Turned my First Pen Today

[Culprit]

Terry mentioned the run out of drill chucks and that got me thinking so I measured mine tonight. I'm new to pen turning so I don't know what other non-Shopsmith pen lathes are capable of, but I was happy with the results I measured.

I measured with the dial indicator base mounted in two locations. First with the base attached to the quill housing - which meant I had to extend the quill, whereas I do my turning with the quill fully retracted. The second measurement was with the indicator base mounted to the way tubes.

Note that this is a one bearing Greenie quill with a Fafnir 202KDD5 bearing.

I took two measurements with the base in each location: one with the mandrel hanging in the breeze, and one with the end of the mandrel on the live center.

Dial indicator mounted on quill housing, mandrel end unsupported: <2 thousandths

Dial indicator on quill housing, mandrel end on live center: 1 thousandth

Dial indicator mounted on way tubes, mandrel end unsupported: 2.8 thousandths

Dial indicator mounted on way tubes, mandrel end on live center: 1.9 thousandths

These measurements represent the total needle displacement while rotating the quill by turning the shaft on the back end of the headstock. The drill chuck is fairly new - I bought it from Shopsmith when I was restoring my Greenie 6-9 months ago.

[terrydowning]

Great results, I see no reason to change your mandrel setup.
Some people will raise caution about side loading a drill chuck, as they are not designed for side loading. (side loading mean applying pressure to a tool from the side like using a router for those that don't know.) If you're turning correctly side loading is not an issue. Use sharp tools with the correct angle of attack on the wood and there should be very little side loading pressure. Many people press too hard on the mandrel (dull tools, impatient) this has lots of negative consequences:
Bending the mandrel,
out of round issues,
prematurely worn bearings, to name a few.

keep your RPMs up, your chisels sharp, apply a bit of patience and you will continue to get great results.

Nice job on the pens, you're off to a great start, I like that Jatoba.

As far as pricing goes. You're NOT selling the kit hardware and a scrap of wood. You are a selling a completed pen handcrafted by you. Give the customer a price you are comfortable with and negotiate from there. Don't sell your self short, you can do something, that many feel they can't.

On the rare occasions I do sell a pen all prices are negotiated and depend on kit hardware, plating, blank material, and amount of customization desired.

slimelines $20 - $30
designers/euros, Cigars, and other medium range kits $30 - $50
prices go up from there. I have sold a couple of roller balls in the $75 range. Very nice Jr Gents, on rather pricey Urethane resin blanks. (By the time I figured an hourly rate and subtracted material cost and shop time, I made like $10 an hour, not enough to make a go of a business where I live, but it was nice to be recognized monetarily for my efforts. I put the money back into more tooling and materials)

[Culprit]

Thanks for the advice and feedback. That's just what I needed to hear.

[futralwoodworks]

I agree with all above...first..nice pens!!!!!!!!!! I have been turning them for a little while and have made a couple hundred bucks along the way selling them. I think I'm a little low on my prices but move them as fast as I can make them so I guess the prices work. I use the Penn State SS specific mandrel along with their tail stock saver and it works great. Try as many of PSI's kits as you can they have somne very cool pens. I love the Stick Fast CA finishing system. Super durable and beautiful shine. Give acrylics a try too...but beware use sharp tools on them.
Matt

[terrydowning]

My advice is to always make sure any cutting tool is properly sharpened before use.

Life is too short for dull tools (or cheap tools for that matter)

[fredsheldon]

Culprit,

I'm interested in that old piece of equipment in the background. Is that a wood flywheel. The engine looks to be 100 years old

[Culprit]

Culprit,

I'm interested in that old piece of equipment in the background. Is that a wood flywheel. The engine looks to be 100 years old

You're close - it's 88 years old this year, made it 1924. It's a Fuller & Johnson Farm Pump Engine. It's been in my wife's family since 1929. I found it in the hay loft of my father-in-law's barn and got it running again. They flywheel is metal, and has a metal shroud around it, but the linkage between the flywheel and pump is wood.



Here are a couple of videos of it running:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMnfwsP0NgM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzDyNL-P_KA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMlQZqgbgM0

[fredsheldon]

Culprit, thanks for sharing the videos. I love old engines and how they operate. So, is that a pressure releif valve on top that acts as a speed controller or is it overhead valves?

[fredsheldon]

To get back on subject, I just ordered my Universal Lathe Pen Mandrel Set, 5 Funline Slimline Econony Gold Pen Kits, Live Tailstock Center and am about to pick up some wood blanks from a friend here at work. I'm sure I will have lots of questions as I also plunge into pen turning.

[JPG]

Culprit, thanks for sharing the videos. I love old engines and how they operate. So, is that a pressure releif valve on top that acts as a speed controller or is it overhead valves?

The governor holds the exhaust valve open when speed is 'up'. As it slows down, the exhaust valve is 'allowed' to close(ride on it's cam[maybe if it has one]) so that the intake stroke will pull a vacuum through the intake valve bringing gas/air into the cylinder. . . .