How long does it take you to turn a pen?

[LittleMissCreative]

Hi again,

As some of you know already, I'm a complete beginner in the world of wood/pen turning.

I was in my little woman cave last night making the fountain pen for my dad and hiding from the screaming kids! It took me over an hour from drilling to assembly. I guess that's not average but I'll probably speed up with more practice.

How long does it take you to create a pen?

Do you pre drill large batches?

Do you use a spindle gouge or scraper? I must admit I'm a bit nervous about using a scraper as I believe you can get a lot more catches. Catches frighten me. Lol!

 

[Buckeye]

Don't try to speed up, it will come naturally the more pens you turn, you can batch process almost everything and that will help you to be more efficient.

I use a skew mostly, depending on the design of the blank. Sharp tools will make all the difference, do you have a way to sharpen your tools?

Peter

 

[billyb_imp]

As Peter said speed it will come naturally over time, often you will find you sail through doing them, other times will seem like an age making them, many woods (and acrylics) will have a greater blunting effect on your tools hence they will take longer to make because you will need to re-hone your tools often. Sanding again sometimes you will not need to do much, then there's finishing............. but that's a whole different thread

As for what chisel I use for doing pens only a roughing gouge (except for parting tool on pens needing a tenon cut)

And I do often do batch prepping, I may have an whole day just doing prepping, cutting to size, drilling, glueing, painting tubes for acrylics, then you can have a couple of days turning

 

[wm460]

Take your time and concentrate on the task on hand xstart rushing you make mistakes.
On pens I just use a Skew.

 

[LittleMissCreative]

Don't try to speed up, it will come naturally the more pens you turn, you can batch process almost everything and that will help you to be more efficient.

I use a skew mostly, depending on the design of the blank. Sharp tools will make all the difference, do you have a way to sharpen your tools?



Peter

Not yet. A friend of mine sharpens them for me at the moment, but I'm planning on buying a grinder and my friend will make a jig. It's all cost at the moment but I'm really enjoying myself.

 

[qquake2k]

I've been turning pens for 17 years now, and an hour for a wood two barrel pen sounds reasonable to me. I often take longer, though, especially with acrylic pens. I try not to rush, that's a recipe for disaster (don't ask me how I know). I primarily use a 3/4" (19mm) forged spindle gouge and a slightly larger roughing gouge on both wood and acrylic. I never did learn to use a skew. I use a homemade jig on a 1" stationary belt sander for sharpening. It may not be the proper way to sharpen, but it works for me.

 

[Buckeye]

Not yet. A friend of mine sharpens them for me at the moment, but I'm planning on buying a grinder and my friend will make a jig. It's all cost at the moment but I'm really enjoying myself.

You really need to have sharp tools and sometimes a little touch up on the grinder between pens is needed. I know it is another cost, but when you can sharpen your own tools turning will go much better and easier.

Peter

 

[Gizmo3k]

I am not sure how long a pen takes me from start to finish, an hour sounds about right, but I have done 9 pens in 4 hours - batching up processes definitely speeds things up. Every time you have to change tooling (chuck on, jacobs chuck for drilling, barrel trimmer in, chuck off/mandrel on) you are losing time in my opinion.

I don't turn pens commercially (although I try to sell what I make), it is a hobby for me, but I still like my time to be efficient!

The important thing is to enjoy it! Oh, and as said above, sharp tools are a must!

 

[chas_41_uk]

As Jim (qquake2k) says an hour for a two part pen is reasonable enough

 

[Oke Craft]

As far as time goes, it's fair to say that the biggest element is the blank preparation and glueing. Hence if making a few pens it's far quicker to organise them in batches.

In terms of chisels - the skew every time. Honed using a piece of 400g Wet & Dry flat on the bench (or sheet of glass) after every pen to keep the edge really keen. The only other tool I ever use is a fine parting tool to create tenons where needed.

 

[LittleMissCreative]

Is the skew chisel a tool for beginners? How can you minimise the chance of having a catch?

