Pen Press

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Toni

Toni

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Joined
Feb 23, 2010
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Phenix City, Alabama
Not sure where to post this and I did do a search on the forum:tongue:

Can I please get input on Pen Presses:

Do I need one?
Where to get one from?
Does it make a huge difference when putting a pen together?

sorry I know diddly squat about them, dh puts my pens together:tongue::tongue:

Thank you for your help!!!
 
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I have the commercial version from woodcraft (I think most of them are pretty much the same). One of the best things i even bought for the shop. Handy as sliced bread! I have mine attached to the wall, and slightly modded. I removed the handscrew and replaced it with a longer bolt with a small pair of vice grips as a handle. I also turned a wood sleeve to go over the metal end of the press. It is attached to the wall in such a fashion that all i have to do to open the press further is unscrew the hold down. The little mods, and attaching it to the wall make it super handy for pressing pens. Takes seconds to press a whole pen.
 
They are handy to have. But other things can be modified to work. I use my drill press with an insert and plate made from corian. A vise or other type of clamp will work.
 
IF dh puts your pens together why do you need one at all?
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Because he uses some large hammer and blocks to put them together, I dont watch!!! Thought maybe I should buy one for him as a gift, SWMBO do by gifts for there slaves:biggrin:

The Red Sox are losing to the Yankees :eek:
and you have a dh putting your pens together :biggrin:
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Lenny~first off what makes you think I would know that, we only have 3 tv channels!! Second I am a hockey fan. Baseball is way to tame:biggrin: havent watched baseball since Reggie Jackson:cowboy:

Do you recommend getting a pen press??
 
Second the drill press idea. I just use a piece of hard maple that has a bolt gorilla glued to it. I put the bolt in the chuck of my drill press and then put another piece of hard maple on the table and press away.
 
Do you have any kind of wood clamp or any type of clamp. Even a "C" clamp would be better than beating on them or a pipe clamp. Eeek just dont be smacking them around they are too nice for that.

Has he ever damaged one? What does he say when he did? LOL Pen? What pen, you didn't give me a pen.
 
Has he ever damaged one? What does he say when he did? LOL Pen? What pen, you didn't give me a pen.
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I know we have a C clamp somewhere!! Hasnt damaged one, oh wait he did bash a slimeline tube but my work survived...LOL
 
It was suggested to me to get an arbor press from harbor freight. I used the 20% off coupon and was out the door for $28 bucks. Got home and put a pen together and it works like a dream, steady and smooth with power and control. I highly recommend it.
 
cschimmel thank you!! I think they ship here(will have to check) does the press do ALL the pen Kits??

Lenny~not saying anything to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
well, if you have any kind of clamp around the house try it. But, if you are going to actually buy something, I would suggest you buy something that is actually intended to act as a press, rather than something that is intended to act as a clamp. Reason being, a press usually adjusts from one length to another relatively quickly. A clamp or vise usually needs to be wound all the way from one size to the other, and this is not always quick or convenient. I use a drill press, but this is only because I already had two, so one is usually convenient to get to, even in my shop. It is relatively simple to modify a woodworking clamp to work well, but again, you usually need to have a couple of thousand dollars worth of tools to make a substitute for a $45 dollar pen press.

All that being said, the two most common solutions for the non woodworker are the harbor freight arbor press or a purpose made press from one of the pen suppliers.

Of course, if you had a good friend somewhere who already has the tools and supplies lying around, and is going to be sending a package your way soon, you might be able to talk them into putting something together for you. :)
 
What is flat rate from here to there, I would pick you one up and put it in the mail if flat rate boxes are a possibility.
Just let me know. I could even use a 20% off coupon for you.

Toni said:
its the double duty I am worried about....LOL clamp the kids together...etc....
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I use one of these type clamps . They have padded jaws to protect the parts and they adjust quickly and easily and the squeeze grip gives very fine control of the pressure for pressing in the parts . I have 2 real pen presses but reach for this most of the time . They are available at most home centers and hardware stores and cost about $20 .
 

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I use the Psi pen press but I know that guy that taught me used a wooden on that I like better I can draw up some plans and post them
 
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in a word yes, pen presses are very handy, just go slow when putting the mechanism in so as not to go to far, (very easy to do) just keep checking as you go. I agree with the hammer comment! Eeeek!!

Jennifer
 
It was one of the first things I bought when I started and although they were not cheap it has come in so handy and I use it heaps.

Cheers Ian
 
I made my own using a piece of plywood and a horizontal toggle clamp. It cost less than $20.
Before this I tried a vice, a C clamp, and a QuickGrip clamp. The pen vice is well worth the money. Make sure it is quickly adjustable.
As soon as I find my camera, I will post a pick of the one I made.

Darrin
 
I have used my 'wood workers' bench vice since the beginning. I bought a set of the leather pads that AS sells and stuck them on the jaws. It has worked very well for me.

The one time I tried to use one of the dedicated 'pen vices' I cracked the tube. Go figure...
 
Thank you for all your suggetions, photos and comments. This post has put me in a rather LARGE doghouse:frown: Can I just make it clear that my husband doesnt hit it with a hammer. Its something bigger and uses clothes to cover the pen parts, he has NEVER broken a pen or damaged one(not sure that will get me out of the doghouse, but he is pissed) as you can see its not just the guys that go in the doghouse and we had a hard frost last night and I REALLY want to get out of it. He wont put a pen together for me now:frown::frown:
 
Butch has the right idea. Irwin mini quik clamp is sold around the world for less than $10. It has many great uses in the woodshop, weighs less than a pound to ship, and IMHO does a better job than most of the "pen presses" out there.

Another thought is parrallel clamps. These work better than anything else as the control is precise. They are, however, a bit pricey.
 
Thanks Andy!! most of his tools are in a storage container that is filled to the brim with our stuff as the houses in N.Z. are 1/4 of the size of a house in the USA...Lucky we got a house with a 3 car garage, thats where my studio is...tooo cold to be in there now!!!
 
Toni said:
I second that!! Now you see why I dont watch.

No Drill press either
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I actually use the hammer and blocks.. plastic hammer and semi hard
wood. (I didn't just type that, did I?) I put a piece of cloth over the
metal parts to protect it from the hammer, but the wood has enough
give in it so that a few gentle taps of the hammer will press the parts
together nicely. (you can probably press them halfway with just your
hands, anyway)
 
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