Thank you Brendan. I think your training in logic to become a maths teacher is showing through. I haven't made a pen for a while so you've whet my interest to get going on some. Best wishes, Alan.
+Alan Simpson Thanks Alan, pens are infectious. We don't make any for a while and then we see someone else make them and they become the main focus for a couple of weeks. I have a run of the big pens to make as well so I'll be getting lots of practice. Best Wishes, Brendan.
+The Little Garden Shed Workshop Thanks Harry. I wish I'd seen this video whenI started making pens because I learned to organise blanks the hard way. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Welcome back, Brendan, and thanks for sharing your system. Drilling on the lathe is much better than struggling with a vise in a drill press, you're right. I call my condition CDO, it's like OCD but the better because the letters are alphabetical.
+Dave Potts LOL, thanks Dave. I used to drill blanks on the drill press but wasn't happy with the results, especially on small blanks. The lathe is a lot better.
Thanks Chris, I have stil to watch your last video but I'm kinda saving it up because I enjoy them so much. Iceland tonight, I've got my mugs of tea ready. Good luck. Best Wishes, Brendan.
I haven't uploaded a video for a long time now.I am almost ready to start up again.Enjoy the match....Come on Iceland !! ( I am A viking after all !! )
Hi Brendan! Very nice system to organize the blanks my friend! I guess I would go crazy if I had so many blanks and not a system similar to yours! Great advice mate! Cheers! Daniel
+Daniel Vilarino Thank you Daniel. I dropped a tray of blanks one time that had no marks and it cost me a lot of time to get them matching up again... a lot more time than it takes to mark them now. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Fantastic Video Brendan and one I would recommend anyone who turns pens to watch. Take care Brendan. Cheers, Huw PS I also put a sharpie mark on the inside of the tubes at the nib and clip ends so once the pen is turned I still know which end is which.
Thanks Huw, that's a brilliant tip o the Sharpie because I have often dropped a blank during assembly and ca't work out which end is which. i'll be doing that from now on. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Brendan I have just come across your site. I am retired and took up turning a year ago and have now found an interest in pens. I hope you are still turning and really appreciate the time and effort in your sharing your skill, Keep safe, John
Hi Brendan, It's nice to see you back mate, I hadn't seen you on CRIME WATCH so I wasn't so worried. Really good pen blank tips, can't wait for your pen turning video's. Take care my friend. Cheers Andy
+Andrew Smith LOL, thanks Andrew. I will try to remember to do a video when I start making some of these... I have plenty of opportunities. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Well now that is a lot of pen blanks Brendan. Very organized (ocd) and looks be be a lot of fun. I've never turned a pen but the vape tubes I do are pretty close I guess. Take care my friend and do a kindness Mark
+MARK Baid I've never done a vape tube because I used to smoke (very heavily) so I'm scared that I might start at that. I don't know anything about it but I'm sure, just as I got to love it, the reports of deadly deaths from vaping would soon start coming in. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Brendan - what you have is CDO - it is the same thing as OCD but arranged in alphabetical order! Great video. I would be interested in how you make sure your drill is bang on.
+Alan Erickson LOL, thanks Alan. I have some more work to do on the lathe but I will do a video showing what I do to get it square before the next run in a couple of weeks. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Very thorough explanation of your process Brendan, I suffer from NOBNQ - nearly organised but not quite! ;) Loved to see your methods mate. Cheers Mike
+Mike Waldt LOL, thanks Mike. I actually love this type of process because it's almost mindless when I get going and I can get into a nice rhythm which makes the time go quickly. I never do two types of pen at once, that gets complicated with different lengths, drill bits etc. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Great info Brendan, thanks. I just did a small batch (about 30) prior to watching your video and I can fully understand why you do it this way. I also drill on the lathe, although the tailstock is not as accurate as I would like, I manage OK, even with smaller blanks.