 

[Gizmo3k]

Is the skew chisel a tool for beginners? How can you minimise the chance of having a catch?

Practice! I have to agree with Alistair about the skew being the tool for the job. When I was starting out, the only tool I could reliably sharpen was the skew (using sandpaper on a sheet of glass), so I ended up using it a lot.

To avoid catches, keep the long point (toe) up, and cut with the bottom third of the edge. Try to keep the points away from the wood - if the point hits, that is where you are likely to dig in and have a lovely spiral groove cut in your nicely prepared blank! :wink:

Like any turning tool, make sure the chisel is on the tool rest, rub the bevel, then gradually lift the handle. Practice on some cheap wood before you try your pens - you will get the hang of it. I made a lot of 2"x2" pine round - just keep planing it down with the chisel, keeping things even til you get the feeling of it. Then you can start trying beads (which I am still not that good at to be honest!)

 

[wm460]

This might be helpful.
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&...6cT-Vwd6l5TGtkbYg&sig2=_933LL5QUh5UOzsYmwY_ew

 

[Oke Craft]

When running courses I always taught all of my trainees only to use the skew right from scratch (including the roughing). I never had a single failure or disaster, whether youngster or someone old enough to know better.

The skew chisel is a tool that really benefits from practice (as has already been said) but it offers huge rewards in speed and quality once mastered. I got into an argument (Discussion!) one day with an experienced turner which ended up in me proving my point by roughing down an 8" square newel post with a skew chisel. And I beat him (using the roughing gouge), so the only limits are your own fear.

One of the other benefits is that the skew chisel gives far less "shock" to the blank, which is of particular importance on delicate timbers such as burrs, and also on acrylics. Roughing an acrylic blank with a gouge can often create a tiny hidden fracture in the blank, which unfortunately doesn't come to light until the very last minute, when you're down to the last 1/2 mm and the blank disintegrates on you.

Practice always makes perfect; but as I always say, my speed only means that I bet I can make mistakes faster than you!

 

[Penpal]

When I was young the favourite conversation was how fast we could drive to Sydney a distance of 200 miles. Rather academic really what with rain, hail, snow, bush fires,traffic, time of day, size of car, horse power V will power.

Turning pens is the same depending on the degree of difficulty time taken improves with skill, need.

May you enjoy your turning efficiency will come life has many curves.

Peter.

 

[Bill Mooney]

How long to make a pen? I don't know as the time doesn't matter to me. What does matter is the quality of my finished pen, that's important.

 

[Scots Bill]

I use a three quarter inch gouge to rough down the blanks, then a skew chisel, on such small work as pens the fear of a dig in with the skew is much diminished, but gives a great finish, also a thin parting tool. So pretty much as others have said. I have a Jet wet grinder (not the best of such machines) but what Alistair says about the wet n dry especially on a piece of THICK glass is good. I have taken to touching up the edge with a diamond hone, works for me. Don't worry about how long it takes you. you are mastering the technique, as all are advising you speed, if you feel it important, naturally follows. Yes I agree that small batch prep is a good way to go, but more importantly just tackle the job as best you feel, and keeps the interest going. I have had a segmented pen half done, on the lathe for three weeks now. Right enough I did sneak up to Scotland for two weeks. Wish I had a small lathe for up there.

 

[silver]

To be honest Ruth, does it really matter?

Yes it does if you are looking at selling pens and then time is money.

If its a hobby then I would ask does it really matters.?

If tge question is to help understand if you are doing it right, then yes you are doing it right.

But the most important thing is that the quality is right.

Tge quality of your pens will sell your pens, not how quick you make them. However if you can sell them then you will need to make them quicker, maintain the quality and then make money.

But as others have said, setting everything out and planning ahead then you can become a production line, but is that what you want?

 

[Vic Perrin]

It's not about time in my view it's all about enjoying what you are doing. 1 hour or 3 hours who cares as long as you are enjoying what you are making.

 

[Jim]

As long as it takes Ruth, mind i don't think i have a rush left in me for anything these days ..