subject: Optional Tools & Pen Turning Supplies [print this page] Like any other woodworking hobbies, pen turning is an excellent hobby to take up. It is a field of woodturning where a piece of wood is given a particular shape with the help of lathe machine. Just like woodturning, pen turning requires a certain level of investment in various tools, pen turning supplies, and equipments. Though if you already have woodturning hobby, then you might have some of the necessary pen turning tools and equipments. However, for pen turning you will definitely require various pen turning supplies. The main tools and pen turning supplies for turning pens are lathe machine, different metal chisel sets, pen kits, pen blanks, mandrel and bushing. Apart from this, let us see the other optional tools and pen turning supplies that might come in handy for your precious pen turning project.
Drill Press a drill press can help you to easily drill a hole through various pen blanks. Drill press is available in different sizes ranging from full height drill press to a small bench top drill press. For a smaller project like pen turning, bench top drill press is enough to fulfill your requirement. A new bench top drill press can cost you somewhere around $125 in Australia. However, if you dont want to spend too much you can also use handheld power drill and vice, provided that you have steady grip and better aim. Though if you dont want to go through drilling pen blanks, then there is always an option for ordering pre-drilled pen blanks from pen turning suppliers.
Disk Sander it is a power tool that is used to smooth wood by abrasion with sandpaper. Sometimes, to achieve a tight and clean fit in assembly, the edge of the pen blanks should be adjusted vertically with the brass tubes of the pen. In order to do this with ease, a disk sander is used. A good quality disc sander in Australia will cost you somewhere around AU $180.
Power Saw for turning pen, blanks needs to be cut down to an adequate size. This can easily be accomplished with the help of a power saw such as electric miter saw, band saw or table saw. A table saw can cost around AU $99 in Australia but, if you dont want to spend that much money then you can always use a hand saw.
Grinder sometimes you need to sharpen your pen turning tools as they gets dull or looses their edge over a period of time. The more you turn pens, the more you need to sharpen those pen turning tools. A grinder can easily help you sharpen your tools and can avoid the costs of replacement of those tools.
Pen Mill Kit if you dont want to invest in disc sander a pen mill reamer is the right tool to square the ends of pen blanks in order to achieve clean and tight assembly. They look exactly like drill bits and can easily be available from any local or online pen turning supplies dealer in Australia for around AU $6.
