Ken, you take just 10 minutes per pen??

[Ted Owen]

I'm going to have to improve my times just a tad. This first one--actually a less important pencil in case I screwed up--took nearly two hours. : )

Noah, I know just how you feel.

Best, Ted

[Ken Salisbury]

I'm going to have to improve my times just a tad. This first one--actually a less important pencil in case I screwed up--took nearly two hours. : )

Noah, I know just how you feel.

Best, Ted

I took almost that long on my first one too Ted -- but after you make 500 or so you will get faster :D Keep at it !!

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Yeah, 10 minutes seems amazing...now Ted, get in front of 10 or so people you barely know but admire and respect, and try and do it again. Oh and have each of them tell you how to do it better...all at the same time. :) That is what its like doing it at the picinic. It does get easier and better. We all goofed our first one...and some of us our first two tries.

Noah

[Ted Owen]

Yeah, 10 minutes seems amazing...now Ted, get in front of 10 or so people you barely know but admire and respect, and try and do it again. Oh and have each of them tell you how to do it better...all at the same time. :) That is what its like doing it at the picinic. It does get easier and better. We all goofed our first one...and some of us our first two tries.

Noah

There we go. The second one was much quicker. Of course, it exploded in a million pieces off the brass tube.

Actually, that was kinda fun. Like firecrackers. ;)

Best, Ted

[Terry Hatfield]

LOL....

Ted,

Yup...it doen't take very long to blow one up!!! Really much faster and easier than actually completing the pen.

Sand off the remaining wood and go again. I have many slightly used pen tubes in my collection. :D

Terry

[Ted Owen]

Well, I was having a really good time tonight. My son, age 13, wanted to make a pen for himself, insisting on doing nearly all the work. It's one of the first times we've worked together on something in the workshop.

So we (he) had been turning down the blanks for about 15 minutes when the mandrel came loose from the tail stock. Apparently it got so hot that it melted out the side of the mandrel's indentation. Tail center is fine. I guess the mandrel wasn't designed to be run that long. Or perhaps it was defective, as I think it SHOULD have been designed to run that long.

Now, despite my explanations, he's afraid he broke something of my woodworking stuff. Poor kid. I certainly hope it doesn't turn him off. Put a real damper on a great time.

Maybe I'll call Penn State tomorrow and ask about it.

Best, Ted

[Ted Owen]

A friend with a metal lathe said to come on over and he'd take a look at it. He milled off the melted tip of the mandrel and drilled a new hole. Works like a charm. From now on, I'm using only a LIVE center in the tailstock; no heat buildup at all that way.

Son David is relieved it's repaired and wants to finish his pen tonight.

And once again all is right with the world.

Best, Ted

[dave nichols]

I'll have to try doing some pens again, haven't turned any in a few years but was also doing them in about 10 min. I still have about 50 pen kits in the shop and a new lathe, working on evicting the dog who sleeps under the lathe then I can start turning again. I meant to mention to Ken, at the picnic last week that when I sand the brass tubes I put them on the mandrel 3 at a time and sand them with the lathe running, it's a lot faster than doing them by hand.