What tool do you use for pen turning?

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Don Farr

Don Farr

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
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134
Location
Dallas, Ga.
I have been in and out of the hobby for years. Mostly health problem have kept me away from my shop. Well, after a successful hand operation back in May I am at it again. I have purchased several high end tools for my bowl lathe but always used a cheap gouge for the pens. What would be a good choice for pens only?
It's been so long I feel like a newbie again lol.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
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Most people have an assortment of Skews, spindle gauges, bowl gauges, paring tools.
I have found that when turning pen I use A homemade carbide cutter with a 2" radius similar to EWT, an EWT small round cutter, a 1" skew, a 1/4" skew and a paring tool. I also have 3 nova chucks with assorted jaws including the pen drill jaw, A few mandrels and 60 deg centers for the in between center turning.

If you are very good with the spindle gauge than that's all you need, I have friend in Utah that all he uses is a spindle gauge and he's a master turner that tours the country teaching how to turn (although he didn't have much with me).

Hope this helps, but truth being said, all you you need is the will, because I know a guy that makes miniature spindles with a 1" chisel.
 
For pens and other small items I use the $60 Harbor Freight set I bought 8 years ago when I started turning. For bowls etc I use a lot of other, and much more expensive tools including carbide EWT.
 
Easy Wood Tools carbide tools here as well. I use the round, square, radius, and diamond. I can get the surface very smooth with them and start sanding with 400 grit.

I've used skews and gouges, but the carbide are a lot less hassle in my opinion.
 
Souths1der said:
Easy Wood Tools carbide tools here as well. I use the round, square, radius, and diamond. I can get the surface very smooth with them and start sanding with 400 grit.

I've used skews and gouges, but the carbide are a lot less hassle in my opinion.
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Same here. I use an EWT square rougher for about 75% of the turning down to round, then switch to a round EWT for final shaping. I can use traditional tools, but as said above, it's not worth the hassle and has no bearing on the end product.
 
Turning Tools

I use the Carter and Son Toolworks roughing gouge and 1/2 spindle. These are not the cheap import tools but have a 20 year warranty, made in the USA.
 
If you are a bowl turner, you have skews and gouges. Those still work well.

I use Hunter cup carbide to rough chippy acrylics, but skew still feels good.

I have carbide tools too, but use what feels comfortable to the hands.
 
I use carbide cutters (EWT) in this order. Use the round cutter for roughing. The narrow bite does a great job of taking off the corners. Continue with the round cutter until the blank is round. When round, switch to the 2" radius cutter. This will give you a very smooth surface. These are probably the only two cutters that you will ever need for pens.
 
Hmm you guys have me questioning my plans. I was thinking of getting my grinder set up with a proper sharpening jig but maybe I should just invest in carbide.
 
Like you, I've been away for many years and just coming back. I used to use gouges and skewes.
Invested in Captain Eddie's carbide setup. I've only done a few since coming back but I find the carbide to work well with no hassle of having to re-sharpen
every so often. I think the results are the same. In the end it's all in the finishing.
 
I use bowl gouges from start to finish on both wood and plastics. Laid on their side, like you do across the bottom of a bowl, you can make hair thick shavings leaving a surface you can start sanding with 320 / 400.
 
Curly said:
I use bowl gouges from start to finish on both wood and plastics. Laid on their side, like you do across the bottom of a bowl, you can make hair thick shavings leaving a surface you can start sanding with 320 / 400.
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For the uninitiated who wish to look up this exact procedure and learn it ... it is called "Shear Scraping". :)
 
sschering said:
Hmm you guys have me questioning my plans. I was thinking of getting my grinder set up with a proper sharpening jig but maybe I should just invest in carbide.
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I like using my HSS tools (roughing gouge, spindle gouge, skew). Keep em sharp with Rikon 8" Bench Grinder with a OneWay Wolverine Sharpening jig. Gives me connsistent Sharp tools that are a pleasure to use.
 
Thank you to everyone that replied. Right now I have information overload. :confused: I have been reading about the new carbide cutters but didn't realize that there were so many different cutters.
I never thought about using one of my Ellsworth on a pen.
My biggest complaint with what I use now is keeping it sharp. I do have the sharpping jig but I hate to stop so many times.
I believe I will check into the carbide a bit more. Anymore help will be welcomed.
 
I almost always use a skew on my pens. Except with really hard materials like some trustone blanks. Those will get the one and only carbide tipped cutter to shape and size them. Only because 30 seconds between sharpenings on the skew got excessive.
 
I was using a 3/4" oval Sorby skew. It worked well, but found it sometimes would pick up a little harmonic I didn't like. I suspect that was due to the oval shape and there being more mass in the middle than on the edges.

Broke down and bought a Thompson 3/4" skew and made my own handle. Harmonic gone, and it's pretty much all I use now. I will get out a carbide tool for some material or for making pieces to replace pen finials.
 
I've used the HSS gouges and they work fine if sharp . I bought all the Ewt tools except the diamond and they are good, but recently I bought the Rockler roughing carbide kit that comes without a handle and made a handle for it and now that's my new favorite!
 
Krudwig said:
I've used the HSS gouges and they work fine if sharp . I bought all the Ewt tools except the diamond and they are good, but recently I bought the Rockler roughing carbide kit that comes without a handle and made a handle for it and now that's my new favorite!
Click to expand...

I noticed that on sale. Does it cut flat like EWT or on a bevel?
 
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