So my boss comes up and says - I remember a few years ago you made some pens and pencils for everyone for Christmas. Here's a bucket of wood I got from my property, some White Oak that I had made into tables, but took apart parts of it to make some changes.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/bucketofwood.jpg)
Not sure if that was a hint that he wanted another pen and pencil set or not, so I figured I'd better oblige. So I took the wood and made him a pair.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/PenandPencil.jpg)
I think FreePas is rubbing off. ;D
That is nice!
Very nice! I am inpressed.
Thanks, that wood was tough to work with, it kept splitting on me. I could've made about 6 pens from the wasted stock. I think next time I'll do some wood filling with epoxy to help hold it together better. At least I still have a whole bucket to play with.
How long did it take to make that set?
Should've taken about 1/2 hour, but turned out to be an all day project. I didn't have the pen/pencil inserts, glue, sandpaper, and polish. Then the wood didn't want to play, kept splitting on me.
Very nice Kevin. One day I will get around to make some sets also.
Wow, well done! Some day I want to be able to do that.
Thanks guys, it's really not that hard. Just a big outlay of cash for the toys.
Yeah I got a lathe already. Not an expensive one but it's a Delta. Got it with a motor and tools for $50. off craigslist.
Can't beat that. Wish they had Craigslist when I bought mine.
Do you have a mini lathe. Mine is a full size with no bells or whistles, but you can still use it for pens.
I've got two, a mini and a full size. The mini is really cool, it's a Sherline and can also do metals. I made a really cool steam engine with it.
Quote from: KevinG on July 15, 2010, 08:20:42 PM
Then the wood didn't want to play, kept splitting on me.
Kevin,
What kind of glue are you using? If you are using CA glue, it is to hard. Try using gorilla glue. Moisture activates it so you will need a little watter. This is a softer glue and will fill the cracks inside and help prevent splitting.
When turning the pens, prior to getting to the finished size, you can use a piece of sheet batting (like inside quilts, fiber type not cotton), put blue painters tape on one side, and then apply CA glue to the fiber. Coat the pen with the CA glue by hand turning the lath around to coat entire surface. Then finish turning to the proper sized. You may need to repeat as necessary to get the final size. For the CA glue, use the medium viscosity type, not the thin or thick.
The last coating or two you will sand off.
Oak is very porous so it is not a real good choice for turning small items. Bowls are a better choice as they are bigger but I realize you are limited to what you were given.
If you need additional information on turning, PM me and I can get you in touch with my brother. He is a woodworking master and has offered to help you out with any techniques or questions you may have. He provided the information above as I have seen him use this technique before. He mentioned how soft deer antlers are and that you use almost a whole bottle glue. He laughed and said you almost end up with nothing but CA in the final product but the results are stunning.
Quote from: KevinG on July 15, 2010, 08:59:39 PM
I've got two, a mini and a full size. The mini is really cool, it's a Sherline and can also do metals. I made a really cool steam engine with it.
Post a picture of that bad boy! Would love to see.
The only things I can make with my hands are a mess! ;D
Very nice work.
I like working on my mini lathe also. i make pot calls and strikers for turkey hunting.
I'm hopeless - I have three lathes!
Wow. How cool is that...
I can't even color within the lines.
Quote from: Gizmo on July 15, 2010, 09:14:43 PM
Quote from: KevinG on July 15, 2010, 08:20:42 PM
Then the wood didn't want to play, kept splitting on me.
Kevin,
What kind of glue are you using? If you are using CA glue, it is to hard. Try using gorilla glue. Moisture activates it so you will need a little watter. This is a softer glue and will fill the cracks inside and help prevent splitting.
When turning the pens, prior to getting to the finished size, you can use a piece of sheet batting (like inside quilts, fiber type not cotton), put blue painters tape on one side, and then apply CA glue to the fiber. Coat the pen with the CA glue by hand turning the lath around to coat entire surface. Then finish turning to the proper sized. You may need to repeat as necessary to get the final size. For the CA glue, use the medium viscosity type, not the thin or thick.
The last coating or two you will sand off.
Oak is very porous so it is not a real good choice for turning small items. Bowls are a better choice as they are bigger but I realize you are limited to what you were given.
If you need additional information on turning, PM me and I can get you in touch with my brother. He is a woodworking master and has offered to help you out with any techniques or questions you may have. He provided the information above as I have seen him use this technique before. He mentioned how soft deer antlers are and that you use almost a whole bottle glue. He laughed and said you almost end up with nothing but CA in the final product but the results are stunning.
