Woodworking Articles & Tips
Making a Pen with Your New Wood Lathe
By Kaitlin Carruth
So you just purchased a wood lathe but do not know what kind of
project you should start out with. As soon as the right amount of
skill is obtained, beautiful pieces of woodwork can be created with
a wood lathe. However, before you get too over your head, it is
best to start out with a basic woodturning project. My recommendation
would be beginning by carving your very own pen.
Pen turning is a common hobby or past time. These homemade pens
can make excellent gifts for any event. Pen turning is a fun yet
practical project that can help you get a taste of the capabilities
of your wood lathe. The following are some tips in preparing your
wood for the lathe that will help you make your first wood lathe
experience successful.
1. Pick an interesting wood blank. One of the great things
about pen turning is you can use any sort of wood you want, including
scrap pieces from other projects. Pick out a piece of wood with
interesting figuring. Be aware that some wood changes appearance
with light and air exposure and will begin to look dull with time,
such as Paduak or Purple Heart wood. If you are not comfortable
using a scrap piece of wood there are numerous wood blanks that
can be purchased in all sorts of exotic woods.
2. Examine your wood. It is very important that you examine the
wood you are using for your pen project. Make sure that your wood
is dry and without faults or cracks. Damp and cracked wood will
make for a lousy pen, if you can even make one out of that type
of wood at all.
3. It is better to be oversized than undersized. If you have
to choose between an oversized wood blank and an undersized blank,
always choose the oversized one. This will give you some leeway
just in case you make a mistake.
4. Have an idea. As with everything else in life, your pen will
turn out better if you have an idea on what you want to create before
you start. Decide before using the wood lathe on what type of shape
you want your pen to be.
5. Mark the wood blank before you cut. It is nice to put a pencil
mark across the grain of the wood before you start. This will make
it easier to match up the grain pattern after you cut the wood blank.
6. Make sure your ends are square. If the ends of your wood blank
are not perfectly square before using the wood lathe, there will
be possibilities of cracking when the pen is assembled.
7. The smaller wood lathe the better. This tip is really just meant
to make your life easier. Any wood lathe is suitable for pen turning;
however, the smaller the wood lathe the easier your job is.
8. Keep it simple the first couple of times. It is tempting to want
to do some fun and intricate pen shapes the first couple of times
but stick to the basics until you figure out just exactly what it
is you are doing.
A pen is an easy project that can help you with the beginning possibilities
of your new wood lathe. After you conquer creating your own pen,
there are several other projects to start with such as table and
chair legs, wooden bowls, wooden hammers, candle sticks, or even
pieces to a chess set. Just remember to begin with a simple project
with your wood lathe to get use to your new tool before
attempting more difficult projects.
Kaitlin Carruth is a client account specialist with 10xMarketing- More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information about wood lathes, please visit Tool America