Finally going to get the lathe

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xmaddchillx

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Joined
Nov 9, 2008
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Boca Raton, FL
So with my tax return being larger than expected I'm going to get a lathe kit for PSI and some micro-mesh pads.

I am so excited I can't wait for the direct deposit to come soon enough! :):):):):)
 
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Keith,

Congratulations! I know that you are excited about getting started. I still haven't forgotten that feeling.

Since you are going to get a PSI lathe, I would recommend looking for one thing in specific - MT2 (Morse Taper #2) - these are the receptacle for many of the lathe add ons such as dead centers, live centers, some mandrels etc . PSI offers a lathe with MT1, and it limits expandability in the future. Of course those (MT1) centers/mandrels are much more limited as far as choice goes too. MT2 also will draw a larger audience if you decide to sell it later.

Here is a link to a PDF file recently uploaded that gives a broad overview of possibilities and directions in pen turning. It does not cover the details, only the many choices and directions possible.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42446
 
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xmaddchillx said:
ah great. should i get this from PSI then?

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PK073SPECX.html
Click to expand...

Some people will say no, others will say yes. It is up to you. With that you will be able to get started quicker and focus on the making of pens for a few days or weeks. It helped me. As in the PDF, there is a multitude of ways to go and do. But for getting started quickly and with bare bones, that kit will help you do that.


A real warning: if you make all of those blanks into pens in two to four weeks, you will quickly see that you will want to move beyond that. The next step will be the need for at least a benchtop drill press, if you don't have already one. Along with that, a blank drilling guide.

These two items will free you up considerably.
 
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I looked at the kit you are considering, and I gotta say that it doesn't look like a bargin to me. The lathe tools will get you started, but you will quickly outgrow them and probably never use them again. Invest in a couple of full size tools and you will be happier in the long run. Slimline kits are cheap, and you can get an assortment of finishes instead of just 40 gold and be happier. You already seem to have a supply of wood, so the blanks are no bargin for you. you will need a mandrel and pen mill, but can get those elsewhere for small money. Glue and sandpaper are also available easily and not expensive. I recommend getting a 2 oz bottle of all 3 types of CA and some accellerator from Monte or somewhere, this will help you glue in tubes, stabilize and repair woods, and finish pens once you get the hang of it. that really leaves the assembly press as the most expensive part of the kit. I've never had one, so I may not know what I'm missing, but for what you end up paying for that one, you can buy yourself a decent drill press (or a good used one if you can find it used). Turn a small press pad to put into the chuck, and put a piece of flat wood on the table, and use that to press pens together, and drill your blanks too. You will need a drill press eventually, might as well get it to start. I will add that I consider a good hardened 60 degree livecenter an absolute necessity to make your mandrell run true. and while you are getting that, get a dead center too. For less than ten bucks, even if you don't eventually turn pen blanks between centers it's usefull to finish between centers or use it to round down irregular blanks to be drilled.

Most of these items can be purchased from members here at or below retail, and if you mention that you are just getting started buying your initial turning kit, will probably come with some freebies to make shopping and turning more fun.

Of course, all this is just my opinions, and may or may not work best for you. Depending on were you are and what tools you have to start with changes what's available. Given that you are here before you even got a lathe, I think a little research will stretch your startup money and get you further than a one size fits all kit.
 
jskeen thank you. I already have a drill press. I do work in a moulding manufacturing shop so I have access to all tools I need besides my own, and plenty of wood =)

I was thinking today about the fact that the starter kit might not be the exact way to go, like you said I really dont need the blanks they send and 40 slimline kits is a little overkill for now. I will post later tonight what I think my initial first purchase will be.
 
My personal opinion is to shop Craigslist or look for sales at Woodcraft. I bought the Jet mini last fall, and I already wish that I had bought the better one with the hand dial for the variable speed control and extra horsepower.

You'll also have better luck, in my opinion, picking out kits that you like from PSI or woodturningz, etc., rather than being stuck with what comes in a kit.

There are also a couple of postings in the classifieds here for cigar kits and slim kits that come with pre-drilled tubes and blanks. At least I think they are still open.

As for turning tools, all you need to get started is a good gouge, a skew, and a small parting tool. Learn to use the skew on some throw-away blanks posted between the centers. It's not nearly as hard as advertised and once you learn it you will use it all the time.
 
Well i put a package together at PSI and it came out to more than the starter set. I might just get the starter set and use those slimlines for practice. I figured I can always buy new tools later on that are a better quality. I gotta learn first which is the major problem and reading all the articles/books I want don't account for actual experience
 
xmaddchillx said:
Well i put a package together at PSI and it came out to more than the starter set. I might just get the starter set and use those slimlines for practice. I figured I can always buy new tools later on that are a better quality. I gotta learn first which is the major problem and reading all the articles/books I want don't account for actual experience
Click to expand...

For where I am now, I agree with what most of the responses said. However, When I had started out with nothing, and all of the choices available, I would have run the price way up. And I would not have been able to get started so quickly without my kit.

I don't use any of the original chisels from my original order now, but they did help me get started and showed me what I needed and did not need. Same with others items. It was a good start.
 
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