I started with CA and then switched to epoxy. I didn't think about gorilla glue cause I've only seen that used on wood alone - the centers have a brass tube so I didn't think it'd stick to it. I agree with the porous - holy cow, that stuff opens up every chance it gets. Kinda why it took so many attempts and part of the reason for the all day project. Just couldn't think of anything else to build with it - and the boss hinted at the pen thing anyhow - good thing I only have one boss, otherwise I'd be here all day making sawdust out of a bucket of wood. Probably make some jewelry boxes out of the rest or something that doesn't require turning, too much of a pain to turn that stuff. Thanks to both you and your brother!
Quote from: classicrockgriller on July 15, 2010, 09:21:18 PM
Quote from: KevinG on July 15, 2010, 08:59:39 PM
I've got two, a mini and a full size. The mini is really cool, it's a Sherline and can also do metals. I made a really cool steam engine with it.
Post a picture of that bad boy! Would love to see.
The only things I can make with my hands are a mess! ;D
Wasn't sure if you wanted the lathe or the steam engine, so here's the lathe. Obviously it's currently set up for wood turning pens, I've got about 1 million attachments for this thing - it can do just about anything (small that is).
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/SherlineLathe.jpg)
Here's the steam engine, it was a real fun project but expensive as all get go. I couldn't get anybody to sell me scrap metal, so I had to buy fresh stock and let me tell you, they don't want to sell you a small piece, you've got to buy a whole bar (about 9 feet long and 1" in diameter for aluminum and 2 feet long by 3" diameter for brass) or sheet aluminum (5 feet by 3 feet 1/4 inch thick).
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/100_0493.jpg)
Kevin, your pen/pencil sets are incredible. I thought they could only be made in China ;D
You should really post a video of the process. I think a lot of people would be amazed.
Now, if I cut down an oak tree and send you a hunk ... :D
Quote from: ArnieM on July 16, 2010, 08:51:12 AM
Kevin, your pen/pencil sets are incredible. I thought they could only be made in China ;D
You should really post a video of the process. I think a lot of people would be amazed.
Now, if I cut down an oak tree and send you a hunk ... :D
;D ;D Thanks Arnie.
Please no more oak - I'll be here all day again. Get some burl, those make some beautiful pens.
Nice job on the pen and pencil set. I like your steam engine also. I do not have a mini lathe or a dedicated lathe but a Shop Smith and I have made many pens and other things on it. Here is my latest creation
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/rmpearson12/bench2.jpg)
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/rmpearson12/bench1.jpg)
The center is a cutting board the wife bought and I grabbed, Trimmed in Walnut and
the risers are Mahogany. Does the job for tying flies while watching TV.
Looks beautiful Ross. I'm glad you told us what is was :D
That is some nice work Ross and Kevin.
Congrats to both of you.
Quote from: RossP on July 16, 2010, 09:54:29 AM
Nice job on the pen and pencil set. I like your steam engine also. I do not have a mini lathe or a dedicated lathe but a Shop Smith and I have made many pens and other things on it. Here is my latest creation
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/rmpearson12/bench2.jpg)
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/rmpearson12/bench1.jpg)
The center is a cutting board the wife bought and I grabbed, Trimmed in Walnut and
the risers are Mahogany. Does the job for tying flies while watching TV.
Gotta admit I too was baffled at first, but now I want one. That beats tying flies in my 110° garage.
I will take a picture of it tonight when I get home and post it full of tools and stuff.
Looks a lot different when it is full.
Ross
That'd be interesting. Kinda wondering how you sit with it too, does it just sit on your lap, or to the arms rest on the arms of your chair?
I just put it in my lap, I use a portable Otto Light and away I go. The wife does not like it when i tie with Maraboo but all I do is remind her of all the fish I bring home for her and that seems to do the trick. She also fishes so that helps. Great for taking it fishing trips also. Nice to be able to tie some flies at night around the fire.
Here's a sample of some other projects I did too.
Here's a trebuchet I made not using a single nail or screw, and it actually fires. Shoots marbles pretty far. Took it to work one day and got in trouble ;D
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/100_0989.jpg)
Here's a keepsake box I made. I actually made 5 of these and gave all but one away as gifts.
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/100_0002.jpg)
(http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz53/63KevinG/Woodworking/100_0003.jpg)
Nice dude. Too bad you live so far away we could really get into some serious trouble
if you were closer. Love the Trebuchet, our mens group from church made one that
chucked 10lb blocks of concrete about 200 yards. It was mounted to a flat deck trailer
that we took to a men's retreat. I will try and dig up some pictures of it and our Tater Canon
that we built.
