Is this a good beginners kit for pen turning?

[Kevin Blunt]

Hello everyone,

My father and I want to try our luck at penturning but have NEVER done anything in this regard. I own a lathe and also bought a mastercraft mini lathe solely for this purpose about a year and a half ago. I am just now getting into the pen thing. Please keep in mind that I am JUST getting started.

I noticed that Busy Bee has a "Deluxe" pen turning kit on sale for 49.99 right now and wondered what else might be needed just to get turning pens. I know there is a pen press. Do you have to have it? I am also aware of a pen blank vise for drilling the hole but wouldn't a regular drill press vise do th esame thing basically? I own a DP vise fwiw. It is a morse taper #1 kit which will fit my Mastercraft lathe. The M-Craft lathe is no hell I realize but it has got to be able to turn pens.

Here is the link.

http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=B2836

Upon looking at the items included in this kit, one item confuses me. What the heck is a leverage stick in a pen turniing kit used for!

Thanks as always for your input folks.

Kevin

[David E Keller]

Not sure about the leverage stick.

I don't know anything about this particular kit, but I don't think I'd go for it. You can order the individual components separately for about the same price. The polishing wax is probably almost worthless, and the kits can be had for less than two bucks a piece on the internet. The pen mill is a necessity, but I'm not sure about the quality of that particular one. It looks like this kit is only for turning slimline pens which is a bit limiting.

You don't need a separate pen press, and you can make one pretty easily. I use my drill press as a pen press. The vice is also not mandatory, and simple shop made versions work just fine. You can actually drill the blanks on your lathe even more accurately if you've got a chuck.

Check out the IAP website for more info than you've ever wanted to know about pen making(penturners.org). You can send me a PM if you have any questions.

[Rich Noterman]

Check out Penn State Woodturning, They have a large collection of pen/pencil supplies and accessories. They also will send you a FREE dvd showing how to turn pens. Prices are good........www.pennstateind.com

[Mark P. Brown]

If the lathe you have has a MT2 chuck the MT1 mandrell will not work. A good mandrell and bushings can be bought at Woodcraft or ordered online.
Mark

[Roger Bullock]

I agree on passing on this kit. Do check out Penn State website and look for their instructions and manuals section. Their catalog has always got a getting started making pens article that is helpful so I'd order the catalog. As a side not I order most of my pen making supplies from Wood Turningz, they sell the same products at a cheaper cost, great guys to deal with to, very helpful. I would start out with slimlines at first and go from there. Wood Turningz has a nicer band that is included in their kits also.

[Robert Parrish]

+ 1 what Rich said. Penn State has a good selection.

[Nigel Tracy]

Hi Kevin,

I bought the Busy Bee kit (well, when it was on sale a bit cheaper). I bought it when I was looking for a pen mill and Lee Valley wanted almost the same amount for one of those as Busy Bee wanted for the whole kit! The mandrel I got runs true, and I use the mill all the time. Since buying it, I've discovered some more suppliers that might have gotten me set up for pen turning for less, but hey, the case is kinda cool since it keeps things where you need them all in the same place.

Overall I'd say it's a decent starter kit for the hardware, but FYI three of the wood blanks were not worth turning IMO--just nothing special, very soft wood.

You might wish to check out the free DVD on pen making that Penn State will ship out (no shipping cost even, and I'm in Canada too. Total charge = $0).

I found it quite good and not biased towards their products, which you might expect...

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DVD.html

Good luck and have fun,

Nigel




Hello everyone,

My father and I want to try our luck at penturning but have NEVER done anything in this regard. I own a lathe and also bought a mastercraft mini lathe solely for this purpose about a year and a half ago. I am just now getting into the pen thing. Please keep in mind that I am JUST getting started.

I noticed that Busy Bee has a "Deluxe" pen turning kit on sale for 49.99 right now and wondered what else might be needed just to get turning pens. I know there is a pen press. Do you have to have it? I am also aware of a pen blank vise for drilling the hole but wouldn't a regular drill press vise do th esame thing basically? I own a DP vise fwiw. It is a morse taper #1 kit which will fit my Mastercraft lathe. The M-Craft lathe is no hell I realize but it has got to be able to turn pens.

Here is the link.

http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=B2836

Upon looking at the items included in this kit, one item confuses me. What the heck is a leverage stick in a pen turniing kit used for!

Thanks as always for your input folks.

Kevin