New to turning...???'s

Some thoughts on pen lathes

Dominic Greco at home in Richboro, PA

>Jimmy,

First off, I applaud you encouraging your son's interest in wood working!! But be prepared! Wood turning is addictive! And the lathe is just the START of the tools you're son will be be "needing". :>)

About the pen lathe,....I'd pass on that deal. They're underpowered and good for only small turnings.

Instead, I would look for a sale on the Jet or Delta Midi lathes. They're running about $200.00 now and might even include a set of pen turning tools. With that type of lathe, you can make pens all the way up to 8" diameter bowls. Mark Kauder turned some of the coolest looking bowls I ever saw on his Jet Midi.

Before making any purchases, I highly recommend getting a hold of the book, "Turning Pens and Pencils" By Rex Birmingham and Kip Christensen. This book walks you through the entire process and will give you tips on what to buy, and what jigs you can make yourself.

As for minimal equipment, that's sort of a difficult question. If your son wants to turn pens, he needs a pen mandrel (they run about $20). A complete set of "Micro turning tools (for pens and other small turnings) can run anywhere from $40 for the Harbor Freight set, all the way up to $150 for the top of the line Sorby, Hamlet or Crown set. You just have to shop around. Just be sure you get High Speed Steel (HSS). Carbon Steel won't hold an edge long enough.

A drill press is sort of a must for drilling the holes in the pen blanks. And you need some way to cut up the pen blanks. But from the sounds of it, you have a shop with some tools in it already. So you might be covered on this!

Sharpening is another matter. You'll need a 8" grinder (slow or high speed). A sharpening jig is helpful, and will let you get consistent edges on your tools in a timely fashion. But the Wolverine (the one I have) runs around $120 or $130 after you add all the accessories you need.

A belt sander can be used to sharpen turning tools. But I have no experience using that method. You might want to check into that.

Good luck!

See ya around,

Dominic

Re: New to turning...???'s *LINK*

Russ Fairfield

>Take a look at the pen instructions on my website.


Making a pen

Re: Some thoughts on pen lathes

Jimmy from Central IL

>Hi Dominic.

Where can I get the Midi Jet for $200? I have found it for $350 and above??? The Pen Lathe is from Wood Crafters, and for about $50 I can get all of the "pen making" equipment.

I do have all of the other goodies in the shop except for the grinder. Oh, and some type of jig to drill the blanks.

Thanks,

Jimmy

Not sure about where

Dominic Greco at home in Richboro, PA

>Jimmy,

You have to look around for the Jet midi. I'm nor sure where, but I saw them advertised for $200 (might have been Crafts Supplies USA).

Just to be sure we're talking Apples to Apples here; This is the NON electronic variable speed type. It's the "old fashion", change-the-belt-on-the-pulley-to-change-speed kind.

Check Toolseeker.com. They can usually point you in the right direction.

If not there, someone here should know where they're selling those midi lathes at a discount. Just post that as a separate question here on the turning forum. I'll betcha' that somewhere, someone has this lathe on sale.

And ya' know, if that fails, you can always look for a used one. When a turner out grows his Midi, he usually sells it. Just look in the classified section of the newspaper, or check out a local turning club. They're bound to have at least one member who wants to sell his older midi.

See ya around,

Dominic

Jet Mini on Sale  *LINK*

Fred in NC

>


Jet Mini on Sale

Re: New to turning...???'s

Jimmy from Central IL

>Thanks for the site Russ. It is great!

Thanks,

Jimmy

Thanks Fred!

Jimmy from Central IL

>

Other supplies *LINK*

Fred in NC

>No affiliation, but I have bought from this company several times, see link below.

They have pen turning chisel sets on sale right now. Bejamin's Best is a good brand. If you call them they will help you with all the accessories and pen kits. Very low price and excellent service. Look for the sale link in RED.

Also look at www.arizonasilhouette.com

This is a very reliable source for pen stuff.


Pen supplies

A suggested plan

Clem Wixted Jonesboro, AR

>Ho Jimmy,

You and you son might consider doing some research before you pull the trigger on any purchases.

Get the Book that Dom suggested. I have researched and read about 10 (and own about 4) different pen turning books from the library and this is among the best, if not the best.

While you are reading check out Russ's site and study it. But beware he is a great instructor and he has convinced me into getting everything I need to make some neat pocket watches on my Jet Midi, just by reading his instructions on his site.

There are also many great sites with good information it would be good to digest before making the plunge into buying. Sales come along fairly regularly and by doing you research you will know a good deal when you see it. I bought my Jet Midi on sale from Amazon for a final price of $174 when it was on sale for $199, and had an additional $25 discount. It came with free shipping and there was no sales tax. I had looked for a looooong time and jumped on this when I saw it. Check google every once in a while.

This is also an excellent forum to provide you and your son with good answers to your questions, and there are no "dumb" questions. Besides, by asking you may help those of us who are too afraid to ask. You know how good these people are who help out here.

There are some excellent pen turning videos. I have Bill Baumbeck's of ArizonaSilhouette.com and it is extremely practical with a friendly teaching style.

There is another "must have" video/DVD from Bill Grumbine wonderfulwood.com. This is primarily for bowl turning but will open your eyes to what is available. Bill is a real pro, not only in his turning skills but also in his teaching skills. It's like taking lessons from a big teddy bear.

By viewing these and digesting them you will know what you need to get if you don't already have it.

Then when you take the classes you will have first hand knowledge of what you want and maybe will even have a chance to turn on the exact piece of equipment you will get. You may even be able to pick up a great used piece.

One other excellent source of knowledge is to visit a local (or not so local) turning club to talk and experience wooturning with knowledgeable people.

By doing the above you will become almost an expert in what is needed and what is nice to have and what the difference is.

Don't jump into an equipment purchase too hastily and you won't regret it later.

Remember "ready, aim, fire and NOT ready, fire, aim" when it comes to equipment purchases.

Have a great time with your son. I did something similar many years ago and my son and I still talk about more than 20 years later. And we still use the skills we learned together.

Clem

Re: New to turning...???'s

Earl

>Just want to re-emphasize what others are saying. Even though only 9, if he takes to turning at all ( or you do!!) that lathe will last no time at all. The advice about Jet's is good. You can do other things. If your son likes the lathe, he will want to try other things within a day or two or three and you will be out of luck.

Earl

On the nose Fred!

Dominic Greco at home in Richboro, PA

>Hey! I actually remembered the right place where the lathes were on sale. How do you like that?! And that is a sweet deal on a very nice starter lathe.

Thanks for finding this one Fred!

See ya around,

Dominic