pens

[P Crews]

Hello everyone,

I've been away for a couple of months and it's nice to be back in my old home. In between working on my truck, fixing random objects around the house, and catching up on the forums I've managed to turn a couple of pens. My first pen and pencil are at work and I can't find the pics. My second pen of zebra wood was made for my oldest son (pictured below). Unfortunately I can't find the pencil for a picture.

The next two were made for my mom and uncle (also below). Mom got the redheart and my uncle got the Honduran rosewood.

Unfortunately there's a wobble in my mandrel. One side of the will be flush with the bushing but the other side will be raised a bit. This leads to creative sanding but the pens come out alright. Not great but alright. I enjoy making the pens though.

I did get to go Burlington (my home town) for a few days visiting family. Woodworker's Supply is a habitual stop any time we get back home. I picked up a new skew and a few blanks, got to see some awesome turnings of one of the guys, and enjoy good woodworking chat.

Paul

 

[cskipper]

Nice looking pens, Your mandrel should not wobble. Someone with more experience will chime in with suggesions about that

 

[P Crews]

Nice looking pens, Your mandrel should not wobble. Someone with more experience will chime in with suggesions about that[/quot

Thanks Cathy. I know it shouldn't wobble. The rod is straight. It's where the rod screws into the base. I should have sent it back but I figured it was the cheap HF lathe that was the problem. :BangHead:

 

[woodArtz]

Good job on the pens. Mandrel wobble seems to be a constant worry for pen turners. I have tried a few techniques to correct it. First, be very careful about tightening the tailstock. If it's too loose, it will tear up the little "cup" on the end of the mandrel. If it's too tight, it will bow. I try to get it just right ;-). Also, I will spin the "bare" mandrel and make a light pencil mark on it. If the pencil mark goes all the way around... it's straight. If the pencil mark only goes half way around you have to "reshape" the mandrel a bit. Anyway, that's how I handle it... your mileage may vary . And, I'm sure others have thier own techniques to share. Keep those pens coming, they look great :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap.

 

[Wildwood]

In addition to what's already been said, clean out headstock/tailstock morse taper.

 

[MikeL]

Great looking pens :eusa_clap. I especially like the rosewood (have to add that to my next shopping list).

 

[TBone]

Check out this web page. It has more information than you can read in a short session but this page is specific to checking and correcting mandrels. Russ has forgotten more about making pens than I will ever know.

You can also stop and loosen the nut and rotate the blank 1/4 turn a few times during the turning process this will help the out of round problem.

http://www.woodturner-russ.com/Pen12b.html

 

[P Crews]

Thanks TBone, I've seen that site months ago but couldn't find it again. It's bookmarked now.