+Ian Maude Thanks Ian, I find that even if the lathe isn't absolutely accurate it still does a better job than a drill press because there seems to be a lot more movement in the spindle on a drill press, well... unless it's a dead expensive one. Best Wishes, Brendan.
+DingoDave S Hi Dave, I'll do that for sure. I have some work on the lathe right now but, as soon as it's off, I'll do a video then. I intend to do lots of short videos on my entire pen making process highlighting each step or process as I go rather than make a huge, long, pen making video that needs editing (I can't find the time to learn to edit even though I have bought a good editing suite). If I get the work done this afternoon I'll fire a video up tonight or as soon as I can. Best Wishes, Brendan.
+BMac Woodturning Hi Brendan, Thanks for that. My lathe does not centre properly which is why I recently got a pillar drill. The lathe when centred properly seems to be the better option. Regards Dave
+Michael Flynn Happy Easter to you too Michael. I like doing this to have blanks ready for times I need a few pens quickly. I'll not turn all of these at once.
Hi Brendon, good explanation on why you mark up the blanks. Can I ask why you knock the lathe out of square to put it back into square when you know it was in square for drilling 🤔 take care regards Glyn
+Ting's Turning's Hi Glyn, I do that because, over time, the lathe creeps out of square when I am doing big stuff. I got caught out with a very expensive blank that I milled partially, sanded true on the lathe (I'll show that process in a video soon) and, when I assembled the pen, the transmission was off square and the pen didn't work properly. When I went through everything I had used to square the blank I discovered a tiny discrepancy, hardly visible, in the lathe and that's what left the blank out of square. Since then, every time I need to do very accurate work, I loosen the headstock and realign it with the tailstock. I might not need to do it but it satisfies me that the lathe is perfect. Best Wishes, Brendan.
+Dale Calder It's happening again... I had typed a reply to you earlier and it has disappeared. I dropped a batch of blanks one time that had no markings and it was a long, tedious, job getting them organised again.
Hi Alan, thank you. I get blanks from all over the place. I buy in lots of 10 or 20 from Ebay and cut up hardwood flooring if I can get my hands on unusual stuff. Acacia flooring makes beautiful pens so, if there's a flooring company near you, ask if you can look in their scrap bin and make the guys some pens. They will start putting unusual or high quality offcuts aside for you. I don't buy ready cut pen blanks in woodturning stores because, say a blank is £1, well if you buy the same spindle blank that's 3" square and 5" or 6" long for £3 you will get 16 blanks from it. A blank 10" long for £5 will give you 32 blanks. That's how to build up stock. Don't waste time turning crappy wood, that just gets frustrating because when you get to pen blank size the failures increase exponentially. Another source is joinery shops, especially ones that make good quality furniture because they will have good offcuts. There is a guy on Ebay from NI called 'gortwood' (and some numbers I think). He does good quality blanks at reasonable prices. I have bought a lot of blanks from him. Just remembered, for exotic blanks, I buy from a company in England called ExoticHardwoodsUK. I can't put the link in or this will go to Spam. I have had some lovely blanks from them. Another source is swopping with other turners. If there are any clubs near you there will always be people willing to trade blanks. I was worried, one time, that I would never have enough blanks... now I've banned myself buying any more (unless they are really nice). Be careful, pen turning is a slippery slope. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Thanks Brendan!! Been looking on eBay & places but wasn't sure if that was the best option!! Love making pens & small pots!! Not sure what clubs are about Portadown?
You're in Portadown!! I'm in Derrymacash. We'll get you out here and I'll sort you out with pen blanks and wood. I go to the Woodshed, in Templepatrick, every month to see demos organised by the Ulster Chapter of the Irish Woodturners' Guild. We see big names like Nick Agar last month and cindy Drozda, Jimmy Clewes, Yan Marot etc. Also, on Tuesday nights there are demos in the Woodshed by local turners that are well attended. The best part is the craic and company. Here's my email, send me an email as I can't contact you on here. brendan.mcareavy@gmail.com.
