Thread: Pen Press ideas needed

This is what I use.

Haven't had a failure yet (touch wood)

This is our option
http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/..._id=1107458878

Mine is similar to Fred's, but I just use my normal drill press. A piece of cutting board on the table, and one of those rotary sanding wheels that go in the drill - it has a nice smooth hard plastic centre that everything is glued to, which is what I use to press the pen bits together. Didn't cost me a cent as I already had the bits.

Russell.

I use an arbor press...cost me $24.00 American at the "made in China" tool store.
You can't break it if you tried, and it allows you to apply pressure in a very controled manner...plus, with a little rigging up, it make a great dissassembly too also.



This is a 1/2 ton press, just the right size for pens.

Haven't seen the 1/2 ton one, but a 1 ton one costs $A130, just a little more!

Hi Jenny
I use a triton super jaws
Andrew

A drill press is a good way to go,you can mount a piece of dowell in the chuck to protect parts, and as you have a vertical alignment its fairly easy to keep everything in line while applying pressure. Better than a hammer any day hehe.

Hi Jenny,
Its quick, accurate, cheap and you can feel just how much pressure is required at every stage. Also simple to make.
beejay

G`day I use a large quick grip clamp and a woodworking vice.
Mick

I use this one

I've been using this high tech solution for more than two years without a single problem.

I use the quick grip clamp too (it's the small one - about 200mm) - I got a pack of 4 of them for about $25 at bunnies a while back.

I keep thinking I should do something more sophisticated, but as I've never had any grief with it, I haven't ever bothered...

Cheers,
Dave

I knew I shouldn't have posted my response.

"I've never had any grief with it" turned into "" last night when assembling a slimline in figured blackwood. I think I didn't glue the tube well enough at one end, but the rubber on the quick-grip clamp rounded off the wood a bit (kinda split it out a bit - I should have taken a photo). I'm tempted to use the pen mill to clean it up a bit but I'm not sure if I'm game.

I like Beejay's idea - it looks pretty controllable, though I have the drill press stand bought from Aldi that Big Shed uses. I Currently use it for holding the heat gun while roasting coffee in a bread maker. I think it might have to start sharing duties between pens and coffee...

cheers,
Dave

Originally Posted by Ozkaban

I like Beejay's idea - it looks pretty controllable, though I have the drill press stand bought from Aldi that Big Shed uses. Currently I use it for holding the heat gun while roasting coffee in a bread maker. I think it might have to start sharing duties between pens and coffee...

Umm, LOL? I Think

I was in a rush ocne and didn't want to swap the drill but out of the press, so tried doing it by hand between two pieces of wood. I also rounded over the end of the pen when it slipped sideways. That was the last time I tried to do it not in the press.

Russell.