CHawkins Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Seeing all the nice work that folks have done turning pens, and some combining scrolling with it got my to wondering. I kow I would need a mini lathe, but which one? where to get it and the supplies you need to make the pens...? Quote
Lucky2 Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 What I use for small turnings like pens is a mini lathe, and all that I paid for it was $89.00, and that was four years ago. It isn't a top quality or brand name one but it works fine. My father uses it more then I do and he uses it allot. So as far as I'm concerned what you could do is buy a mini lathe off of e-bay for around $150-$200. That way you don't have a lot invested into something that you might not enjoy. And the other good thing about it is it gives you something to learn on, and if you enjoy it then you could buy a more expensive or larger one. And as for the supplies, you can obtain them most anywhere that sells speciality items for woodworking, like Lee Valley or Rockler. And there are places that are allot cheaper then those two, but they're all I can think of right now. But I am sure that other members that do more turning than me could hook you up with a cheaper supplier. Len Quote
Lucky2 Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 CHawkins, another nice thing about the mini lathe that I mentioned in my previous post, is that you can take it on the road with yourself. I have taken mine on trips where I knew that there wasn't going to be anything that I would be interested in doing. That was to my daughter last year, she and her mother were going to be doing a lot of running around to get things for her new house, then they were going to be doing a lot of sewing, and fiddling with things around the house. So my daughter knew that I would be bored to death si she suggested that I bring it. It was great to have it along with me, I would use it outside so that there was no mess in the house. I used it at the pic-nic table, and had a few visitors drop in to see what I was up to. They all thought it was great to have something like that to take on trips. I showed a couple of fellows how to make a pen and then we went to Lee Valley and they bought a few pen sets and blanks to turn a pen for themselves. They all did fine, and were very pleased with the finished product. Ever since then they have been very helpful to my daughter, which is great because she is all alone and on her own in the city. They all ask when I will be back, and want to know if I'll be brining my lathe. She tells them I'll be bringing my lathe and probably myscrollsaw also, so now their all waiting to use the scrollsaw also.lol There was one or two of the men who enjoyed the lathe so much that they went out and bought their own and took some classes on how to ue them properly. I know I ramble on at times, I'm sorry for that, next time I'll try to be less talkative.lol Len Quote
WolfmoonCT Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 I currently use an older Delta full size lathe. I belive it's a 12" diamater max with 36" between spindles. Next year I'm gonna replace it with a small midi lathe. Probably the Turncrafter Commander from PSI. It's a single pully and variable speed and goes from 150 - 4000 rpm. And it's still a 12" so I can turn bowls if I want to. Quote
Travis Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 LOL...you're looking at an expensive hobby. I wish I knew before I started dabbling. But its also a lot of fun. I bought a Jet 1014VS. It was a little spendy, but I knew I probably wouldn't have to replace it unless I go to a full size lathe (and even then, I'd still keep it for small projects). I'm really happy with it, even though I really haven't had time to put it through the paces. As far as other equipment for pen turning: [*:889gyykq]You'll be needing turning chizels. I bought mine at Harbor Freight on sale for $30 for a set of 6 or so (Use their coupon to get it cheap). They're not awesome chizels, but pretty good for the price. Besides, I can replace the chizels one at a time with quality as I need them. (http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-hi ... 47066.html)[*:889gyykq]You'll need a way to sharpen your tools. You'll need a 8 or 6" grinder with a soft stone. (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... eels?Args=)[*:889gyykq]You'll need a grinding jig. I bought the Wolverine Jig which is really nice. (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... skew?Args=) [*:889gyykq]One way of avoiding the whole sharpening setup is by going with replacable tip carbide tools. I have my eye on the Easy Pen Turner (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... tool?Args=). I think Clayton has one of these, so he might be able to tell you more about it. I wish I would have gone this route instead of investing a few hundred dollars in sharpening setup.