Replies

1. 
   BioHaz1906 | Jul 29, 2009 04:44am | #1

   KaiserRoo,

   I am not sure you need to drop a grand to turning pens.  You need the mini-lathe, Steel City has a reasonably priced one in granite.  Get you some tools such as a 3/4" roughing gouge, skew chisel, parting tool, and maybe a 3/8" or 1/4" gouge.   I personally purchased a set of these tools and they were around $200.00 I think.  Then you need a pen turning mandrel which is about $15.00 and some sand paper and such.  I would say you could do the entire thing for about $600.00.  As you expand your pen turning you will need new collets to put on your mandrel, but I recommend you buy those as you go.  Happy turning!

   Bio

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Jul 29, 2009 05:43pm | #2

   I would require the minimum to be a lathe, roughing gouge, mandrel, sandpaper, and finish. You will also need the appropriate bushings for each pen kit. A dril press really helps when it comes to boring the pen blanks, and I also use it to mill the ends with a forstner bit. I don't use a pen mill. I assemble with my front vise which allows me to exert very contolled pressure. I've seen assembly done on the lathe or drill press too, advancing the tailstock/quill to press everything in place,

   Sharpening turning tools is very different fro planes and chisels, in my view. I use a bench grinder and the Wolverine system for turning tools and also grind my plane blades and chisels on the grinder if they get badly nicked, Otherwise, I use waterstones for my chisels and plane blades.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodworks.com
   and www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 29, 2009 06:16pm | #3

   Thanks for the advice,

   When i figured a grand that was just totalling up the items I figured that I would need using the woodcraft catalog. Here is what I figured I need:

   Lathe                                                                                           350-450

   Lathe stand                                                                                 150

   Slow Speed grinder                                                                     100

   wolverine jig                                                                                 90

   set of 4 turning tools (low end)                                                    50

   pen press                                                                                     50

   pen mill                                                                                         15

   That's off the top of my head. The mandrel, CA glue, bushing, wax, micro mesh as well as the 10 blanks and a single kit helped to push the price up more. I got rid of the list now. I fiured I just get a little more advice before jumping into it.

   Plus I don't have even a bench top drill press. I never figured that into the price.

   One last question, can the small lathes turn bowl and other than the radius of the bowl how can you determine if it is too large to turn on a given lathe?

   Thanks again and keep the good info coming

    KaiserRoo

1. 
   Napie | Jul 29, 2009 10:41pm | #4

   My two cents worth…  Buy as large a lathe as you can afford, you can turn small on a big lathe but not big on a small one.  Do not buy tool sets, just acquire them as you need them, for pens a small spindle gouge and a ¾” radius skew will do the job.  Sharpening, forget the jig, the same motor skills required to manipulate the tool while cutting are the very same ones you use to freehand grind the tool.  You sharpen a lot while turning and breaking the rhythm to set a jig is a waste in my opinion.   <!----><!----><!---->

   And practice, practice, practice!  Richard Raffens videos are as good as they get, well worth the time and money.  Get some firewood and put it between centers and make lots of shavings, get comfortable with the tools and above all rub the bevel!<!----><!---->

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 30, 2009 07:00pm | #9

                   Thanks for the advice on the size of the lathe and the video's which i will be looking into. When I took the pen class, someone from the Ocean State Wood Turners stopped by to discuss lathes. the 1st thing he said was that as a teacher he has some 13 Jet lathes and he spoke highly of them. The 2nd thing he mentioned was as good as they are you may want to get a larger lathe because if you really enjoy it you could easily outgrow the smaller lathe.

   KaiserRoo

2. 
   DonStephan | Jul 29, 2009 10:57pm | #5

   "Low end" lathe tools will not hold an edge for any length of time.  One might be able to turn a small number of pens before having to re-sharpen, but it's quite possible that after 10 minutes or so of use the cutting edge will need re-sharpening.  If you consider a larger lathe to allow for turning larger projects down the road the "low end" tools will become "gosh darned" tools pretty quickly.  They'll have little or no re-sale value. 

   Finally, the low end tools can quickly be damaged if sharpened on a high speed grinder - they lose temper quickly.  Seems I've read the newer tool steel isn't damaged if overheated (within reason) and it's VERY easy to overheat a tool on a grinder.  This will not likely be an issue if you plan to use a slow speed grinder.

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 30, 2009 07:01pm | #10

   Thanks for the advice. I'd like to start with higher quality tools. Any brand(s) in particular that you recomend?

   KaiserRoo

3. 
   stantheman | Jul 30, 2009 02:07am | #6

   KaiserRoo

   Re: drill press.  You need one to drill consistent holes, so I would put that up there on your list.  But, pay attention to the max depth to which you can drill (quill travel).  A 10" bench top drill press will only go about 2 1/2" when you need 3+ for most pens.  Also variable speed is a plus. 

   All these things can be bought used if you look hard enough.  Garage sales, estate sales, etc., will save you big bucks. 

   Don't get hung up on the sharpening.  All those specialty devices, jigs, etc., only when you have enough experience to know why you need them.  I have been doing fine freehanding with my old bench grinder and belt sander.  Planes and chisels by sandpaper and slipstones. 

