My second pen

[George Heatherly]

This is the second pen I have turned. It is cherry from the cut off pile. I might have called it my first pen, since the first attempt ended up with the wood splitting away from the the brass tubes.

I'm finding turning in general to be a challange, but I'm strongly hooked. Anyway, I did want to post a picture and this is the most recent thing I've made.

46288

[Corey Hallagan]

Looking good George. Nice shape. Slimlines really aren't that easy to turn in my opinion for beginners. You did good. Practice is the key. Turn as much scrap as you can just to learn the tools and how they work. I learn something everything time I turn. Often I turn just little spindley scraps down to nothing just working on turning technique etc.and I also sometimes use these little turnings to practice different pen finishes. It really helps and will make you more comfortable with the tools and all. Including the evil skew! Keep them coming George.

Corey

[Barry Stratton]

Looking good George....better than my second that's for sure! FWIW, I'm still waiting for turning to get "easy"!!!! Keep those pics and posts coming.

[Brett Baldwin]

Nice pen George. When things fly apart on the lathe, I'm told that's known as a "radical design change". I had a couple of those myself this weekend as I experimented with my first lathe as well.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nice pen George! Keep at it! It may not come easy but you'll soon find yourself able to smile at disasters!:D

[George Conklin]

Looking good George. Nice shape. Slimlines really aren't that easy to turn in my opinion for beginners. You did good. Practice is the key. Turn as much scrap as you can just to learn the tools and how they work. I learn something everything time I turn. Often I turn just little spindley scraps down to nothing just working on turning technique etc.and I also sometimes use these little turnings to practice different pen finishes. It really helps and will make you more comfortable with the tools and all. Including the evil skew! Keep them coming George.

Corey

Some excellent advise from our beloved pen master:) .

Nicely done, George. It is an excellent feeling, isn't it?

Like Corey said. Keep them coming:) .

[John Hart]

Nicely Done George. Yep....They don't call it an addiction fer nuthin'.;)

[Tim Beauregard]

Addictive, isn't it?

I have made close to 40 pens now and still have difficulty getting the ends flush to the center ring. Sometimes too high, sometimes too low. But more often they are getting closer.

Great hobby!

Regards,
Tim B.

[Ed Breen]

I sometimes think, for me, turning is like fishing.
Its addictive, and the fun is not always in the catch but in the doing.
I guess I'm addicted to flying chips and curls.
Ed

[Frank Kobilsek]

George, Nice shape for a first successful pen.

Tim, High is better than low. Use a caliper or micrometer and pick a target about .010 bigger than the bushing. Write it down. Get as close as you can. Write down the actual. Then sand and judge the fit. After awhile you'll be able to tell with your fingers but at first finding that height (diameter) to stop turning can be a challenge. Softer woods a bit bigger, harder wood a bit smaller. If you have made 40 pens you are getting aweful close to conquering the beast. Then the next 200 are alot of fun.

Careful, my biggest mistake after I got comfortable turning the pens was not paying attention during assembly and ruining pens by forgetting the clip or other parts. They are not meant to come apart after assembly.

Frank

[Ernie Nyvall]

Looks like you are coming along fine George. Keep it up.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Very nice pen George. Keep'em coming.

[Corey Hallagan]

George, chucked up a mandrel with a nice blank for a Sierra tonight and she came apart in several pieces after roughting it down aways. Culprit was dry sections on the tube... not enough glue coverage. Live and learn!

corey

[George Heatherly]

George, chucked up a mandrel with a nice blank for a Sierra tonight and she came apart in several pieces after roughting it down aways. Culprit was dry sections on the tube... not enough glue coverage. Live and learn!

corey

That is the same thing I found. I had used a small amount of glue, expecting that it would be spread when the tube was pushed/twisted into the blank. I was nearing final diameter when it spilt almost exactly in half. I was able to see just how much of the surface had not been glued.

A nice thing about pen turning is that there is no real expense to a failure like this, I just had to reach back into the cut-off box. I was not happy when my first bowl went flying across the shop!

George

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Looks like you did a nice job there, George.

To keep from having "Blowout" which is a term I use for what you described, when using CA, I first check that the tube slides easily through the blank (actually, it's ok if it falls out when dropped in vertically, before gluing), then put a liberal amount of CA on the tube. I insert and withdraw the tube while twisting it in one end of the blank. Next, I flip the blank over and do the same thing in the other end. (This gets a good coating of the glue everywhere on both the tube and the inside of the blank.) Finally, press the tube in till it is flush with one end and let it cure. Use excellerater, if you want. Using this method has really cut down on my blowouts..................less than 3 in a 100. All types of wood included.

Obviously, this is done quickly! You don't want to have the tube get stuck halfway in!

Just the way I do it. I know other do differently.

Bruce

[Brian Clevenger]

Nice looking pen. It gets addictive pretty quick.

I'm also a newbie to the turning world, because of the Rockler deal on the JET vs. I've turned about ten pens now, and have only had a couple of blow-outs. I've been using super-glue, because it was around, and I am cheap. I plan to get some CA the next time I'm at Rockler.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but the only tool I've used for pens was the 1" skew. Should I use the gouge. I've had good results with the skew and have been reluctant to do it different. It is also easier for me to sharpen.... I think.

I need some pointers on posting pics. The pens I've turned look good to me and the family/friends though. I wish I had a market to sell a couple, so I could keep buying kits to make more pens. It is about the most fun I have in the shop, and gets me out of the "honey-do" flatwork burden.

[George Franklis]

I've been using super-glue, because it was around, and I am cheap. I plan to get some CA the next time I'm at Rockler.

Super Glue is just a brand name for CA glue. Same with Crazy Glue, and all the others like it.