What's new

Pen turning

gpjoe

Slickness is a sickness
The winters are long here, so I'm considering picking up a hobby lathe for wood turning, which I can use to try my hand at creating shaving brush handles, and maybe some fountain and roller-ball pens.

I've got my eye on the Wen 3421, though I see two on the 'zon, one is $170, the other is $238, and I'm unable to determine any notable difference in the tool. One, the lesser expensive model, is labeled "2023 model", though there is no indication if the other (pricier) 3421 model is older or newer.

Anyway, I know nothing about using a lathe. The last time I used one was in high school wood shop 50 years ago, where I turned a bowl for my mom.

Of course, I have questions:

- Cutting tools.

I'll need a set of tools. Any considerations?

- Stock

I see pen kits and I see pen blanks. Any considerations for a beginner?

Will I need a vise and drill press to center and drill the blanks? I don't really want to invest in additional, limited-use tools that aren't strictly necessary.

I'm also thinking, as I progress, of turning corn cobs and briar into smoking pipes...or maybe forgetting the whole thing altogether. 😄😄😄

Any tips or advice?
 
Last edited:
I bought a hobby lathe a few years ago. I also had to buy quite a few other items to get started.
I had to purchase the turning tools of course. Then there was the 3 jaw chuck to hold the work. The live centers to hold the work on the other end. And then something to handle the dust. I was using the basement in my house and dust got everywhere! I ended up building a dust collector to hang from the ceiling. (I already had the motor and plywood, just had to build the box to hold everything including the filter)
I did turn a few pens by using a pen kit and the blanks. You'll need a good dust mask. And a good face mask in case something flies off the lathe. It will happen. Especially when first learning you are more prone to having the turning tools grabbing too much of the wood and having a piece fly off the lathe and possibly hit you.
Since you haven't used a lathe in a while, there are some good videos on you tube. I'll try to remember who I watched and come back and let you know.

I made some really pretty pens to give away as gifts. We have a Woodcrafters store nearby that has a good supply of materials and tools. They also have classes so if you have one nearby that is an idea.

I also got into bowl turning and Christmas ornaments. It is a lot of fun but like most hobbies it can get expensive.
Good luck with your new hobby. I hope you keep us posted as to how it comes along.
 

gpjoe

Slickness is a sickness
I bought a hobby lathe a few years ago. I also had to buy quite a few other items to get started.
I had to purchase the turning tools of course. Then there was the 3 jaw chuck to hold the work. The live centers to hold the work on the other end. And then something to handle the dust. I was using the basement in my house and dust got everywhere! I ended up building a dust collector to hang from the ceiling. (I already had the motor and plywood, just had to build the box to hold everything including the filter)
I did turn a few pens by using a pen kit and the blanks. You'll need a good dust mask. And a good face mask in case something flies off the lathe. It will happen. Especially when first learning you are more prone to having the turning tools grabbing too much of the wood and having a piece fly off the lathe and possibly hit you.
Since you haven't used a lathe in a while, there are some good videos on you tube. I'll try to remember who I watched and come back and let you know.

I made some really pretty pens to give away as gifts. We have a Woodcrafters store nearby that has a good supply of materials and tools. They also have classes so if you have one nearby that is an idea.

I also got into bowl turning and Christmas ornaments. It is a lot of fun but like most hobbies it can get expensive.
Good luck with your new hobby. I hope you keep us posted as to how it comes along.

This is exploratory right now, and my concern is the hidden cost of what I'll absolutely need and not be aware of knowing...I don't want to purchase a $150 lathe only to find out that I need to spend another $300-400 on additional tools and equipment.

Your post is exactly the type of information I seek in order to decide if I want to commit the time and resources.

Thank you. 🙂👍
 
This is exploratory right now, and my concern is the hidden cost of what I'll absolutely need and not be aware of knowing...I don't want to purchase a $150 lathe only to find out that I need to spend another $300-400 on additional tools and equipment.

Your post is exactly the type of information I seek in order to decide if I want to commit the time and resources.

Thank you. 🙂👍
You have Ultimate Pen Designs @Rudy Vey around here perhaps he gives you some pointers :thumbsup:
 

gpjoe

Slickness is a sickness
You have Ultimate Pen Designs @Rudy Vey around here perhaps he gives you some pointers :thumbsup:

Grand idea.