+lifeinthailand LOL, it sometimes does feel like that. I'm taking a break for a couple of days because the thought of gluing these is depressing me LOL.
Yeah that's crazy detailed prep, but a little time detailing organization beats an perceived eternity of the whaling and gnashin of teeth ... as I instinctively absorb this truth, my thermometer verifies and reminds, sitting right on 66.6 degrees. It's a sign ... do not go through hell boy, if you can possibly avoid it! O_O do not go through hell! except a little bit, to avoid a lot of it.
+tblbaby LOL, I impose order on myself but usually only after a related disaster. I tend to learn from experience, bad experience. A little bit of Hell does seem to prevent a whole lot of it. Best Wishes, Brendan.
+PCman70 LOL Sean, I wondered who might ask about that... if there was a prize, and I'm sure it would have been a car or something really good, you would have won it. I was making two different types of razor handle and didn't have bushings for one type so 11.42 was the diameter I needed to get the pressed in parts of the kit to fit with a nice feel. I would often write critical measurements on masking tape and stick them on the tailstock because it saves having to keep checking what I need with a Vernier. Best Wishes, Brendan.
Thank you Brendan. I think your training in logic to become a maths teacher is showing through.
I haven't made a pen for a while so you've whet my interest to get going on some.
Best wishes,
Alan.
+Alan Simpson Thanks Alan, pens are infectious. We don't make any for a while and then we see someone else make them and they become the main focus for a couple of weeks. I have a run of the big pens to make as well so I'll be getting lots of practice.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Very well organised Brendan, and sum lovely pen blanks, thank you for sharing.
Take care Harry
+The Little Garden Shed Workshop Thanks Harry. I wish I'd seen this video whenI started making pens because I learned to organise blanks the hard way.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Welcome back, Brendan, and thanks for sharing your system. Drilling on the lathe is much better than struggling with a vise in a drill press, you're right. I call my condition CDO, it's like OCD but the better because the letters are alphabetical.
+Dave Potts LOL, thanks Dave. I used to drill blanks on the drill press but wasn't happy with the results, especially on small blanks. The lathe is a lot better.
Excellent video Brendan, I too mark all over my blanks to keep them together and to properly orient them. great minds.Regards,Bob
+RJBWoodTurner And left-handed too! Thanks Bob.
Hi Brendan !!
Thanks for sharing these tips with us all.
Cheers.
Chris.
Thanks Chris, I have stil to watch your last video but I'm kinda saving it up because I enjoy them so much. Iceland tonight, I've got my mugs of tea ready. Good luck.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
I haven't uploaded a video for a long time now.I am almost ready to start up again.Enjoy the match....Come on Iceland !! ( I am A viking after all !! )
Excellent suggestion, as always a great video.
+W5CYF / TinkerJohn Thank you John. I've been lying low but I'm going to be firing up more videos soon.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Hi Brendan! Very nice system to organize the blanks my friend! I guess I would go crazy if I had so many blanks and not a system similar to yours! Great advice mate! Cheers! Daniel
+Daniel Vilarino Thank you Daniel. I dropped a tray of blanks one time that had no marks and it cost me a lot of time to get them matching up again... a lot more time than it takes to mark them now.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Fantastic Video Brendan and one I would recommend anyone who turns pens to watch.
Take care Brendan.
Cheers, Huw
PS I also put a sharpie mark on the inside of the tubes at the nib and clip ends so once the pen is turned I still know which end is which.
Thanks Huw, that's a brilliant tip o the Sharpie because I have often dropped a blank during assembly and ca't work out which end is which. i'll be doing that from now on.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Brendan I have just come across your site. I am retired and took up turning a year ago and have now found an interest in pens. I hope you are still turning and really appreciate the time and effort in your sharing your skill, Keep safe, John
Thank you John, I realy appreciate your lovely comment. I am still turning but not making so many videos.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Hi Brendan, It's nice to see you back mate, I hadn't seen you on CRIME WATCH so I wasn't so worried.