Now that sounds like fun!
Well now that I am back at trucking, We haul into a hardwood importer so I get all kinds of chunks of exotics. I picked up a nice piece of Purple Heart, a 6' board of tiger wood that got broken and various pieces of Jatoba. So when I get around to making some pens I will have some nice wood to work with.
Nice steam engine too by the way. I was trying to get good plans to make a propane steam engine so I could hook it to a generator. If the big earthquake hits I can always find bottles of propane in peoples backyards in the middle of the night. Just kidding. ;D ;D
Quote from: RossP on July 16, 2010, 02:39:44 PM
Nice dude. Too bad you live so far away we could really get into some serious trouble
if you were closer.
Agree 100% That stuff is fun to do.
Quote from: RossP on July 16, 2010, 02:39:44 PMour mens group from church made one that
chucked 10lb blocks of concrete about 200 yards. It was mounted to a flat deck trailer
that we took to a men's retreat.
You have one pretty cool men's group. Mine just wants to play golf and watch TV.
The favorite Pen and Pencil sets I've made were for my mom and dad on their 50th. Mom's dad was a cabinemaker all his life, and gave me a piece of crate wood when I was but a strapping lad, 20 years before he died that I made her set from. Dad's dad liked to cut wood for the fireplace and always had a pile of wood to cut. The last time I was at their place before he died, I picked up a small piece of Live Oak that had a big knot in it. Surrounding the knot, was some of the most gorgeous figured Live Oak I had ever seen. His set was made from that.
Quote from: RossP on July 16, 2010, 09:54:29 AM
Nice job on the pen and pencil set. I like your steam engine also. I do not have a mini lathe or a dedicated lathe but a Shop Smith and I have made many pens and other things on it. Here is my latest creation
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/rmpearson12/bench2.jpg)
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/rmpearson12/bench1.jpg)
The center is a cutting board the wife bought and I grabbed, Trimmed in Walnut and
the risers are Mahogany. Does the job for tying flies while watching TV.
Yours is lots nicer than mine. That's gorgeous. Very similar, bu made mine out of maple or was it birch? Stained it green for some reason (I think I had it left over from something else) but where you have the former cutting board, I put a piece of corian.
Quote from: Quarlow on July 16, 2010, 03:26:53 PM
Well now that I am back at trucking, We haul into a hardwood importer so I get all kinds of chunks of exotics. I picked up a nice piece of Purple Heart, a 6' board of tiger wood that got broken and various pieces of Jatoba. So when I get around to making some pens I will have some nice wood to work with.
Nice steam engine too by the way. I was trying to get good plans to make a propane steam engine so I could hook it to a generator. If the big earthquake hits I can always find bottles of propane in peoples backyards in the middle of the night. Just kidding. ;D ;D
Lucky you!! That purple heart makes for some beautiful stuff. I made a wine goblet out of it and it was awesome. Tiger wood is some pretty cool looking stuff too, I haven't had the pleasure of playing with that yet. - and stay away from my propane ;D :D ;D
Kevin & Ross ... beautiful work! I've been away for a couple of weeks and the first thing I see when I come back is this thread. What a beauty. You both make me jealous. On a good day I can drive a nail into a pine 2x4 and that's as far as my skills with wood go. Tremendous work, both of you!
Thanks BLSH, I guess high school woodshop paid off after all. Just hope I don't lose any fingers like my instructor.
Nice pens Kevin
Thanks Deb! Bet they aint even half as good to eat as that home made cheese you do. ;D
Same happened to mine, who was also a good family friend, in class. School system was too cheap to buy thickness planers so he regularly used a wide jointer as a planer where he used his left hand to keep downward pressure on the stock as it went over the blades. Got a kickback one day on a hard piece of maple, four finger tips of left hand went so fast said he never felt it.
I use to love watching the original "This old house" That carpenter "Riley" every so often would lobe a finger off. Towards the end of Bob Vlia's era old Riley didn't have many fingers left. But he was a heck of a good worker....except for the finger thing. :D :D :D
If I lost a finger playing with something, I wouldn't play with it any more.
I'd take my toys and go home.
That's why we have 10, just in case.
Measure twice, cut once and count your fingers. Repeat as needed!
You guys do some incredible work!
Very, Very gifted....Just amazing.