I hesitate to ask the masters about their trade secrets. An example of that is my re-plating exploits. I could use a few pointers from someone like Chris at BRG, but it feels awkward...though I'm guessing Rudy wouldn't mind sharing some basic info with a fellow member. 🙂
 
What's included for the price? Lathe chuck, drill chuck, tools, pen mandrel?
Will the lathe chuck have pen jaws? Not required, but nice. With the right lathe chuck and drill chuck, you should be able to drill the blanks on the lathe. (I normally put my drill chuck in the tailstock, and drive the blank, since my tailstock isn't hollow, but my drive is.)

When squaring and trimming pen blanks (after gluing in the pen tubes), the lathe chuck and a forstner bit works well.

Cutting tools can be chisels or scrapers. Budget lathes often come with chisels, but carbide scrapers with replaceable tips are the current rage. There is a budget set on the 'zon for about 50 bucks, but I'm not sure of the quality; "name brands" are often much more expensive.

I've used wood blanks and acrylic blanks. There are aesthetic differences - it just depends on what result you want. I've blown chunks out of each type by catching an edge, so they're similar in that regard. Acrylic seems to heat up more when drilling or scraping, so a slower approach should be considered.

I've alternated between a regular vise and my lathe bed to press the pens together - never have used a special pen vise. But I did make a set of shallow wooden cups to use in my lathe centers when pressing the pens together.

So, in general...
Lathe
Lathe Chuck with correct threads or an adapter. (WEN says they are 1"x8tpi, which is fairly common.)
Pen jaws or other jaws that can hold the blank. Not all jaws will mount on all chucks; best to stick with one brand.
Drill Chuck with appropriate taper (looks like WEN uses MT-1, others use MT-2)
Pen Mandrel with correct taper for your drive. "7MM" mandrels are most common. Don't be confused; the mandrel bar is actually about 1/4 inch, but they were named for the size of the early slimline pen tubes. (At least, that's the story I've found.)
Cutting tools, as mentioned above; you can spend a little or a lot.
Forstner bits.
Finishing goods. Sand paper, micro mesh, polish, etc. CA glue works as a finish on wood; I've used RainX on acrylic.

Of course, you'll also need...
Pen kit (prices are all over, depending on type)
Pen blank, or make your own blanks from scrap wood
Bushings, to mount the pen blanks on the mandrel. Bushing kit has to match pen kit, but some pens use the same bushings.
Drill bits to match the pen kit. Kits often call for metric bits or sizes in thirty seconds or sixty fourths.

I think that covers it. Feel free to ask for clarification, or I'll add anything else that comes to mind.
 

duke762

Rose to the occasion
StlEd, what a great reply! Very informative! I haven't used a wood lathe in 52 years but of course, I've been watching youtube video's of turning and loving it.

Since I'm cheap, and don't own a wood lathe, I may try something small on a metal lathe at work, that I've used every day for many years. Transferable skills I hope. I've been making razor scales on a Bridgeport vertical mill. Using it to get raw material to thickness. If I can adopt metalworking machines, to pen turning, I'm all in.

I would absolutely love to have a lathe of my own......Let's tell the truth here, I'd absolutely love to have my own machine shop also. In all practicality, it's better for me to do things at work. I'm really going to miss the availability of machine time when or if I ever retire.
 

gpjoe

Slickness is a sickness
What's included for the price? Lathe chuck, drill chuck, tools, pen mandrel?
Will the lathe chuck have pen jaws? Not required, but nice. With the right lathe chuck and drill chuck, you should be able to drill the blanks on the lathe. (I normally put my drill chuck in the tailstock, and drive the blank, since my tailstock isn't hollow, but my drive is.)

When squaring and trimming pen blanks (after gluing in the pen tubes), the lathe chuck and a forstner bit works well.

Cutting tools can be chisels or scrapers. Budget lathes often come with chisels, but carbide scrapers with replaceable tips are the current rage. There is a budget set on the 'zon for about 50 bucks, but I'm not sure of the quality; "name brands" are often much more expensive.

I've used wood blanks and acrylic blanks. There are aesthetic differences - it just depends on what result you want. I've blown chunks out of each type by catching an edge, so they're similar in that regard. Acrylic seems to heat up more when drilling or scraping, so a slower approach should be considered.

