My first go on the lathe...

[thedonutman]

Produced this:

Turns out it wasn't tight enough without the brass tubes and it wouldn't spin with the mandrel, making it very hard to turn. So I glued some tubes in, trimmed them and produced this:

Stupidly I tried to test fit all the parts without putting any finish on the pen or even fine sanding it and now I can't take it apart again! Ah well, lesson learned! I didn't want to use the nice pen blanks I had so I used a bit of Sapele from some guitar offcuts. I think it must need grain filling or something.

 

[johnny.t.]

Well done TDM, its good to have made something, keep it, it will be good to look back on later
Make sure you finish the next one(sanding/some sort of finish), keep it up 8)

JT

 

[DaveL]

Hi,

f you want to practise turning on the mandrel, you need to drill a hole that matches the diameter of the mandrel, not the brass tube.

You can buy a pen dissembler that will allow you to get the thing apart again, its on my list of things to buy.

I sand my pens with 120, 180, 240, 360, 600 and 1200 abrasive paper and then finish with the fine (grey) webrax, before putting the finish on. Very sharp tools help, I found this harder than turning until I bought some jigs.

If that is the first thing you have turned then you have done very well.

 

[Dalboy]

We all had to start somewhere and as a first turning a good job. We all learn from mistakes keep it up there's no going back now

 

[Bodrighy]

Pretty impressive first turning if you ask me. Should be seeing some good things coming out of your workshop soon by the look of it.

pete

 

[Paul.J]

Looks to be a good one DNM,for a firt one
No doubt we will be seeing more soon,now you're hooked

 

[John. B]

If this keeps up we'll have to have a separate forum for pens (joking)
Well done TDM it's pretty good for a first time on a lathe.
I think the next lesson to be learned will be patience

John .B

 

[Woodmagnet]

Looks like your off to a great start Donut,
practise, practise, practise is the only
advice i can give you. :wink:

 

[Bodrighy]

If this keeps up we'll have to have a separate forum for pens (joking)
Well done TDM it's pretty good for a first time on a lathe.
I think the next lesson to be learned will be patience

John .B

Some of the forums do and I think that there is at leasts sone totally dedicated to pens.

Pete

 

[johnny.t.]

.....I think that there is at leasts some totally dedicated to pens.

Are they in your computers 'favorites' list Pete? :lol: :lol: :lol:

JT

 

[Bodrighy]

.....I think that there is at leasts some totally dedicated to pens.

Are they in your computers 'favorites' list Pete? :lol: :lol: :lol:

JT

Yeah dozens of 'em.... :twisted: ( :lol: )

They get everywhere
Pete

 

[thedonutman]

I made another pen today and it came out much better this time. I also tried to do a bowl with some offcuts of Sapele I had. The outside seemed easy enough to do but when it came to the inside the bowl gouge kept "catching" on the wood as I cut and it was rather scary. Am I doing something horribly wrong and dangerous? How should the bowl gouge be orientated and moving to stop this?

 

[gandy]

reminds me of my 1st bowl

i wonder if the dent is still in the (cheep plaster) wall in my old school hehe

its pretty good for a 1st go, and lets face it, you can only get better in time

 

[CHJ]

thedonutman, do you have a copy of the The Keith Rowley book
It will give a good grounding in tool presentation.

 

[thedonutman]

I think I'm getting slightly better at this.

The one on the left is some mystery wood I got with the Rutlands kit and the one on the right is "Wanx River Rosewood" that I got from craft supplies today. I also picked up some Bocote and Padauk which I've yet to use.

I have a feeling the Bocote will totally knacker my tools, need to get a sharpening setup......

 

[johnny.t.]

Thats more like it Nice pens there. very well done 8)

JT

 

[Steve Jones]

Nice pens, well done

Steve

 

[mark sanger]

well done.

Keep em coming .

 

[DaveL]

Good progress, keep them coming.

 

[thedonutman]

Did a Bocote one today: