Pens on a "big" lathe? Help.

[Chris Yarish]

Can a standard size lathe be used for making pens, or are they better suited to the mini lathes? My lathe is a General 160 (16" swing, 44" bed length

I am a beginner and will likely need to pick up a book to show me how it's all done....but what will I need to get going? Lee Valley lists all sorts of Mandrels etc. but I can't quite figure out the things I will need vs the things that will collect dust.

[Steven Wilson]

A large lathe works very well for making pens and other small items.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Chris....You can turn small things on big lathes......You can't without difficulty turn big things on small lathes.

To turn pens, you'll need a mandrell. You'll need someway to cut the blanks. You'll need someway to drill the blank. You can assemble them without an assembly press but it sure is handy.You will need either epoxy or CA to glue the tubes into the blanks. Finish......

I use my regular tools..primarily the skew for turning pens. One might be able to use a small 1/4" spindle gouge.

That would be about it for me.

[George Heatherly]

You might need a smaller tool rest than the one standard one that comes with a large lathe. I don't feel like I can get a 10 or 12 inch long tool rest close enough to a pen blank without hitting something.

[John Bartley]

Can a standard size lathe be used for making pens, or are they better suited to the mini lathes? My lathe is a General 160

I also have a General 160 (albeit a very ooolllldd one) and it works just fine for turning small pieces. I have made a shorter tool rest than the 12" one that came with it, and I will also be buying a couple of much smaller cutting tools to make working with smaller pieces easier.

cheers eh?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Chris yes as was said by all you can turn small on big. Penn State Industries has a free DVD on pen turning which is actually pretty good. If you can get a pen turning book by Dick Sing or Barry Gross these are excellent. The DVD "The Basics and Beyond" by Kip and Rex is also a good one and they have one that is more advanced that is good.