Beginner's tools

You want sharp tools. Sharp means less sanding. High quality tools usually have high quality steel, which stays sharp longer.

The Morse Taper #1 or #2 is how things can be inserted into your lathe. Your lathe headstock will also have threads on the outside, allowing different chucks to be screwed onto the outside, or a MT to be inserted in the inside.

My lathe has MT#2 at the tailstock, so I can get a MT2 drill chuck, and put it in either end.

You want a lathe with a standard MT size. If you upgrade your lathe, you can use the same add-ons.

Pens are simple forms, and it doesn't take much regarding chisels.

Let me point out some suff on woodcraft. You can find some things at other places cheaper, but woodcraft has everything.

Jet Mini lathe $275 Pen turning set $39.99 Pen Mill (you can turn a handle for one of these) Pen Mandrel You will also need something to accurately drill the holes. I use a scroll jaw chuck ($$$) and drill chuck ($10). Do you have a drill press?

Woodcraft has a center drilling vice ($40) but I think there are cheaper solutions. A drill press can also be used to press the pieces together. You might be able to use a wood vice, etc.

Finish materal (HUT PPP) You need sandpaper and sealer. I use the micromesh for fine grain wood like curly maple. $16-$17.50

This is just the general stuff. For each pen kit you need the blank, the kit, a matching drill, the bushings that go on the pen mandrel.

You probably should get a book first, or take a class.

Did I miss anything? Oh - DAGS for penturner faq's

If I were you I would buy a full size lathe. Pen turning will just wet your apatite for bowl turning etc.. Then, you'll have to fork out more cash because you'll be hooked. With the right accessories you can do pen turning on a regular lathe too.

Woodcraft is running 30% off of a large selection of their turning supplies and tools in October. If there is a store near you, head there Oct 1. Most of their Sorby tools are also included in the sale. All pen kits are included.

There is a Pinnacle set of 8 tools that will be $160 ( regulary $210 ). I have no experience with these, so you'll need to solicit others' opinions.

I pre-ordered a set of "mini" HSS turning tools for $24 yesterday ( regularly $40). This set contains 5 tools and is featured in their October flier which came in the mail yesterday. These would be good for a starter at $24, since one Sorby gouge would cost you more than that.

The set comes with 1/8" and 1/4" spindle gouge, 1/8" parting tool, 1/4" round nose scraper, and 1/4" skew chisel. If anyone out there has experience with this set, please comment.

I don't know who manufactures this set, but from what I've read in this newsgroup, the biggest difference you would see is that a premier set of tools will hold a sharp edge longer. These are mini tools, so they would be acceptable for small projects like pens.

You would probably want to get a roughing gouge as well if this set is the first set you buy.

Brad Curfman

Mark Tetrault wrote:

Some lathes take a #1 Morse Taper, some take a #2. That's all in practical terms.

Depends on how elaborate you want to be.

Beginner set would be a pen mandrel that holds the pieces in the lathe for turning, a set of bushings--these match the rings and other pieces in whatever pen kit you're using and give you a guide so that when you're done everything matches up, a drill bit of whatever size matches the tubing in the pen kit, some sort of jig to hold the drill and the piece properly aligned while you drill (you can cobble something up out of scraps that will work, or buy a drill press, or get a "drill press" accessory for a hand drill), something to trim the ends of the blanks off square--you can buy a purpose-made trimmer or use a sander or whatever other method floats your boat--the purpose-made trimmer is the easiest. To put the pieces together you'll need a vise or a clamp--a 12" Bessey K does a nice job.

Beyond that just a lathe and turning tools--start out with a small gouge and go from there as your skill improves.

You don't need expensive tools to get started--any halfway decent steel will take a usable edge--what the more expensive tools will do is hold it longer and give you a more accurate starter grind, there's nothing magic about them.

Now, sharpening is a religious issue for some people--there's a cheap process called "scary sharp" (google that) that produces a pretty good edge, or you could get an expensive sharpening machine, or Japanese water stones, or diamond plates, or Arkansas stones or a belt sander or . . . But whatever option you take the real ingredient for success is practice.