Re: Pen Starter Kit?
Greg W. in NC
>Doug,
As has been mentioned, Bill Baumbeck (Arizonasilouette.com) is an excellent source! Note that he resells Craft Supplies and Berea kits....except you can save by buying from him, as he will discount their prices.
Another reseller you need to check with is Ryan Polokoff, with Woodturningz.com. Like Bill, he can save you a few bucks. He resells PSI stuff. I buy from both of these guys (and a lot, I might add), and can highly recommend them. They'll help you out with what you need to begin (Bill even has a 'how to' video on pens.)
No, you don't need any specific tools just for pens. My preferred tool is the skew, but many use spindle or bowl gouges (I would recommend a spindle gouge, especially for beginning.)
Note that you'll need a mandrel, but not all mandrels fit other manufacturer's kits. For example, the PSI mandrel is the smallest, and most other kits will fit on it, but they might be a bit 'sloppy' or loose. However, the Berea mandrel is the thickest of the 7mm mandrels, but you will probably have to ream out most of PSI bushings before they'll even fit on the Berea mandrel. Personally, I think the Berea mandrel is the best by far, and you might want to start with it, and buy their kits for compatibility sake, unless you're wanting to ream out bushings that won't fit it.