All your answers can be obtained at Penn State Industries. WWW.pennstateind.com.
ask for the free pen turning cd.also a cataloge. Marvin
j_bhwy151 wrote:I guess I should have been more specific. I have the free cd from penn state. That has what has got me started thinking about it. I noticed in the catalog that they sent with the cd that there was 7mm, 8mm, 10mm and more. I wondered which of these would be most versatile in covering the most money if only I was able to buy one of them.
If I was going to turn between centers do I still drill the hole first and still insert the tube before turning?
Also I was wondering would I need that tool that trims the ends to the end of the insert or is there another way to trim it without buying a tool?
There are various sizes of pen tubes that coincide with the different types of pens, but you only need 1 mandrel as it is a standard diameter to fit 7mm tubes. You slide the bushings over the mandrel and then slide the pen blank with the 7mm brass tube inserted. For the larger size pen tubes you have different bushings specifically designed for those pens. These bushings will have the same interior diameter so that they will fit properly on the mandrel, but then their outside diameters will be different and will have a tongue (for lack of a better term) that will be the proper size for the larger pen tubes. If you look "HERE" on Penn State Industries (PSI) site, you can see the different types of bushings as well as the tongue that goes into the pen tubes.
As for turning between centers, you have to prepare the pen blank just the same by drilling the hole, gluing in the tube and milling the ends square. The difference is that you don't use a mandrel but use 60 degree centers like this:
You will slide the bushings into the pen tube (this will not work for Slimline or other 7mm pens as they do not slide into the tube but butt up against the the outside of the pen tube) and then the points of the centers go into the holes of the bushings. You DO NOT turn between centers without bushings as the 60 degree centers will flare the ends of the tubes and cause cracking of your pen blank.
As for milling the ends of the pen blanks, you can use a pen mill or they have jigs that you can attach to a disk sander and do it that way. "HERE" is one from Penn State Industries (PSI). Many people will make one for themselves. Regardless, you have to square the ends one way or another or the pen blank and the pen hardware will have gaps.
I would recommend starting off using a mandrel to get some experience and it will be cheaper to start up with. Once you get turning for awhile you will learn what you like and don't like as there are lots of spiffy gizmos and gadgets out there that don't necessarily benefit the turner but look really cool.
If you have any other questions about pen turning, feel free to PM or email me and I will try to help you out if I can. I don't know enough to be good, I know enough to be dangerous. You also got some other folks here that do a fair amount of pens Like William Young who frequents the Woodturning forum and also has a private woodworking site "HERE" with a number of folks who do pens along with a number of good "how to" videos for pen finishing.
