Thread: Woodchuck pen pro in Australia?

I got mine from Bruce at Wood N Workshop, I just had a look on his site and I can't find them listed. Maybe send him an email to see if he is still selling them.

I had heard/ read about wood n workshop selling them but because the website now says basically the business has downsized and is now online orders only so I figured they don't as there are no turning tools on the site

Sorry Simon no offence, but if you are getting your blanks exploding, might I suggest it is your turning technique rather than requiring yet another tool . It is all about sharp tools, your approach to the blanks (tool angle/cut depth etc), how the blank is glued to the tube etc.

The Pen Pro is good, I have an equivalent, but I have seen many a pen blank destroyed by them too if not used correctly. Actually probably more as some people think they are the answer and take big wide plunging cuts .

If I was passing I would be happy to call in and show you but perhaps another forumite may be able to help, someone successfully experienced in resin blanks.

I have tried lots of different tools and speeds on the lathe but haven't found one that works for resin pens consistently. I'm very happy to do timber pens from start to finish worth the skew at about 2000rpm. But of all my tools i have found that my negative rake scraper gives the most consistent and smooth cut on PR pens. But as a rather large tool i was hoping that a pen pro would be a bit more manageable in terms of size and it would use the same cutting method as a scraper. Plus from what i hear they hold their she extremely well.

Call or email Bruce at woodnworkshop to buy one.

I use one and still blow blanks apart due to lack of care and attention !

Cam

Simon,

I had trouble with a couple of resin blanks early in the piece but as Neil says its all abou technique and very sharp tools.

I am currently making a run of resin blank pens that require only about 1mm left on the barrel. I turn at 3000rpm and sand and polish at the same speed. Not a problem to date and the pens are coming up beautifully!

I use a roughing gouge, spindle and bowl gouges and skews- Whatever gets the job done!

I am a firm believer in "cutting" resin/cast blanks rather than "scraping". In fact I would say that for all pen blanks. Scrapers work but it only takes a little catch on an exposed edge or fault/weak point with a tiny bit too much pressure and your blank can blow apart as you have indicated. The only time I use a negative raked scraper is for final shaping, but only after it is has been turned round and relatively smooth, with a razer sharp tool taking tiny cuts at very high speeds.

I have been using a similar tool, different brand, for about a year now. It is great on wood, trying when used on resin. I have normally knocked off the corners of resin blanks with a band saw then applied a turning tool. Just a bit of a catch with the "new" tool and the blank is history, same applies with stabilized blanks. I have been doing OK by starting the turning by applying about a quarter of the edge so the point of the corner starts the rounding process. Once the blank has been rounded, then the full width of the tool can be used, but really, really carefully, just like shaving a balloon.

Good luck,

Canuk

Thanks canuk. What brand are you using?

Hi Guy's,

Neil is right on the money, it is all about technique.
I too have a Pen Pro and I use mine all the time. What I will say is that when I first got my Pen Pro I too for a long time used to get catches every now and then especially on acrylics. But I have persevered and now it is very seldom that I get a catch whether it be on acrylics or wood and if I do it is due to my lack of concentration on the job at hand.
Practice makes perfect.

Cheers
Tony

As Canuk says, Knocking off the corners is a great start.

For a while I was using the sander to take a fair bit of material off to the nearly round stage. This is easier enough with bigger blanks.

Now I start without this step. I find that by initially working in from both ends is a really good way to proceed.

Hey Bassman,
I haven't used the pen pro,
but i do turn a lot of acrylic pens, and so far i have only had one explode, and that was due to a crack that was already in it and i thought i had glued it back up enough,
And the only tools i use are roughing gouges, spindle gouges and occasionally my bowl gouge, if i could offer advice it would be to learn to use them as they are great, as long as they are kept sharp,
best of luck
cheers Ben

Originally Posted by bassmansimon

Thanks canuk. What brand are you using?

The one I use is from Easy Wood Tools, and it is the rougher that is used for pen making. I know it sounds wrong, but that's the one to use. I believe there are two sizes in this line, and I have the smaller one.

Good luck

Canuk

The Woodchuck has two sizes in the blades (tips) - R2 and R4. It is a good idea to buy a couple of spares from Bruce to save postage costs later. The blade (4 sided) will last a long while. I use the smaller blade for pens. I tried the larger blade once and slid my finger along the tool to remove some chips. Yep, managed to slice my finger open as the larger blade extends out more and I forgot and wasn't watching. The blade was so sharp it was almost a surgical cut. It really is a great tool for woodturners and surgeons.