What is the best wood for turning pens?

[alan morrison]

Colin, if you are drilling plain timber blanks then it is not so important that the drilled hole is not that straight. If however you are drilling segmented blanks then straightness becomes crucial. I only drill on the lathe....I have a pretty good pillar drill but try as I might I was never 100% happy with the straightness.
I use these pen jaws on my lathe chuck....important that the blank is square.

Axminster Woodturning Pen Jaws

Drilling a pen blank can be tricky; the hole needs to be central, straight and round. While various jigs are available for doing the job on a Pillar drill, by far the best method is to do the job on the lathe. The Pen Jaws are 42mm deep and can...

www.axminstertools.com

 

[CGS01]

Alan, many thanks for the advice. I had seen these jaws on the Axminster site before, I’m now convinced they are an essential spend.

 

[yorkshireman]

Colin, drilling off centre isn’t an issue but make sure that the ends of your blanket is square to the tube, that’s vital. Get some London plane wood, easy to turn and spectacular grain.

 

[CGS01]

Thanks for the advice and tip. All appreciated.

 

[Maria]

Hi Colin,
Was about to answer regarding buying pen jaws for your chuck, but see Alan has already done so and he is a “Penmeister supreme “ so think this is the best advice. Welcome to the hobby!
Maria

 

[CGS01]

Hi Maria,
Thanks for reiterating the advice - I’ve already taken it - jaws arriving tomorrow!
Really looking forward to turning more pens etc. A fantastic hobby.
Regards,
Colin.

 

[Gary's Pens & Turnings]

Hi all,

A quick question and please excuse me if it’s an obvious answer that I’ve missed - newbie pen turner, it’s all still a bit of a mystery.

So I’ve had issues drilling blanks and getting a satisfactory precise hole, centred etc. with my cheap pillar & drill assembly. I then decided I’d place the blanks in the lathe and drill. This provided much better results with a far more precise hole - little or no movement of the drill bit. However I wasn’t getting as near perfectly centred holes due to my placing of the blank in the chuck.

So I’m now thinking, place the blanks in the chuck, turn the last 2.5cm or so to round, place that end in the chuck, and then drill?

Is this obvious, are there any issues I’m going to encounter or should I be doing this anyway OR do I bite the bullet and invest a few hundred ££’s in a decent pillar drill? If it’s the latter are there any recommendations on that too please?

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Colin.

Hi Colin, Welcome to the forum. I nearly always drill using the lathe. Put your blank into the chuck, switch lathe on at slow speed and with a pencil or felt tip pen, hold the tip near centre; this should give you a small circle which will be centre. I then use a centre drill bit as a starter hole, before using the appropriate drill bit for the pen tube. I have found this method to be foolproof and works everytime.

 

[Gary's Pens & Turnings]

Just seen your post, saying you've invested in the Pen jaws; I use them all the time and they are essential in my view.

 

[CGS01]

Gary, thanks for the post and advice. I can’t help thinking some things are obvious BUT I never think of them. Using a pen or pencil to check for the centre for instance I just didn’t think of it.
A starter hole again I haven’t done.
I’m glad I’m starting on relatively cheap pen sets & practicing drilling & turning on cheap builders waste etc.
Still, for all the mistakes it’s a learning curve and loving it.

 

[Gary's Pens & Turnings]

Gary, thanks for the post and advice. I can’t help thinking some things are obvious BUT I never think of them. Using a pen or pencil to check for the centre for instance I just didn’t think of it.
A starter hole again I haven’t done.
I’m glad I’m starting on relatively cheap pen sets & practicing drilling & turning on cheap builders waste etc.
Still, for all the mistakes it’s a learning curve and loving it.

Definitely, we're all learning. I used to mark the centre with pen, then use a narrow drill for the starter hole; nearly always, it would drift as soon as it touched the blank. Can't beat a proper Centre drill bit; has a thicker shank & won't drift at all.

 

[CGS01]

Just seeing what’s available now in the “Centre Drill Bit” department.
Thanks.

 

[Curly]

Look for a 120º spotting drill bit. They are made for locating holes for the drill bits that follow.

Pete

 

[CGS01]

Once again, many thanks. Have trawled around, found what I think is suitable pilot - 4mm x 120º spotting drill bit and ordered.

 

[howsitwork?]

Spotting drill makes life easier. If drilling l9nger bits or hybrid ( resin and timber or just resin) blanks, then drill the blank over length so any breakout at the ends is in “ waste bit “ or , as I do , drill on a piller drill with a plywood or other offcut under the blank for the drill bit to run out into. Then you avoid “blowout “ where the end craters as the drill bit exits .

As for pillar drill see what ex engineering drills are about , you can get pleasantly surprised.

You made a point earlier about rounding the blank before holding the end in the chuck, that works but as long as yo7 drill the hole fairly centrally then you work between centres , the blank will end up round and balanced to your hole. Just make sure the blank is a fair bit bigger than the finished result needs it to be.

Lastly some woods, eg Lignum Vitae self close after drilling due to their oily nature. You may need to drill them then “ream the hole with say a drill bit 0.1mm bigger so the damn tube actually goes in

 

[CGS01]

Ian, thanks for the advice. I’ve noticed where the end “craters” at the exit point of the drill. I’d put this down to being too eager with drilling the hole so need to slow down the progress of the bit AND remove it from the blank to clear the waste frequently. Also having the blank longer than required will ensure it it does still happen then at least it will be in the waste of the blank anyway.

 

[CGS01]

Hello wood turning community. I’ve been practicing making pens, having lots of fun and making lots of mistakes too .
I’m interested in making segmented pens, especially Celtic knot designs. Does anyone know a UK seller for the inserts for the knot OR are these created by the user? If it’s the later I’ve tried this but getting uniform thin strips is proving a challenge.
Any thoughts on this will be most welcome.
Many thanks.
Colin.

 

[Gary's Pens & Turnings]

Hello wood turning community. I’ve been practicing making pens, having lots of fun and making lots of mistakes too .
I’m interested in making segmented pens, especially Celtic knot designs. Does anyone know a UK seller for the inserts for the knot OR are these created by the user? If it’s the later I’ve tried this but getting uniform thin strips is proving a challenge.
Any thoughts on this will be most welcome.
Many thanks.
Colin.

I create my own Celtic knots, in the traditional way with 4 cuts. If you have uniform thickness of material that fits the gap, there is no need to cut all the way through the blank. Obviously the chosen material must be reasonably tight fitting & make sure there is ample glue or resin between layers or it will give break out on the lathe.
I use, 0.2mm Aluminium & brass sheet. These can be purchased in sheet form (A4 size) or as a roll typically 20mm wide, which is ideal to cut with strong scissors.
I also use 1mm thick coloured styrene sheets in various colours. 3mm cast acrylic & wooden veneers that come in different colours & thickness.
Here’s a link to a good example of how to do it well. Have fun, Gary

 

[CGS01]

Thanks Gary, really appreciate the response. I’m not cutting all the way through the block but getting the uniform inserts is something I need to practice.

 

[Curly]

For the few knots I made I used Guitar Pick Guard. It happened to be the same thickness as a thin kerf 10" table saw blade. Some have symmetrical layers and others are asymmetrical so you should consider that when buying. It also looked decent when used for scallops on the ends of the blanks.

Pete

 

[CGS01]

Thanks Pete. I love the invention that people apply to a problem. There are so many things that I would never have considered. Thanks for the pointer.