I've alternated between a regular vise and my lathe bed to press the pens together - never have used a special pen vise. But I did make a set of shallow wooden cups to use in my lathe centers when pressing the pens together.

So, in general...
Lathe
Lathe Chuck with correct threads or an adapter. (WEN says they are 1"x8tpi, which is fairly common.)
Pen jaws or other jaws that can hold the blank. Not all jaws will mount on all chucks; best to stick with one brand.
Drill Chuck with appropriate taper (looks like WEN uses MT-1, others use MT-2)
Pen Mandrel with correct taper for your drive. "7MM" mandrels are most common. Don't be confused; the mandrel bar is actually about 1/4 inch, but they were named for the size of the early slimline pen tubes. (At least, that's the story I've found.)
Cutting tools, as mentioned above; you can spend a little or a lot.
Forstner bits.
Finishing goods. Sand paper, micro mesh, polish, etc. CA glue works as a finish on wood; I've used RainX on acrylic.

Of course, you'll also need...
Pen kit (prices are all over, depending on type)
Pen blank, or make your own blanks from scrap wood
Bushings, to mount the pen blanks on the mandrel. Bushing kit has to match pen kit, but some pens use the same bushings.
Drill bits to match the pen kit. Kits often call for metric bits or sizes in thirty seconds or sixty fourths.

I think that covers it. Feel free to ask for clarification, or I'll add anything else that comes to mind.

Just saw this. I'm taking a screen shot for future reference. Thank you for the detailed response. 🙂👍
 
This is my opinion based on my experience, so YMMV. You can certainly turn a pen on a small lathe with minimal accessories/tools.

There are drawbacks to the carbide tipped lathe tools. The big bonus is that you don't need to spend money on a system to sharpen lathe tools and you don't have to worry about learning to sharpen them. You don't need a chuck to turn a pen either. You can get a pen mandrel that matches your morse taper, or threads onto your headstock. with MT1 and 1"x8 headstock, I would recommend the threaded variety. My first lathe was MT1 and I had to replace all of my stuff when I got a new lathe that was MT2. You might still have issues with matching threads if you ever upgrade a lathe, but it's less likely.

You don't need a pen vise or drill press to drill your pen blanks. You can just use bigger blanks and drill them with a hand drill. I prefer to use the cutters to square and trim the pen blanks before turning which can also be done, carefully, with a hand drill. Just clamp your pen blank and don't be in a hurry.

You don't need any fancy blanks to make pens either. I've made some beautiful pens from branches I found after a big wind storm. I just picked up large branches and turned them until they were round. I left them to dry for a while then used them as pen blanks later. Some of them cracked, but I didn't care because they were free. You might be able to do the same with firewood too. Beeswax is a great finish and it's cheap. CA glue is also great finish and cheap. Just be careful applying CA glue with cotton. Cotton will react and get hot enough to smoke. I'm not sure if it will get hot enough to catch fire, but I wouldn't be surprised.

To answer your question, yes you can get into pen turning on a budget. It might be frustrating to do with minimal tools/equipment. I would suggest saving and buying a chuck with pen jaws and tools/equipment to do the job correctly. Your health and safety is more important that trying to save money. Maybe look for a used drill press, or find someone that has one that you can use to drill a stack of blanks.

It can't be stressed enough to use a mask and eye protection. As you already know, wood dust and acrylic are bad for eyes and lungs as it is. Some of the exotic woods add another level of nastiness that you don't want to mess with. I have had some close calls because I didn't feel like putting on PPE out of stubborness and laziness.
 
It CAN be done on the cheap. To everyone's dismay, I have turned plenty of pens without a lathe. It can be done with a drill press and pen mandrel... though I don't use lathe tools I use a belt sander to rough in the blank after drilling the hole, then course sandpaper while it spins in the drill press.

The lathe way is easier and "more proper," but I've made beautiful pens without a lathe. There's usually more than one way to skin a cat. Just don't use wood gouges intended to be used with a lathe on a drill press. Number 1, that's extremely dangerous. Number 2, the bearings of a drill press aren't designed to handle side to side torque and will fail eventually.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I haven’t read all the posts but I did check to see if Rudy Vey had commented. I’m pretty sure Rudy started out turning pens. I’d PM him and ask for his advice.
 
Top Bottom