   BTW, the fun part of this is using old wood scraps, or wood you find - it takes such a tiny amount to make a pen.  So don't waste money on exotic turning blanks until you need to.

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 30, 2009 07:04pm | #11

   Nice point about the size of the drill press. This too is something that I'll need to look into. I figured that investing in a good quality drill press and slow speed grinder would be a good investment as they can be used in other woodworking application.

   KaiserRoo

4. 
   poplarguy | Jul 30, 2009 04:04am | #7

   KaiserRoo,

   I know exactly where you are coming from.  I had the opportunity to turn a pen for free a few months ago and it ended up costing me several hundred dollars, and I didn't have to buy a lathe.  I ended up with the Bodger HSS tools from Highland Woodworking, ($100) on a set of six tools.  They seem pretty good for most of what I've tried to do so far, including some primitive bowls. 

   I also picked up a $60 pen kit from http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com, which has everything you need except the sandpaper and 5 pen kits.  It seemed like an easy way to get started without having to think too much.  I already had the grinder, and I've been trying to learn sharpening without the jig, with mixed success. 

   The slimline pens are cheap, easy, and good practice, but you can only give them to people once.  After that you have to move on to wine stoppers...

   Simon

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 30, 2009 07:08pm | #12

   Wine stoppers sound like a good choice as I have a sister in law that loves to make her own wine.

   Thanks again for the information, please keep it coming,

   KaiserRoo

5. 
   flairwoodworks | Jul 30, 2009 04:49am | #8

   From a cost-saving point of view, you should be able to easily make your own lathe stand for less than $150. Or maybe you can even use your TS or work bench. You don't need a slow speed grinder. If you buy a set of cheap turning tools, you will find yourself upgrading very soon. As others have suggested, buy good from the start. Good tools will cost you about $30 each. You can skip the pen press and use a handscrew or vise, or even drill press or lathe. You will need the drill press.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 30, 2009 07:13pm | #13

   Thanks for reminding me that I should have plenty of surfaces to use for the lathe. I'll just have to clean those off and see how it feels when I finally get the lathe. I put the stand in the list because it was part of the set up that I had used at Woodcraft and just wanted to get an idea about what was there and how much it cost.

   KaiserRoo

3. 
   furndr | Jul 30, 2009 11:43pm | #14

   I hate to be a wet blanket, but how many pens do you feel you might want to make? It appears from your lack of tools that you have not been into woodworking before. If you are only interested in making pens you will probably tire from  this limited disipline very quickly.

   One of the most gratifying aspects of this hobby (aside from a little extra income) , is making practical gifts for your family and home. As you have probably noticed in the photo attachments here in Knots, the sky is the limit as far as the useful things that can be made with a little practice and effort (in some cases a lot of effort!). 

   I'm not trying to discourage you, but I know of way to many situations where people make a sizable investment in equipment that gets used a month or two then gathers dust.  Just take a look at Craig's List and you'll see what I mean.

   You might consider using the tools of a friend or a local vocational school to see whether you are really interested.

   Good luck.

   furndr  

    

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Jul 31, 2009 01:17am | #15

   I wouldn't say your a wet blanket, more like a soaked pillow. Just kidding. I understand exactly what you mean about investing in the hobby and can't say for sure that I would make hundreds of pens. But you do have to begin somewhere and truth be told I thought that overall, turning projects might require less space and investment  in money at least at the start that other forms of WW.

   I will look into Craigs list as you mentioned

   Thanks again KaiserRoo

1. 
   DonStephan | Jul 31, 2009 03:10am | #16

   Have you given any thought to taking a more general introduction to turning class, to see how much you enjoy turning spindles, bowls, et cetera?  Might help you decide how much of a lathe to consider. 

   Raffan video "Turning Projects" can be intimidating because he blasts the things out so bloody fast, but he does demonstrate very well what turning can be like, and shows some of the range of possible projects.  The Woodcraft store in Cinti and I think the Rockler store often have store copies of at least some videos that can be watched in the store free of charge.

2. 
   furndr | Jul 31, 2009 04:21am | #17

   I hope my message wasn't too discouraging. Actually, turning is a facinating hobby. It's one of the few areas of woodworking where you can take a raw piece of stock and end up with a completed project -  toy tops for kids, for example.  But as I mentioned  earlier, it is difficult for a novice to incorporate turnings into cabinets, bookcases, etc.

   furndr 

1. 
   KaiserRoo | Aug 01, 2009 04:03am | #19

   I was just thinking in terms of sharpening system that would cover as much as possible. Thanks for the info

   KaiserRoo

4. 
   trackersoft | Jul 31, 2009 09:20pm | #18

   I am on my 3rd lathe after starting down a similar route. I got my Dad hooked on turning and he is now on his second lathe. If you are patient you should be ablde to get a deal on Craig's List on a full size lathe. Hold out for variable speed and enough size to turn other things. Dad looked for 3 months and ended up with a nice full size Jet Varialble Speed 16x?? for $350. Great deal but they are out there!

   I would get good truning tools as you need them. After buying cheap tools and then replacing them all, I think buying the best you can reasonably afford is a MUCH better deal in the long run.

   Scott