[*:889gyykq]For penmaking, I'd just buy a starter set. It includes a drill bit, barrel trimmer, epoxy, finish, wood, and pen kit. (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... e_number=1)[*:889gyykq]You'll also need a drill press. I've seen some folks drill their blanks without one. If you don't have one, you can buy accessories for your lathe to turn it into a drill press. Here's a couple resources that will help you get going: [*:889gyykq]A video on basic penturning instructions - [*:889gyykq]Penn State Industries Catalog - The specialize in pen turning. They're a little expensive, but have nice stuff. (http://www.pennstateind.com/catalog_req ... rm-new.php)[*:889gyykq]Woodturner's Catalog (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... uest?Args=)[*:889gyykq]Wood N Whimsies - They carry most of the stuff Penn State Industries does, but at a much cheaper rate. (http://www.woodnwhimsies.com/)[*:889gyykq]International Association of Penturners - A great forum on pen turning. Lots of innovative ideas. (http://www.penturners.org/) Quote
Travis Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Penn State also has all-inclusive kits (lathe with penturning starting kits). I think Clayton has one of these, perhaps he can weigh in on if it is a good deal or not. http://www.pennstateind.com/store/mini-lathes.html Quote
Clayton717 Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 I bought one of the turning sets from PSI. It came with the variable speed lathe(turncrafter pro), turning tools, pen mandrel, enough pen supplies to make 5 each pens and pencils(slimline). I think at the time I paid $ 280 for all. I used the lathe for about a year before selling it to a friend and upgrading to the Jet 1014VS. The PSI lathe worked great and I had no problems with it, my friend still using it and has had no problems. Overall it was a good lathe for the money. I bought the Jet for a little better quaility and a few options the PSI didn't have. And the fact I was turning a lot more than I thought when I first bought the PSI lathe. As far as supplies now I buy most of my stuff from http://www.woodnwhimsies.com , they are a reseller for PSI brands but cheaper. I use my belt/disk sander to sharpen my tools(cheap set from harbor freight) but work great. It's a fun hobby but it does involve a good chunk of change to get started. Quote
Dan Posted June 15, 2011 Report Posted June 15, 2011 I have a PSI Turncrafter mini lathe. It's not bad but it's louder than the Jet or Delta but for the price, it's a good deal. Some folks bought the one that Harbor Freight sells. It's under $200 (I think). The one thing I suggest is to get one that has a #2 Morse taper. There are more accessories available for the #2 than a #1. I use to drill the blanks on the drill press, but found it a lot easier and faster to use the lathe. That said, you would need a chuck that will hold the blank and a chuck for the drill bit. PSI sells a chuck specially designed to hold pen blanks, but for the extra money, I got a Nova G3 chuck because some day I plan to do bowls. Harbor Freight sells a decent drill chuck for about $10. There are all sorts of tools for assembling pens too. I just use a Quick Grip clamp and it works for me. You will need either a disc sander or a pen mill (which I prefer most of the time) to square the ends of the blank. After a close call, I also use a face shield. I never had anything hit me, but I sent a small bowl over my shoulder, stopped the lathe, and went right to the store and bought the face shield. I bought a new set of chisels and a grinder and jigs for sharpening. I've been eyeing the EWT carbide tool for a while. I decided to give it a got. WOW what a difference. First, I haven't had to sharpen a tool in over two months (no sharpening of the carbide tool required). If you use the right bit, it will speed the turning process tremendously and provide a very smooth finish which reduces the amount of sanding. Good luck sorting through all the info everyone is providing. Dan Quote
Clayton717 Posted June 15, 2011 Report Posted June 15, 2011 The replaceable carbide cutter tools are great. Mine saves me lots of headaches on sharpening. Especially doing acrylic or antler. I bought mine from a guy from I.A.P(international association of penturners). Here is a link to his website. http://www.woodchuck-tools.com . He sells the replacement cutters cheaper than the major pen suppliers and his tool is very nice. The tool is called the woodchuck pen pro. I used to use my drill press to press the pens together when I started (saved me $40), If your going to be drilling on a drill press I would suggest a pen drilling vise. Quote
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