On May 29, 11:20 am, "Leon" wrote:
Hi Larry,

IIRC you work at Woodcraft. I am getting into pen turning and would
like know if pen styles/turning sizes are the same from different
manufacturers. Basically what I want to know is if the Woodcraft bushing
set is unique to the specific Woodcraft Pen Kit that is made for or if that
bushing set would work with other brand pens of the same style.

Thanks

Leon

Leon - I have turned a ton of pens. I have turned kits from Craft
Supplies, Woodcraft, and a bought a few kits here and there from
different folks that are no longer with us.

The mandrels are basically the same no matter who you go with, as well
as the tubes, etc. BUT, even though the bushings look the same, they
may not be. My Woodcraft bushings do not work well with my Craft
Supplies kits and never have. The good news is that once you have the
mandrel, the bushings are usually pretty damn cheap.

So Leon old salt..... what in the world brings this on? A search for
new challenges? Be careful, here. Pen turning is fun and they make
great gifts. I finally made so damn many I quit!

Have you bought your lathe? (Details, please).

Have you bought all your tools and finishing supplies?

Heck, I didn't even know you were a turner!

Wait.... Festool didn't come out with a new lathe, did they? ;^)

Check out this most recent thread on the turning group:

http://tinyurl.com/4ammrf

You can see there is two different schools of thought. To me the sky
is the limit on what you can make, the pen only being the mechanics.
There are a couple of guys on WoodCentral's turning forum that only
turn pens and their work is spectacular, much better than anything I
have ever turned out.

But to others, you simply assemble the kit as is with a piece of wood
as a barrel, and you are finished. What's the big deal.

You gotta tell me what got you going in this direction.

Robert