WoodPens - Woodsmith Woodworking Seminars

applied quick-set glue to the barrels,see Step 3. But don’t use the kind thatsets up instantly — you need a littlebit of time to push the barrel insidethe blank so it’s flush with one end.BARREL TRIMMER. If you don’t mindspending a little more money, a barreltrimmer does a neater job thansandpaper when it comes to squaringup the ends of the blanks, seemargin photo on page 24. This trimmerhas a shaft that fits inside the barrelafter it’s glued in place, see Step 3.As you twist it, the cutters scrape theend of the blank square to the barrel.TURN BLANKS. After the blanks aretrimmed to the right length, it’s timeto turn the blanks down to size, seeSteps 4-6. (I used a spindle gouge.)The blanks are mounted on a steelmandrel with three bushings thatmatch the finished diameter of thepen tip, center ring, and cap.STRAIGHT SIDES. Since I turned theblanks with the drill press, they’reheld upright rather than horizontal.With this orientation, it’s a little trickyto tell if you’re turning the blanksstraight. So you have to tilt your headoccasionally to check your progress.The goal here is to rough out theblanks until there’s a slight shoulderat the bushings, see detail ‘a’ in Step5. The sides should be straight orbowed out just slightly.SANDING BOARD. Now to keep theblanks straight while reducing themto their final diameter, I used 150-gritsandpaper mounted to a board, seeStep 6. Then when the blanks wereclose to final size (I used a calipers tocheck my progress), I set the boardaside and did the finish sanding byhand, working my way up to 600-grit.FINISH & ADD MECHANISM. All that’s leftnow is to apply the finish and thenpress the pen mechanism into thebarrels, see Steps 7 and 8.The nice thing about finishing theblanks is that you can do it whilethey’re turning on the drill press. Andthough you can apply almost any finish,there are special waxes and turningfinishes available.When you add the mechanism, theblanks can be oriented in any direction.And you may find that one endof each blank is just a hair larger thanthe other. I used my calipers to findthe end closest in diameter to the centerring. This produces the smoothestfit, since the center ring is the part ofthe pen you feel the most. Wa.a.4With the blanks secured to themandrel (see margin) mount itto the drill press and turning jig.5Next, turn the blanks slightly largerthan the bushings. Blanks can bestraight or bowed slightly, see detail.6Now the final shaping can bedone with 150-grit sandpapermounted to a board.7Set the sanding board aside andfinish sand the blanks to 600-grit.Reduce the speed and apply a finish.8To add the pen mechanism, usea wood vise, holding the piecesstraight as they’re pressed together.PEN SUPPLIES• %/8" x %/8" - 5" (rgh.) Wood Blank• Pen Mechanism Kit• 7mm Twist or Brad Point Drill Bit• Quick-set or Instant Glue• Turning Jig (see page 26) orLathe*• Mandrel w/Bushings*• Spindle Gouge• Vise with Wood Jaws• Barrel Trimmer (Optional)* To turn pens with a lathe, you’ll needa live center and a mandrel with aMorse taper.No. 108 Woodsmith 25