Really good pen blank tips, can't wait for your pen turning video's. Take care my friend.
Cheers
Andy
+Andrew Smith LOL, thanks Andrew. I will try to remember to do a video when I start making some of these... I have plenty of opportunities.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Well now that is a lot of pen blanks Brendan. Very organized (ocd) and looks be be a lot of fun. I've never turned a pen but the vape tubes I do are pretty close I guess.
Take care my friend and do a kindness
Mark
+MARK Baid I've never done a vape tube because I used to smoke (very heavily) so I'm scared that I might start at that. I don't know anything about it but I'm sure, just as I got to love it, the reports of deadly deaths from vaping would soon start coming in.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Brendan - what you have is CDO - it is the same thing as OCD but arranged in alphabetical order! Great video. I would be interested in how you make sure your drill is bang on.
+Alan Erickson LOL, thanks Alan. I have some more work to do on the lathe but I will do a video showing what I do to get it square before the next run in a couple of weeks.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Very thorough explanation of your process Brendan, I suffer from NOBNQ - nearly organised but not quite! ;)
Loved to see your methods mate.
Cheers
Mike
+Mike Waldt LOL, thanks Mike. I actually love this type of process because it's almost mindless when I get going and I can get into a nice rhythm which makes the time go quickly. I never do two types of pen at once, that gets complicated with different lengths, drill bits etc.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Great info Brendan, thanks. I just did a small batch (about 30) prior to watching your video and I can fully understand why you do it this way. I also drill on the lathe, although the tailstock is not as accurate as I would like, I manage OK, even with smaller blanks.
+Ian Maude Thanks Ian, I find that even if the lathe isn't absolutely accurate it still does a better job than a drill press because there seems to be a lot more movement in the spindle on a drill press, well... unless it's a dead expensive one.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
holy mackerel that's a load of blanks!
+Pete G LOL, this is how I do pen runs. I prepare lots of blanks to the stage before turning so that I have lots of reserves if I need them.
Hi Brendan,
Would you consider doing a wee video showing how you set up your lathe for drilling blanks.
Thanks
Dave
+DingoDave S Hi Dave, I'll do that for sure. I have some work on the lathe right now but, as soon as it's off, I'll do a video then. I intend to do lots of short videos on my entire pen making process highlighting each step or process as I go rather than make a huge, long, pen making video that needs editing (I can't find the time to learn to edit even though I have bought a good editing suite).
If I get the work done this afternoon I'll fire a video up tonight or as soon as I can.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
+DingoDave Hi Dave, I put the drilling video up today on this channel.
+BMac Woodturning Hi Brendan, Thanks for that. My lathe does not centre properly which is why I recently got a pillar drill. The lathe when centred properly seems to be the better option.
Regards
Dave
+DingoDave S No problem Dave, I love it when someone asks for clarification because that helps other folks too.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
I do the same thing as you, and also the wife always moans about my "OCD"
Cheers my friend...
+Adam Quincey We do it right, all the rest are well out of step.
Your going to be busy Brendan Happy Easter
+Michael Flynn Happy Easter to you too Michael. I like doing this to have blanks ready for times I need a few pens quickly. I'll not turn all of these at once.
Hi Brendon, good explanation on why you mark up the blanks. Can I ask why you knock the lathe out of square to put it back into square when you know it was in square for drilling 🤔 take care
regards Glyn
+Ting's Turning's Hi Glyn, I do that because, over time, the lathe creeps out of square when I am doing big stuff. I got caught out with a very expensive blank that I milled partially, sanded true on the lathe (I'll show that process in a video soon) and, when I assembled the pen, the transmission was off square and the pen didn't work properly. When I went through everything I had used to square the blank I discovered a tiny discrepancy, hardly visible, in the lathe and that's what left the blank out of square. Since then, every time I need to do very accurate work, I loosen the headstock and realign it with the tailstock. I might not need to do it but it satisfies me that the lathe is perfect.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
LOL OCD isn't always a bad thing.(Just look at Ian Knocton's plot for example) I never would have figured that out but it all makes perfect sense.
