start with a 5" blank and have two tubes of 2.5" each, you may still be able to make it work, despite the length you'll lose to the saw kerf and squaring of the ends. Most importantly, this often has no effect on the end customer.
The downside is that this messes up the proportions and overall length of the finished pen. In many cases, this is no big deal, or you can even out the proportions by taking an equal amount off the lenght of the upper barrel, provided you leave enough room for the length of the ink refill.
If it's a cheap kit and blank (say, a slimline with a walnut blank), it may not be worth it to you. For me, I can usually find a use for a less-than-perfect finished pen, even if the components and blank aren't "the nicest." Personal use, donation to a good cause, gift to someone who doesn't know any better/doesn't care, display pen, etc. And of course, the more I've spent on the components and blank, the more likely I'm going to want to save it.