PenTurn

While I always cut my pen and pencil blanks from wood that I have, like this
cutoff of Yellow Heart. You can buy pen blanks from Woodcraft and many
other suppliers in a variety of woods and plastics. Purchased pen blanks
normally are 3/4" x 3/4" x 5" and must be cut to length for the pen kit used.
Pen kits come with brass tubes that go inside the blanks to fit the rest of the
pen parts and support the wood pen shell. Here you can see that I have cut
the yellow heart into 3/4" square stock and cut the length to match the tubes
from my pen and pencil kits.

Here I am preparing to drill the pen blanks for the tubes. I have a square block
of Oak that I clamp onto the table of my drill press. Note that the bit is centered
over one of the holes in the drill press table. This is to allow the bit to clear the
blanks and not hit the table. I line the pen blank up against the oak and clamp
it with a square on the side to insure the blank is straight. Drill all of the blanks
for your pens and pencils the same way.

Here are the drilled pen blanks. The next step is to glue the tubes into the blanks. I
use CA (super glue) and put a generous amount on the tube then slide it into the
blank. This must be done very fast as the CA will set quickly. Note the plastic bag
in the picture. I use this to prevent getting the glue on my fingers when pushing
into the blank. These are the finished blanks with the tubes glued in. Only takes a
couple minutes for the glue to completely set and be able to handle the blanks.

This is the pen mandrel I use on my lathe. It is a #1 morse taper to fit my Rigid
WL1200 lathe. The small tubes on the upper right of the picture are the spacer
tubes for the pen blanks. The other parts are end spacers for different lengths
of blanks and the knurled nut to tighten all the mandrel parts together.

Here is the assembled mandrel with the pen blanks on it. Notice the spacer
tubes before, between, and after the actual pen blanks. These tubes are sized to
match the type pen and pencil kits you purchase.

The mandrel is long and thin, as such it is very flexable and must be supported on the
dead end of the lathe. A live center is used, bearing mounted cone shaped dead end,
and there is a tapered hole in the end of the mandrel for the dead end to fit. Here is the
pen blank/ mandrel setup installed on the lathe.

Here, I am using a roughing gouge to rough shape the pen blanks and get them round.
Make sure the blanks are tight on the mandrel or the gouge will catch them and stop them,
causing the mandrel to spin inside the blank. These are the roughed out blanks.

Here I am finish turning the pen blanks to their final shape. Note that the ends of each blank
section are turned down to meet the diameter of the spacer tubes between the sections.
This is important to have a nice smooth transition between sections of the pen for a
comfortable feel. The spacer tubes can be purchased separately from the mandrel and come
in all sizes to allow for different sized pens and pencils. The tool I use for the finish turning
is a spear point. It allows close turning to match the ends to the tubes.

The next step is sanding the blanks down to final smooth feel. Here I am using 150 grit
sand paper with the lathe running. I follow this with 400 grit to finish with. These are the
sanded blanks ready for the finish.

Next step is applying the finish on the pen blanks. I use Hut brand Crystal Coat. It is a friction
polish that contains shellac and waxes. I use the regular red shop rags, but any soft lint free
rag will work. Apply finish to the rag and then press against the pen blanks with the lathe
running. Add a little more finish as you go to get complete coverage of the wood sections.
Keep holding the rag against the wood to cause friction heat to build up and dry the finish.
Then take a clean section of the rag and hold it against the wood to polish the sections.
Sorry for the fuzzy pictures but its kind of difficult to take pics. while operating a lathe. LOL

Here are the finished sections for a pen and pencil set. next step is assembly. I use a clamp
the press the sections together as shown here. They make special fixtures for doing this part
but I am too cheap to buy things I don't really need. There are a number of specialty tools
available for pen turning and assembly and I will have a link to more information on these at
the end of this tutorial.

Here are the pressed sections of the pen. Next step is to finish the assembly. Note the
spacer ring and the pens ink cartridge are intstalled into place.

Now just slide the 2 halves together and you have finished your first pen. Some kits
may vary in parts used and assembly. The kits I have are Slimline from Woodcraft.

I am sorry if this tutorial makes pen and pencil turning look
difficult. It is actually very easy to do and quick. Even with
my crude drilling and pressing methods it takes less than
one hour to make a complete set. Happy Turning, PaPaDan