Well, That Was Fun! 30 Hours/2 weeks

[mark james]

No finished pens to show as these are in the mail to the East Coast.

I had not turned these finals for quite a few months, so some skills had to be relearned.

- Turn the dust collector off when the finial is almost turned off!
- Parting tool needs to be very sharp or the finial goes from 20 segments to 3 very quickly. :frown:
- Even after turning the dust collector off, sweep the shop floor before parting the finial off. :redface::mad-tongue:

30 Hours over 2 weeks.


View in Gallery


View in Gallery

Comments, critique and snide remarks on my relearned skills are welcomed!

 

[Chief TomaToe]

These are great Mark! I'm pretty sure Santa will be bringing me a band saw this year, and I'm going to be giving these a shot. Where do you source your sheets of wood? Do you cut them yourself? I've found some places online that carry veneer, such as Ocooch hardwoods.

 

[Charlie_W]

Mark aka....."Mr. Precision"!

The words, Outstanding and Exquisite, come to mind while looking at your segmenting. I am quite sure they will be well received.
Thanks for the pics of the build....they are icing on the cake!

 

[mark james]

These are great Mark! I'm pretty sure Santa will be bringing me a band saw this year, and I'm going to be giving these a shot. Where do you source your sheets of wood? Do you cut them yourself? I've found some places online that carry veneer, such as Ocooch hardwoods.

Hi Ronnie, this is my source: https://www.dndhardwoodsonline.com/

I'll start with the thin stock, cut into approx 1" x 6" strips. Then run through a Byrnes thickness sander to insure all the strips are the same thickness. e.g., start with .0625", sand to about .060".

Have fun with the new band saw. I'd love one, but still learning how to use what I have

 

[mark james]

Mark aka....."Mr. Precision"!

The words, Outstanding and Exquisite, come to mind while looking at your segmenting. I am quite sure they will be well received.
Thanks for the pics of the build....they are icing on the cake!

Hi Charlie, you are to blame! These are going to your friend. I'm glad he let me turn the finials. My success rate was about 50%, but I had enough material for about 9.

 

[Dalecamino]

Awesome Mark!

 

[magpens]

Amazing work, Mark ... truly amazing !!!! . Thanks for all the pics proving that this can be done !!!! .... and done extremely well with very high precision !!!! . Very truly amazing !!!!

 

[Jim15]

Beautiful work.

 

[KLJ]

very nice thanks for all the how to pictures

 

[rjrotermund]

wow! very nice!

 

[Charlie_W]

Mark aka....."Mr. Precision"!

The words, Outstanding and Exquisite, come to mind while looking at your segmenting. I am quite sure they will be well received.
Thanks for the pics of the build....they are icing on the cake!

Hi Charlie, you are to blame! These are going to your friend. I'm glad he let me turn the finials. My success rate was about 50%, but I had enough material for about 9.

Hey Mark, I thought those might be for that order. I didn't know if that had come to pass or not. Fabulous work!
Next time someone asks where I got those blanks, I will tell them I'm sworn to secrecy!:biggrin:

 

[robutacion]

I can see a great creative mind at work, some very steady hands and the patience of an angle, I reckon your inquisitive mind drives most of these projects and designs, the need to try and know the results is almost uncontrollable something that we all gain from...!

What else can I say, just fascinating results, congrats...!:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George

 

[Aces-High]

Great work Mark! Thanks for all the photos!

 

[Bryguy]

Beautiful work as always. That first warning was a definite Ouch!

 

[mark james]

Next time someone asks where I got those blanks, I will tell them I'm sworn to secrecy!:biggrin:

I was happy to do it. I have gotten several other orders which is nice as long as folks are patient - I recoup for my material costs (very minimal) and the rest is donated to the Visually Impaired Pen Turner Programs. My time is donated, so I'm basically paid to go play in the shop.

I can see a great creative mind at work, some very steady hands and the patience of an angle, I reckon your inquisitive mind drives most of these projects and designs, the need to try and know the results is almost uncontrollable something that we all gain from...!

What else can I say, just fascinating results, congrats...!:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George

Thanks George, Give Merissa a "G'Day" from me.

Great work Mark! Thanks for all the photos!

The pictures document my process, but I'm sure you will agree that that is only a beginning. I have no doubt there are better ways to do this. The hard work is the trial and error to refine your own process. But, yes pictures are a great asset.

Beautiful work as always. That first warning was a definite Ouch!

I'm a slow learner, and the memory is a bit duller than previously. Thank you also.

 

[Lucky2]

Mark, you do amazing work creating these masterpieces, they must be very time consuming to make. I always enjoy seeing what you've come up with, and I am never disappointed with what I see. Thank-you, for sharing so many pictures, I am always amazed with what you come up with.

Len