On Sun, 25 May 2008 00:02:44 -0400, errfrsdaf wrote:

I was drawn kicking and screaming into pens after years of bowl turning..

I was NOT a "spindle turner"...

They're now a steady source of income and I get several referrals a year for
them..

The starter kits are just that... Simple kits, lots of rosewood blanks, etc...

I hated the constraints of the "slimline" pens, mostly because of the wasp waist
thing..
This is caused by the size of the center band, as that and the ends determine
the size of the finished pen..
I played with that a bit and found that if I either trashed the band or made my
own, I could have a lot of different shapes and still use the cheap kits..

Try NOT using a center bushing on a few slimlines... Where the 2 blanks meet,
you can burn a line with wire to accent the seam or a line above and below it to
hide it.. Gives you instant shape choices..

If I can answer any questions, etc., feel free to email me..

I don't mean to offend anyone by this post but I'm not sure
I understand the driving force behind pen making. The reason
I am posting is that I was given an old lathe a month or so
ago and I've about got it ready to run again. I was wanted
to make a simple gift for the person who gave me the lathe.
I was ordering some centers and noticed a pen making kit.
I ordered the kit but I question the value of the gift.
(only as a craftsman looking at my own work not the monetary
value) To me it seems that anyone who gets this kit is
going to end up with the same pen (assuming an equal skill
level). There are only so many ways you can shape it and
make it feel good in the hand. You basically finish them
all the same way. The blanks are what you get. The only
variable I see it the wood or plastic you choose for the
blank, then after that, a machine could have done it. So
why do you guys make pens? Am I missing something?
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **


mac

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