Hello all,
Many thanks for all the responses - hobbymad, Pierre, Neiljohn, sisabra & most recently Lancelot.
Lots of interesting points, some scary ones too but all most welcome thankyou.
Grapevine trunks - that sounds interesting.
The offcuts from larger suppliers definitely makes sense.
Men in Sheds sadly was a bit disappointing. I emailed my local group as indicated on Google but I didn’t even get a response. 
As an aside I was put onto MIS by a fellow & his wife we met while on holiday. He raved about it. His was well attended & situated in an old chapel in a country village & apparently they spent more time drinking tea and eating chocolate hobnobs than turning wood. 
My local MIS was located in a local prison! 
Enough said. 
The wood data base is something I’d not considered. I’ll check it out. Thankfully though I am set up with a vacuum arrangement and have a good quality respirator too.
Checking the headstock and tail stock for alignment again is something I’d not thought of but so obvious once it’s pointed out - that’s tomorrow’s first task.
Last question (for the moment), how do you square your pen blanks?
A jig & sanding disc?
On the lathe & sanding disc.
Trimming tool?
Again, any assistance is much appreciated.
Regards,
Colin.
