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Bighead

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I know this is going to seem like a silly question, and I haven't found another topic about it (maybe I'm looking in the wrong area). But what do I need to get started making pens? I know the lathe, blanks, kits. But what else? What is the CA that keeps being brought up, and the different finishes and stuff? Thanks for the help, and if it has already been discussed please just point me in the right direction. Thanks!
 
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If you're married, a very understanding spouse. It really can be an addiction- it's surprising how much time and money has gone into my (almost) 1st year turning pens. The great thing is, there are so many variations- in finishing, in stabilizing, in form, in materials for blanks, in kit varieties....... It can go on and on. You mention the lathe, blanks, and kits. You'll also need sanding supplies (finding out about abralon, abranet, and micromesh early is a big plus), a way to center drill your blanks (usually a drill press with a minimum 2 5/8" stroke and some sort of vise, from the basic $10.00 hardwood blank holder @ woodcraft to the top of the line Paul Huffman Self Centering vise) and a variety of skews, gouges, and scrapers (depending on who you ask). CA- cyanoacroylite glue (sp?), also known as super glue or crazy glue- useful for both gluing tubes into barrels as well as a key component of one of the favorite finishing techniques. Also, frequent repeat doses of IAP- the information you'll absorb here is priceless. Good luck!!

Originally posted by Bighead
<br />I know this is going to seem like a silly question, and I haven't found another topic about it (maybe I'm looking in the wrong area). But what do I need to get started making pens? I know the lathe, blanks, kits. But what else? What is the CA that keeps being brought up, and the different finishes and stuff? Thanks for the help, and if it has already been discussed please just point me in the right direction. Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
I haven't bought anything yet, just trying to figure out what exactly I should to get the most out of my money. I already now which lathe, and that's about it. What should I do about the tools/chucks/whatever else?
 
I looked at another post you made to try to get an idea of you esperience, background.
YOu mentioned "wood working" in general.
Since I try to do things as inexpensively as possible, my anwer woul d be much different than those who prefer to buy materials and tools /jigs rather than make them.
What tools do you have in yur shop now?
There are those that would say a bandsaw is necessary to cut your blanks.You can buy blanks precut AND drilled for certain kits.
THere is a set of chisels available from HF for $35.00.I bought an even less expensive set from HF for $12.00
Many will say you need a grinder to sharpen your chisels, I Use a diamond stone most of the time but have 2 grinders and a belt sander.
One thing I will suggest is that you start with more than one mandrel and work multiple pens at one time.
You can buy or make a lot of what you need but I have not found any place that sells patience.
When it comes to finishing, you will need a lot of that.
Working more than one pen at a time provides you the luxury of not "rushing" to the next step.
 
Hi Eric!

Welcome! I'm glad that Lyle answered a lot of your questions above. Also, Eagle has some great advice! To just sit down and tell you everything would be overwhelming! And a lot of the stuff is expensive, unless you know what to look for. So my advice is to start out simple. The $35 set of tools from Harbor Freight is a great bunch of tools. If you eventually need something better, then you can buy it then. Two complete mandrel set-ups is also a good idea. Barrel trimmers (pen mill) are nice. Start with a simple finish, such as a friction polish (Mylands, Crystal Coat, Shellawax, etc.). Buy a bunch of cheap kits, and get a bunch of cheap blanks, and turn, turn, turn! Everything else will come together in time. Good Luck, and have fun!

Scott.
 
Check this thread too...

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=11859

From it...

Things you may need (or just plain nice to have **) :
bandsaw**
drill press
vise
drill bits
pen kits
glue (CA, epoxy, gorilla glue)
barrel trimmer
lathe
mandrel
bushings
skew, roughing gouge, parting tool
face shield
dust mask
dust collector**
sandpaper (various grits + MicroMesh)
sanding sealer
finish (your choice: CA, FP, Enduro, Lacquer, etc)
pen press
grinder & jigs**

A lot of these you can live without (**).

Handtools: You can get a set or just buy each piece. I only use skew, roughing gouge and parting tool in pen turning. I am still using the cheap HarborFreight 8 pc HSS set (bought for $25.00 2 years ago). Benjamin's Best seems to have good reviews and are priced reasonably.

On Drill bits...take it from me...buy the set that AS or CSUSA sells and save yourself a ton of money in the long run.

EDIT in: A cheaper option is the 135 piece HSS drill bit set from HarborFreight 135 pc HF Drill Bits set

Check Berea...I like a lot of their kits. You will be better off buying the accessories direct from them...but for kits you might get better deal from Bill Baumbeck at Arizona Silhouette. I think BB charges more for the bushings, mandrels, drill bits, etc.

CSUSA also have nice kits (my favorites)...especially their high end ones.

Other suppliers worth cheking are Beartoothwoods and Woodturningz

Klingspor stearate sandpaper is my favorite. Klingspor
Micromesh is cheapest at WoodChips


Good luck and welcome to the madness [}:)]
 
Originally posted by Bighead
<br />I haven't bought anything yet, just trying to figure out what exactly I should to get the most out of my money. I already now which lathe, and that's about it. What should I do about the tools/chucks/whatever else?
Click to expand...

You have done the first wise thing, joining this forum and/or others similar. Contact PSI http://www.psiwoodworking.com/
and ask for their FREE pen turning video. It isn't the best available but it is pretty good. It will clear a lot of the fog and help you understand what we are talking about here. Get all the catalogs and read them <b></b>VERY CAREFULLY <b></b>. Then order some basics and you will be off and running. And broke. [:0][:D]
 
Alright, thank you all for the help and places to get started. I'll start off at all these different places and we'll see where it goes. Thanks a bunch and hopefully I'll be posting about my pens shortly!
 
The video Frank was talking about is located here http://www.pennstateind.com/store/_free-dvd.html

Like he said it's not the best but at the total cost of $0.00 it's hard to beat.

Something else you might do is go to the different supplier websites and look for the instruction sheets for the different kits. They don't really answer a lot of questions but could answer some of them plus they may help you come up with even more questions.

I guess I should say welcome to the undoing of everything normal in your life. Something else you might try is to see if there is any pen turning classes that you might could take. Ususally they are a few hours one night. When the class is finished you have a pen you made and a source for more answers.
 
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