at the risk of being contrarian, it is actually scarier to go too slow with
a pen blank - i use 3,000 RPM on my Nova Comet (it's like the Jet Mini) but
1500 would be OK - just take it easy and take small cuts - in fact, you
could practice with 3/4 square stock to get the feel for turning if you
haven't made pens before - then when you get the feel, mount up your pen
blanks.

bill n



"Bill in Detroit" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I just got a Jet mini lathe and want to start turning pens. What lathe
speed should I use?


--Scott

Congratulations on having chosen a well-respected lathe for your first
one!

As I write this, you haven't had any other responses, but are sure to get
several. The gang here, when not engaged in sibling warfare, are a pretty
amiable and skilled lot.

From your tone it sounds as if you are new to turning anything at all on a
lathe.

So, let's start at the beginning.

Start with the fastest speed you feel comfortable with ... likely the
slowest speed on the lathe. Even that may, and probably should, scare the
gee-whillikers out of you. Using only a gouge (the one with the curved
lip) and sandpaper, turn a couple pens at this speed.

Place the gouge ON THE TOOL REST before touching the wood with the curved
back of the gouge away from the cutting edge. Then, maintaining contact
with the tool rest, slide the gouge handle toward the floor until the lip
of the gouge JUST begins to cut. This is called 'riding the bevel' and is
the only safe way that I know of for a beginner to enter the wood. The
only difference between your first piece and what I do now, after a couple
years, is that I now start with the cutting edge closer to its final point
so that I no longer make such an exaggerated motion of finding the bevel
to ride on it.

Do not press the edge into the wood. Let the edge do the cutting (slicing,
actually). Your job is simply to guide it.

When that starts going pretty smoothly (and your knuckles return to their
normal color), crank the speed up a bit and repeat the learning process. I
run mine full-tilt-boogie from rough turning of the blank until I am ready
to begin applying finish to it ... then crank it down to dead slow again
to apply oils and CA ... then crank it all the way back up to sand and
polish & wax.

The amount of material spinning around isn't a particular problem, your
tool presentation is your biggest concern at the moment. Learn how to
enter the wood with the cutting edge at a slower speed so the price of
getting it wrong won't be higher than you can live to tell.

Once you are certain you know how to cut wood on the lathe, let 'er rip.


I'd also like to recommend an inexpensive source of pen kits. I don't get
anything from this referral, but the guy has always treated me fairly and
his prices are about the best out there. He's a turner himself and can
also do laser engraving of the finished product.

Contact Ryan Polokoff at http://woodturningz.com for inexpensive pen kits.
My unsolicited advice is to start with the $2.00 kits and branch out into
more expensive kits. Do not forget to buy a mandrel and the necessary
bushings to go with each TYPE of kit you buy.

Harbor Freight has an arbor press for assembly for not much money:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=3551

And micro-mesh is just the ticket for polishing stuff up
http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/craftsman_kits.htm

Welcome to the slippery slope. ;-)

Bill


--
When the rich wage war it's the poor who die.
Jean-Paul Sartre, The Devil and the Good Lord (1951) act 1


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