newbie, I`m all in

[john blanchard]

Have been on the other side for awhile, sneak over here once in awhile. Becoming more interested in turning, i have an old delta 1460 lathe that my father got on a trade, it also has a bag full of parts with it and tools. Need advice on what i need for parts to turn pens and bowls. I see on the lee valley site they have pen mandrels and such, also 2 kinds of chucks, oneway and teknatool, which is best. What #mt and headstock threadsize is it,I`m away from the lathe until july, i can take picture of accessories later. Want to order some stuff so it will be there for me when i get back home.

thanks
johnnyinbda

[George Conklin]

Hi John,
Welcome to the spinny side. Wonderful score you have there. I'm sure you have noticed that we have a couple of experienced lathe restorers here and they could probably give you plenty of adivse on your lathe.

[Corey Hallagan]

Welcome John! I had a buddy in grade school that his name was John Blanchard :) To turn pens, you will need a mandrell most importantly to hold the blanks while turning, pen blanks naturally, pen kits, a drill press to drill the blanks out, the proper drill bits to drill out the pen blanks to accept the tubes, Glue to glue in the tubes- either medium CA, Epoxy or Poly Glue, at least a spindle gouge a 3/8 to 1/2 inch. I prefer to use a 3/4 spindle gouge to rough with then finish with a 1/2 spindle gouge. Also a 1/2 to 3/4 inch skew is usefull but not necessary. I have used just a 3/4 spindle gouge. Sand paper and some kind of finish for the pens.
Now on the mandrell and kits. I think it is best to use the mandrell for one manufacturer for that manufactures kits. PSI is what most people start with and most people start with 7mm pen kits and the mandrells from PSI come with 7mm bushings. If I had to do it all over again, i would of started with a Cigar kit, I think they are easier to do than a 7mm slimline right out of the gates. This should give you some ideas. You will also need a Barrel Trimmer for the size pen kits you are turning. Hope this helps. And welcome to the turning forum!
Corey

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Welcome John!

Nice old Delta, looks like you could use it right out of the box...?

I just bought the mandrel kit from Lee Valley, and the trimmer as well as the 7 mm drill, all seem to be good stuff.

Cheers!

[Don Orr]

John, to add to what the others have already provided, which is accurate, the headstock spindle thread is very likely 1" x 8tpi, and both head and tail are probably #2 Morse taper inside. You can probably search Delta sites for specs on that model # or even serial # if you have it to confirm or negate any of this.
Have a great time with this old hunk of iron!

[Keith Burns]

Welcome John ! Great piece of old iron !!:)

[Barry Stratton]

Great piece of old iron! Welcome to the round side! Pens are very addicting. Start out with some inexpensive slimline kits, then move thru the different types. ENJOY!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John I'm sure with a little internet research you can come up with the specs on that machine and buy the appropriate tools! If you go online to PSI you can sign up for and they will send you FREE dvd on pen turning. I got it and now know what to purchase to turn pens. They are on my list of new things to turn. I will buy some products from PSI. I haven't yet but the FREE DVD got my attention!

BTW.......once you are in the vortex......there is no turning back! Relax and enjoy the ride!

[Mark Cothren]

Looks great John!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome John to the vortex. Great piece of iron you have there.

[John Hart]

Woo Hoo! Welcome to the Darkside John!!

[john blanchard]

Welcome John! I had a buddy in grade school that his name was John Blanchard :) To turn pens, you will need a mandrell most importantly to hold the blanks while turning, pen blanks naturally, pen kits, a drill press to drill the blanks out, the proper drill bits to drill out the pen blanks to accept the tubes, Glue to glue in the tubes- either medium CA, Epoxy or Poly Glue, at least a spindle gouge a 3/8 to 1/2 inch. I prefer to use a 3/4 spindle gouge to rough with then finish with a 1/2 spindle gouge. Also a 1/2 to 3/4 inch skew is usefull but not necessary. I have used just a 3/4 spindle gouge. Sand paper and some kind of finish for the pens.
Now on the mandrell and kits. I think it is best to use the mandrell for one manufacturer for that manufactures kits. PSI is what most people start with and most people start with 7mm pen kits and the mandrells from PSI come with 7mm bushings. If I had to do it all over again, i would of started with a Cigar kit, I think they are easier to do than a 7mm slimline right out of the gates. This should give you some ideas. You will also need a Barrel Trimmer for the size pen kits you are turning. Hope this helps. And welcome to the turning forum!
Corey

Thanks for the quick reply, this is a very nice place to hang out. Is a barrel trimmer the same as a pen mill, which is used for to square and trim
a wood blank after the brass sleeve has been glued into the pen body.

[john blanchard]

Welcome John!

Nice old Delta, looks like you could use it right out of the box...?

I just bought the mandrel kit from Lee Valley, and the trimmer as well as the 7 mm drill, all seem to be good stuff.

Cheers!

I enjoy your stories about the dungeon and the tools you have down there, shipping stuff from lee valley to here in bermuda is expensive and we are only 700 miles off the coast of north carolina, can only imagine what it is to japan.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

No, shipping is not cheap, but compared to buying the stuff here, it is much cheaper to pay shipping...... :D

[Mike Ramsey]

Welcome to the fun side John! Great looking lathe!

[Daniel Heine]

I would suggest you purchase pen turning supplies from http://www.woodturningz.com . They sell everythinh that PSI sells, except a lot cheaper. Ryan, the owner, is also very good to deal with.

Good Turning,
Dan Heine

[john blanchard]

Thanks for the quick replys, anyone have a hint on the chucks lee valley sells, how about where to buy new bearings?

[Don Baer]

John,
If you can pull the bearing and take em to any bearing house Listed in the yellow pages they can set you up with what you need at a better price then anywhere else. If you need bearing pullers you can pick up a set from harbor freight. As for the Chucks I don't know.
Opps just read that your in Bermuda. I checked you local phone book and found several electric motor repair shops. They should be able to supply you with bearing.

[Don Baer]

John,
I just checked and you can go online and order any bearing you need from MacMaster-Carr. They will ship them to you and you can use your credit card to pay for them.

[john blanchard]

I am in bermuda right now, here until dec 07, originaly from saint john N.B. canada, working on parts and tools until i get home permanently. Will be home in july, just want to give it a try, not sure if it needs bearings.