Small Birthday gloat

[Roger Chandler]

Well, we had to go to my wife's family reunion this weekend [just got back an hour or so ago] and also got to see a number of my own relatives, as my aunt who celebrated her 75th birthday on the same day as mine, got a surprise party in her honor as well.

On the way down, stopped by the WoodCraft store in Roanoke..........wife said get something you want. I am currently working on some of the Stonewall Jackson wood.........we are having to cut down some of the pieces for some smaller items as some of the wood has cracked because of this very hot weather we have been having the last couple of weeks..........

Never turned a pen before, but thought it might be a good thing to look into, as sometimes smaller pieces can be made into a useful pen.............so..................here is some of the haul for my birthday.....I have more to go, but this will get me started on the pens..........

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This is a pen vise, a pen press and 5 slimline kits, a 7mm drill for the pen blanks and a full set of pen mills for trimming the blanks to square with the tubes, some extra bushings for the mandrel, a Pen mandrel with #2 morse taper and some corks for some bottle stoppers [I got 15 chrome stopper kits from PSI last week] and of course, while I was there a new band saw blade for my 14" band saw.

Now............just need to learn how to use all these! :o Did get Rex and Kip's DVD back in July, so off to the races, I guess. Did I miss anything to get started? I have numerous finishes already on hand.

Once I learn how to do these pens.........I can expand my turning to other styles as well as the slimline.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Happy Birthday Roger!!

[Tim Thiebaut]

Happy Birthday Roger!! And congrats on all the new goodies you have there!! I think I am going to be trying some pens myself here soon, I know my extended family would love them.

[ray hampton]

Happy Birthday Roger

[Steve Vaughan]

Happy, happy birthday to ya there Roger! Looks like you had a wonderful day!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Roger,
Happy Birthday and many more health ones. A visit to Woodcraft shows you have a wonderful and understanding wife. Enjoy the toys.
faust

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Pens are fun, fast, relatively cheap and the receipients LOVE them in my experience. Great choice.

[charlie knighton]

happy birthday Roger, nice gloat

[Roger Chandler]

happy birthday Roger, nice gloat

Thanks Charlie...........as I was passing through Martinsville area, I was thinking that I wish I had time to look you up. Time constraints were big on me this weekend, but hopefully one day we will be able to have a "creeker visit," even though we met one another at the symposium last fall.

[Roger Chandler]

thanks for all the well wishes everybody..........I appreciate them........much! :)

[John Keeton]

Happy Birthday, and congratulations on the self indulgence!!;) Looks like the vortex just took another detour!!

[Roger Chandler]

Happy Birthday, and congratulations on the self indulgence!!;) Looks like the vortex just took another detour!!

Thanks John......you know what........I was really ambivalent about getting pen making equipment.........I only took this step because of all the wood that comes from that historic Stonewall Jackson Prayer tree, and I want to make sure I do my level best to be a good steward of it to the degree that I am capable of.

Making a pen is something that I would like to learn to do, but I do not see it as a serious part of my turning in the future, other than making some from this wood, and perhaps as a gift from time to time............

I am having a time just getting back into making bowls, etc..........I somehow got my attention on hollow forms, and gave one to my mother.........she said............"what do you do with this?" I told her ......"it is art mom, you display it" she said "oh" .....she had no problem understanding the nice big cherry bowl I gave her...........I think she likes functional vs. art...:D ....I might have to get back to functional things more! :rolleyes:;):D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Happy Birthday Roger and congrats.

[David E Keller]

Happy birthday, Roger! Looks like you got the essentials to do pens. I've never had much use for the pen press, and I don't own a vice for drilling... Homemade doo-dads fill both of those voids for me. As for the kits, I actually think slimlines are a bit tougher than some of the beefier kit styles, but you'll be fine with them.

[Rick Markham]

Happy Birthday Roger! It looks like a fantastic haul as well :)

[Ed Morgano]

Happy Birthday Roger and many more.

[Kathy Marshall]

Happy Birthday Roger! and a nice birthday haul too!
Pens are good projects if you just need a quick turning fix, they also make great gifts, and they're a good way to use up those small scraps of nice wood! The slimlines are the only ones I've done so far, I keep meaning to try some other styles but once the hf bug bit, pens went on the back burner. If you decide to turn more pens, try Woodturningz their prices are great, I think they're about $2 for the slimline kits, and they're sevice is excellent!

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks for the well wishes, Bernie,David,Rick,Ed and Kathy.........good info also Kathy....I will look into Woodturningz.

[Donny Lawson]

Happy Birthday. Pens are fun and can be made in so many ways,especially the slimlines. Check out youtube.com and you can watch penturning all day or most any kind of woodturning.

[Roger Chandler]

Happy Birthday. Pens are fun and can be made in so many ways,especially the slimlines. Check out youtube.com and you can watch penturning all day or most any kind of woodturning.

Thanks for the info Donny!