pen turning preparations

[soundman]

I have it in my mind to turn some pens (sometime).
Two matters interest me.
What is the prefeered mandrel?
there are a number of claims that "mine is best". Thaughts, doest it matter.
I would probably be inclined to go with a MT2 mount as I can see advantages there.

Prefered dimensions of blanks.
I notice that most of the shop baught blanks are arround 15...16mm and various & the lengths vary a little.
I expect the actual "prepared length" would be specific to the pen kit in question & length doesn't worry me greatly as I chop em up round 150mm for starters.
I'm in a processing phase at the moment, breaking down some, found scrounged & recovered timber & all the small stuff left over I'll chop up for pen blanks & such.

cheers

[KevM]

Soundman,
I use the MT2 model mandrel, more than happy with mine, see here http://store.yahoo.com/gpwoodturning/penmandrel.html .

Blank sizes-mine now tend to be around 18mm square, happens to be the edge of the tablesaw insert, so that also gives a position to set the fence and leaves a little bit of extra timber if the drill wanders in the end grain.

I found pen turning rather addictive, you won't stop at a couple.

Kev M

[Ruffy]

13mm squared is ideal for the standard 7mm kits for the larger kits that require a 10mm hole then you are better off with somthing around the 19mm square.

Remember to take your time when drilling and clear the bit regularly. Also be wary of straying of centre when drilling as that can cause porblems with blowouts.

As for the choice in madrels there are many around. With pens it is critical to ensure that your headstock and tailstock are perfectly aligned otherwise you may end up with a slightly ovoid pen at one end.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Preferred mandrel? One with bushes to suit the penkit you intend to use! Apart from that, it doesn't matter. I like the 2MT for ease of change and a mandrel long enough to mount both halves of the pen simultaneously. The short "one-half-at-a-time" mandrels annoy me when I'm trying to get a smooth sinuous flow across the entire pen body.

Blank size? Again, it depends on the pen-kit you plan to use. Also your ability to drill a centred hole. The normal 2cm'ish blanks are a "universal" blank in that they're suitable for all pen kits. Well, nearly all.

When cutting my own, I like to add 3-4mm over the finished pen dia, to allow for drill drift. So, for a 7mm pen I generally cut around 10-11mm and for cigar pens 15-16. This is not to say I haven't tried pushing my luck with smaller sizes... but never with a blank that I don't mind losing.

Anything I consider too small for a pen is destined to sit in my "potential lace-bobbin" box.

[smidsy]

Soundman,
Whether you go with a number 1 or 2 MT mandrel will be determined by your lathe - your head stock will be either 1 or 2 morse taper.
The link that Kev posted is the same mandrel I use (bought from Carbatec) and works well.
There is another mandrel that is adjustable in length from the head end but I've heard that this one is problematic.
I would also recommend you get yourself a pen mill (one of these http://store.yahoo.com/gpwoodturning/penmill.html ) for squaring up the end of the blank and getting end of the blank flush with the end of the brass tube. I resisted buying a pen mill when I first started but I finally bought one and they make life so much easier.

As for the size of the blank, the length will be to suit the pen kits you're using, but I usually cut mine about 5 or 6mm longer, make sure there is excess at each end after the pen tube is glued in and then trim exact with the pen mill.
The diameter of the blank will depend on whether you want thin or thick pens.

Cheers
Paul

[soundman]

I'm well familiar with various engineering taper fittings. MT2 is waht is required for my lathe which is fortunate as it matches my drill press. which means I can pinck chucks & other stuff from the drill press.
I was interested in the various "funky" mandrels, & it seems that the standard one is the go.

As for size, seems like I was on the track.
Krikey. when you start rippin up wood & thinking about pens there is heaps of material that would otherwise end up in the scrap that is usefull. I don't think I'll ever run out of pen blanks.

cheers chaps