That's funny, I was thinking of getting into pen turning and I was just
about to fire off a post asking for advise. I've been out of college for
about a year now and I've wanted to assemble my own woodshop for a few
years. Unfortunately, I'm in an apartment right now and it's going to be at
least a year before I can buy a house or condo that has a basement or garage
big enough for a small shop. So, pen turning seems like a good hobby to tide
me over until I have the space for a shop. It requires a fairly small amount
of equipment, it's not too loud, doesn't take a lot of space and it's fairly
inexpensive to get started. Granted, I've never turned a pen and I can't
offer any experiences on equipment,etc; but I'm taking a class for it at the
local Woodcraft next week to see if I like it.

That being said, I've been looking at the JET 708329 Mini Pen Lathe
(information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/35szo and
http://tinyurl.com/2t9kz). I've seen it as low as $99.99 at times, but the
cheapest I can find it online right now is $129.95 at several different
places. I thought about the Jet Mini Lathe that you mentioned, but its more
than I want to spend, it takes up more space than I have and it seems like
an overkill. I plan on using the Mini Pen Lathe on my apartment porch by
rigging up a removable clamping system to my porch rail (don't worry, I'm on
the ground floor), then all I need is a stool and extension cord and I'm
good to go. My Dad has drill press but lives across the state (Michigan) so
whenever I visit I'll bring a bunch of blanks and get them ready for
turning. I don't have any turning tools yet, but I'm going to buy the 5
piece "Mini" HSS Turning Tool Set (http://tinyurl.com/2xb8p) at Woodcraft
when I take the pen turning class since they don't provide the gouges
required for the class.

I'm sure there's a couple of other minor things I'll need but left out, but
I'll know more about it after the class. Maybe the Jet Mini Pen Lathe would
serve your needs as well, and I appreciate any first hand experience or
general comments anyone can give me regarding that lathe.

Greg M


"Benjamin T. Kindt" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I'm about to make the plunge into the pen turning hobby, and I thought
I'd post my initial shopping list here to get some feedback. Am I
going overboard? Am I forgetting anything important?

Many thanks in advance. Here's my list:

JET 708351VS/JML-1014VS Variable Speed Mini Lathe, $299 (plus $25 off
at Amazon this month). I'm not sure if VS is that important, but I
thought I'd go for it rather than regretting not getting it later.

JET JML-S Adjustable Mini Lathe Stand, $119.99. I don't yet have a
good workbench, so this seems like it would work well.

JET 709160 3-Piece Pen Turning Chisel Set, $79.99

Mandrel Set #2 MT, Penn State, $15.70

EEE-Ultra Shine Paste Wax, Penn State, $14.35

Shellawax Cream, 300ml Jar, Penn State, $20.55

4 Grit Sandpaper set, Penn State, $19.95

Plus wood blanks and pen kits. I figure I'll start with pre-drilled
blanks so as to save on the cost of a drill press. I have access to a
bandsaw if needed as well.

Thanks again!

Ben

just as a comment, I bough some mini turning tools(12$ apiece), and found
them to be somewhere around useless, and I regret spending my very low money
supply on them. they are a lot harder to sharpen, they are really fussy
about toolrest position because they have so little leverage, and I bet you
could do just as much with a cheap HF set of tools, and then use them still
if you ever upgrade to a bigger lathe. Correct me if im wrong, but for pens
don't you usually want a smooth flowing form for a lot of it? I was trying
the mini ones for some pen ideas, just drilling and gluing a bit of a
ballpoint pen inside, and it was much harder to get a good curve with the
mini ones, the only useful one being the mini round nose scraper for cutting
really little coves/beads. just my 0.02(and its worth less being canadian
too)
in article , Greg M at
wrote on 3/19/04 5:29 PM:

That's funny, I was thinking of getting into pen turning and I was just
about to fire off a post asking for advise. I've been out of college for
about a year now and I've wanted to assemble my own woodshop for a few
years. Unfortunately, I'm in an apartment right now and it's going to be at
least a year before I can buy a house or condo that has a basement or garage
big enough for a small shop. So, pen turning seems like a good hobby to tide
me over until I have the space for a shop. It requires a fairly small amount
of equipment, it's not too loud, doesn't take a lot of space and it's fairly
inexpensive to get started. Granted, I've never turned a pen and I can't
offer any experiences on equipment,etc; but I'm taking a class for it at the
local Woodcraft next week to see if I like it.

That being said, I've been looking at the JET 708329 Mini Pen Lathe
(information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/35szo and
http://tinyurl.com/2t9kz). I've seen it as low as $99.99 at times, but the
cheapest I can find it online right now is $129.95 at several different
places. I thought about the Jet Mini Lathe that you mentioned, but its more
than I want to spend, it takes up more space than I have and it seems like
an overkill. I plan on using the Mini Pen Lathe on my apartment porch by
rigging up a removable clamping system to my porch rail (don't worry, I'm on
the ground floor), then all I need is a stool and extension cord and I'm
good to go. My Dad has drill press but lives across the state (Michigan) so
whenever I visit I'll bring a bunch of blanks and get them ready for
turning. I don't have any turning tools yet, but I'm going to buy the 5
piece "Mini" HSS Turning Tool Set (http://tinyurl.com/2xb8p) at Woodcraft
when I take the pen turning class since they don't provide the gouges
required for the class.

I'm sure there's a couple of other minor things I'll need but left out, but
I'll know more about it after the class. Maybe the Jet Mini Pen Lathe would
serve your needs as well, and I appreciate any first hand experience or
general comments anyone can give me regarding that lathe.

Greg M


"Benjamin T. Kindt" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I'm about to make the plunge into the pen turning hobby, and I thought
I'd post my initial shopping list here to get some feedback. Am I
going overboard? Am I forgetting anything important?

Many thanks in advance. Here's my list:

JET 708351VS/JML-1014VS Variable Speed Mini Lathe, $299 (plus $25 off
at Amazon this month). I'm not sure if VS is that important, but I
thought I'd go for it rather than regretting not getting it later.

JET JML-S Adjustable Mini Lathe Stand, $119.99. I don't yet have a
good workbench, so this seems like it would work well.

JET 709160 3-Piece Pen Turning Chisel Set, $79.99

Mandrel Set #2 MT, Penn State, $15.70

EEE-Ultra Shine Paste Wax, Penn State, $14.35

Shellawax Cream, 300ml Jar, Penn State, $20.55

4 Grit Sandpaper set, Penn State, $19.95

Plus wood blanks and pen kits. I figure I'll start with pre-drilled
blanks so as to save on the cost of a drill press. I have access to a
bandsaw if needed as well.

Thanks again!

Ben