On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 20:01:02 GMT, Mark Russell wrote:

enough with the bowels turning. I also want to turn pens. what are
some good suppliers of pen kits? What kind of tools do you use in your
pen turning? What kind of wood is best to practice on? I know I will
ruin a lot of wood before I get "good"

Initial investment for fun pen turning is about $30 to $50 if you already have
basic turning tools...

I tried 3 different mandrels (the thing that hold the wood you're turning for
the pen) and really am happy with this one:

http://www.pocwoodworking.com/index....ROD&ProdID=290

It comes with a set of bushings (size guides when turning) and a drill bit, so
you're ready to turn pens..

I'd start with 10 or 15 "slimline" pen kits.. they're priced from $1.70 and have
everything you need to make a pen, except a couple of wood scraps and some
glue..

My wife bought me a pen press, which is handy, but not really needed:

http://www.pocwoodworking.com/index....ROD&ProdID=212

If you have a friend that turns pens, or somewhere nearby that sells
"predrilled" pen blanks, you can look at one and see what/how/where, etc.. you
need to start...
If not order a few and duplicate them...

http://www.pocwoodworking.com/index....TS&Category=35

As you can see, my links are from Pens of Color... I really like their stuff,
their service is outstanding and I can't find better prices on kits.... most
kits come with instructions...

Your basic pen is made from 2 pieces of whatever you want to turn, with a normal
starting size of 3/4" x 3/4" x 2" with a hole drilled down the center... you can
see that the definition of "scrap" gets a lot smaller when you do pens... I can
make a few pens from the stock left from cutting a bowl blank..

If you ask him REAL nice, Chaz might send you a copy of his "pens made easy",
which has a lot of great info..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm