Newbie back with more questions.....

[Matthew Martin]

Hey again guys and gals....

I'm still waiting on my lathe and all my other goodies to get here. In the meantime I have been considering what I wanted to use on my first pen. I'm going to try my hand on the bolt action pen kit from Penn St Ind. So here are my two questions.

How hard is it to turn deer antler? I have access to quite a bit and thought it would be cool with the kit. Any suggestions?

Secondly, how difficult is acrylic? I've watched a video from Woodcraft that shows the gentleman using a 3/4" gouge. Is it necessary to have larger size tools working acrylic?


More questions to come later.:D

[Matthew Martin]

Next question....What speeds do you normally turn at? Does the speed depend on the wood hardness?

[Prashun Patel]

Speed does not for me depend on wood hardness. It depends on size and balance of blank.

[Gary Max]

If these are questions

Start with a plain slim line----cherry would be a good wood. After you have made several basic pens then try something more fancy. There are skills you need to learn-----How to use a skew ----sanding----finishing.

[Scott Hackler]

Gary is right about starting with the basics. You have ot spend the time at the lathe to familiarize yourself with how things work. Acrylics aren't reall difficult, just different. Kinda brittle at times, so going slow is key. And NO you don't need to turn a pen with a 3/4" spindle gouge. In fact I wouldn't suggest it at all. A 3/8 spindle or bowl gouge works great. The skew is a great tool IF you have the patience to learn it and mind it's characteristics. I don't like using them for anything other than a scraper!

[Tim Leiter]

I turn quite a lot of deer antler and in my opinion it turns a lot easier than plastics. Turns better than wood, normally, and also sands very well. I try to drill the antler in a way to show a part of the exterior of the antler when I am done turning and sanding. Kind of like drilling the antler at an angle or near a natural curve of the antler. It looks more like real antler and sells better than just the plain ivory colored pen body. I use white tailed deer antler only on the bullet/cartridge and the bolt action bullet/cartridge pens. Great sellers and I charge a premium when I use the antler. Great sellers.
Just be aware of the smell, it is godawful. :eek: I use a 1/2" spindle gouge for roughing and a 1/2" versa chisel (kind of like a skew) for final shaping of the antler.

[Matthew Martin]

Again...Thanks for the answers. I have a 3/8" spindle gouge, 1/8" parting tool and a 1/2" oval skew on the way. Seemed like a good basic set to start out with.

Next question....I have several black locust trees on my property and I'm constantly picking up dead limbs. I also have some large cedar trees that have dead limbs and some pecan trees that I have to keep trimmed.

Will the dead limbs be "turnable"? How difficult will it be to dry the pecan so that it doesn't split? (Maybe this question should have it's own thread)

[Jim Burr]

Really start with something simple. If you need blanks...let me know. Most people on SMC don't like/turn pens so keep that in mind. For all pens, faster the better...1800 to 3000 without a problem. Antler is hard as a rock and stinks worse than a jock strap. If you don't have sharp tools...don't turn pens! Get your time in on a slimline...send them to Pen's for Soldiers on IAP and then have a lash at the easy stuff.

[Matthew Martin]

Haha....so do I need to look elsewhere for advice:p. I plan on branching out when I get better and try some bowls and such. This did look to be one of the more active boards that I came across.

[Tim Boger]

Haha....so do I need to look elsewhere for advice:p. I plan on branching out when I get better and try some bowls and such. This did look to be one of the more active boards that I came across.

Hi Matt ..... you'll get all the advice and then some here. If you want to check out some very specific pen turning folks try this link. (penturners.org)

Tim

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree to start with simple pens and wood like maple, cherry, walnut until you've got the hang of it. I did a couple of bolt actions and they are a little harder and critical to get right.

[Thomas Canfield]

Haha....so do I need to look elsewhere for advice:p. I plan on branching out when I get better and try some bowls and such. This did look to be one of the more active boards that I came across.

Matthew,

If you are starting from scratch with no experience at all, then I would definitely recommend starting with some plain spindle work using 2x2 scrap material to learn some about the cutting action of the tools. That is a cheap way to learnn some of the basics. It is easy to toss pine 2x2 with catches instead of worring about the cost of the expensive blanks. The same argument applies to getting started turning bowls. The best help is getting in a turning club and finding a mentor or two to help you get off to a good start. You can also get some help determining what tools to start with and add as your progress.

[Brian Brown]

I have turned exactly one pen from antler. I disagree with Jim. It does not smell "worse than a Jockstrap". It smells much much worse than "worse than a jockstrap". It even smells worse than a jockstrap if the jock strap is on a rotting animal carcass sitting atop a pile of fresh wet manure. I nearly tossed my cookies turning it. In case you missed it, that stuff stinks. Looks nice though. Did I mention the smell?

As for the acrylic, I have only turned it few times. Different than wood, but not terribly difficult. It can be a little chippy so keep your tools sharp. Drilling the blanks is a different story. They like to split. Heat is the enemy. Drill a short distance, and back out to clear the flutes. It can be helpful to drill with a smaller bit like a forstner, then move up to the larger final bit. a relatively small heat buildup will melt the acrylic causing the shavings to stick in the flutes. More heat, a little pressure from the bit, and crack, usually followed by some colorful language.

As for tools, the spindle gouge works well. You should try to learn a skew too. For years, I thought a skew was only good for a doorstop, or to play mumblypeg. My wife got me a nice skew for my birthday last year so I felt the need to try to learn how to use it. I am definitely not a master, but I can make so many cuts with one tool now that used to take 3 or 4. I am really liking it, and am going to practice more. It can be an infuriating tool at first, but stick with it. It is worth it. Good luck, and ask your wife to hide your wallet.