Pen making

[Rich Stewart]

My son has expressed an interest in pen making and I'm wondering if you really HAVE to have that pen press that goes for 40 bucks. I have the 7mm mandrel. Beside the pen kit what do I absolutely HAVE to have?

[Jeremiah Jordan]

Get the pen press! I have one, before i was using a deadblow hammer. A drill press withg the pen blank vice is almost a neccessity as well. MAkes life exteremly easy. Good sharp tools helps as well. Wish him good luck!

Jeremiah

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

OK............Here's Bare minimum. You have the mandrell.

For drilling the blank, getting the hole straight through the blank is important. You will need something that holds the blank firmly.

If you don't want to buy 7mm bushings for sizing, you need a GOOD set of calipers to make sure of your outside dimention at the point where hardware mounts. The bushings are about 1-2$,

You need to make sure the ends of the blank are perpendicular to the axis of the tube and flush with the tube ends. Two ways of doing this. 1. use a sanding disc and a square. 2. Buy a pen mill for about $5.

I'm guessing you have gouges/skews, etc. Basically anything can be used to turn one. I saw someone sharpen a screwdriver and use it.

To assemble, you don't have to buy a $40 tool. I started out using a Squeeze clamp that I had, then spent 20.00 for a 1/2 ton arbor press that works quite well.

There are other things you can buy, once he is hooked, that will make things easier.

Bruce

[Jeff Sudmeier]

If you have a drill press, you don't need a pen press. I have made probably 30-40 pens and I have never used a press. They make the assembly easier, but no more accurate, etc.

Just chuck a block of oak in the drill press and away you go! :)

[Jason Christenson]

To assemble pens I use my drill press. I lay a slab of plastic on the table and put a short, plastic handled screwdriver in the chuck to keep from scratching anything. Works like a charm but I'll admit that the drill press I have is ridiculously large and overly accurate. :D

[John Hart]

Yup....I have to second (or third) the Drill Press. That's all I use, and I like the screw driver in the chuck method. It doesn't hurt to make yourself a couple of holding jigs by drilling a hole in a block of wood to hold the piece steady. Some of the more complex pen kits get tricky but for the basic ones....that's where my vote is. Spend your $40 on pen kits!!!:D

[Steve Knowlton]

Ditto The Drill Press, Only I Use A Bolt. For Drilling I Hold My Pieces In A Jorgenson Clamp. I Cut A V In Each Face To Hold Blank. If You Start Pens Be Very Prepared To Get Hooked. Good Luck

[Rich Stewart]

The mandrel came with a drill bit. I was assuming I could put that in my tailstock drill chuck to drill the hole in the blank. Is that correct? I heard somebody talking about a free DVD that PSI puts out but the only one I could find is 20 bucks.

[John Hart]

The mandrel came with a drill bit. I was assuming I could put that in my tailstock drill chuck to drill the hole in the blank. Is that correct? I heard somebody talking about a free DVD that PSI puts out but the only one I could find is 20 bucks.

I vote for the drill press again Rich. Then ensure it is square afterward. I don't really think you'll accomplish any better squareness by doing it on the lathe. In my most humblest opinion of course!!:)

[Richard Gillespie]

The mandrel came with a drill bit. I was assuming I could put that in my tailstock drill chuck to drill the hole in the blank. Is that correct? I heard somebody talking about a free DVD that PSI puts out but the only one I could find is 20 bucks.
If you go to the Penn State Industry home page the free DVD is listed. I got one and for one thing it showed me how to use a skew chisel. Prior to the DVD I was clueless on how to use it. What a difference a little knowledge is.

If you attempt to use your lathe to drill the blanks, how are you going to center your blanks and hold that position during the drilling process? I use a drill press with the blank clamped into position.

[Blake McCully]

If you attempt to use your lathe to drill the blanks, how are you going to center your blanks and hold that position during the drilling process?
If you have a four jaw chuck with the small jaws, in my case #1 jaws, this method will work very well. Of course this will really only work well if your blank is totally square, kinda like me:eek: . I know lots of folks who drill their blanks this way. I've tried it myself, but I found it too slow:( .

Just my $0.02.

[Joe Breid]

I use my bench vise which has wood jaws installed on it. after a number of pens, a hole has formed in one of the jaws that the nib fits into.
I have used a squeese clamp but much prefer the bench vise.

Joe

[Rich Stewart]

Thanks a lot to everybody who helped out. I think I will give it a shot with what I have now. If I like it I may get the fancy stuff.

Thanks again