+Dale Calder It's happening again... I had typed a reply to you earlier and it has disappeared. I dropped a batch of blanks one time that had no markings and it was a long, tedious, job getting them organised again.
Hi Brendan!
Great tips & organisation!! Where do you get your blanks? Somewhere local?
Hi Alan, thank you. I get blanks from all over the place. I buy in lots of 10 or 20 from Ebay and cut up hardwood flooring if I can get my hands on unusual stuff. Acacia flooring makes beautiful pens so, if there's a flooring company near you, ask if you can look in their scrap bin and make the guys some pens. They will start putting unusual or high quality offcuts aside for you. I don't buy ready cut pen blanks in woodturning stores because, say a blank is £1, well if you buy the same spindle blank that's 3" square and 5" or 6" long for £3 you will get 16 blanks from it. A blank 10" long for £5 will give you 32 blanks. That's how to build up stock. Don't waste time turning crappy wood, that just gets frustrating because when you get to pen blank size the failures increase exponentially. Another source is joinery shops, especially ones that make good quality furniture because they will have good offcuts. There is a guy on Ebay from NI called 'gortwood' (and some numbers I think). He does good quality blanks at reasonable prices. I have bought a lot of blanks from him. Just remembered, for exotic blanks, I buy from a company in England called ExoticHardwoodsUK. I can't put the link in or this will go to Spam. I have had some lovely blanks from them. Another source is swopping with other turners. If there are any clubs near you there will always be people willing to trade blanks. I was worried, one time, that I would never have enough blanks... now I've banned myself buying any more (unless they are really nice). Be careful, pen turning is a slippery slope.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Thanks Brendan!! Been looking on eBay & places but wasn't sure if that was the best option!! Love making pens & small pots!! Not sure what clubs are about Portadown?
You're in Portadown!! I'm in Derrymacash. We'll get you out here and I'll sort you out with pen blanks and wood. I go to the Woodshed, in Templepatrick, every month to see demos organised by the Ulster Chapter of the Irish Woodturners' Guild. We see big names like Nick Agar last month and cindy Drozda, Jimmy Clewes, Yan Marot etc. Also, on Tuesday nights there are demos in the Woodshed by local turners that are well attended. The best part is the craic and company. Here's my email, send me an email as I can't contact you on here. brendan.mcareavy@gmail.com.
Now I know what you haven't been making videos, Your in the pen business. lol
+lifeinthailand LOL, it sometimes does feel like that. I'm taking a break for a couple of days because the thought of gluing these is depressing me LOL.
Yeah that's crazy detailed prep, but a little time detailing organization beats an perceived eternity of the whaling and gnashin of teeth ... as I instinctively absorb this truth, my thermometer verifies and reminds, sitting right on 66.6 degrees. It's a sign ... do not go through hell boy, if you can possibly avoid it! O_O do not go through hell! except a little bit, to avoid a lot of it.
+tblbaby LOL, I impose order on myself but usually only after a related disaster. I tend to learn from experience, bad experience. A little bit of Hell does seem to prevent a whole lot of it.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
a busy man you are going to be Brendan. just being a nosey parker why 11.42 on your tail stock?Sean
+PCman70 LOL Sean, I wondered who might ask about that... if there was a prize, and I'm sure it would have been a car or something really good, you would have won it. I was making two different types of razor handle and didn't have bushings for one type so 11.42 was the diameter I needed to get the pressed in parts of the kit to fit with a nice feel. I would often write critical measurements on masking tape and stick them on the tailstock because it saves having to keep checking what I need with a Vernier.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
I could do with a new car right about now lol.
+PCman70 LOL, maybe the next time.