Replies

1. 
   rob_ss | Dec 25, 2021 02:34am | #1

   Turning on a drill press is a lesson in pain and frustration. It's hard to get proper, effective tool support. Not impossible, but not easy at all.
   Pens are not that difficult to turn, but require a very robust finish (which is why CA glue is used so often) and a very high polish. That is difficult to achieve if your piece wobbles and it is hard to prevent wobble without a tailstock.

   See if you can dislodge your drill chuck.
   These are usually 2MT and it is easy to get 2MT pen mandrels, though they do usually require a tailstock to work well. Consider using a skate bearing to support the tip of the mandrel.
   It is also possible to cut the 2MT end off a pen mandrel and just use your chuck to spin it, but that's even more painful.
   Probably the best option otherwise on a drill-press is a 7mm drill bit (long ones are available) and a dab of hot glue. You need a 7mm hole for slimline pen inserts.

2. 
   gulfstar | Dec 25, 2021 10:24am | #2

   My experience in turning small objects with a dedicated mandrell is that it requires an accurate and easily ajustable tailstock. And for turning in general a rigid tool guide. A press drill has none of that and attempting to make turnings on it will be unsafe.

1. 
   Labrat432 | Dec 25, 2021 11:04am | #3

   Why wouldn't I be able to get the mandrel steady, then do the shaping with sand paper instead of turning tools? Which, I agree, looks completely unsafe.

1. 
   mikefm101 | Dec 25, 2021 12:04pm | #5

   On a lathe the mandrel is supported on both ends. On the drill press it would only be one end.

   How will you hold the sandpaper to successfully make a square pen blank cylindrical?

   Mike

1. 
   Labrat432 | Dec 25, 2021 12:10pm | #6

   Glue it to board at the heights of the workpiece on the mandrel.

3. 
   _mj_ | Dec 25, 2021 11:54am | #4

   It will depend upon the stability of your drill press, which is not designed fror the sideways load. Working with files, rasps, and sandpaper will put less stress on the setup, but more on your patience.

4. 
   gulfstar | Dec 25, 2021 12:27pm | #7

   If you are willing to invest in a mandrel, then I would suggest you use that money to buy a small used bench top lathe , a mandrel is nice to have but you can make your own bushings and end pieces out of hard wood to make pens. Instead of using sandpaper to shape your blanks, you could get a piece of hard steel from the scrapyard and grind a 70 degrees bevel on the end and use it to rough turn prior to finish sanding. I still use a piece of leaf spring steel from a car suspension as a parting tool on the lathe without a handle.

5. 
   Go_Bills | Dec 25, 2021 07:15pm | #8

   I never turned pen blanks - What does everyone think about making a fixture(s) and jig for use with a router.

6. 
   _mj_ | Dec 25, 2021 07:41pm | #9

   Sketchy, but possible I suppose. Final finish will be interesting considering the workpiece is stationary.

7. 
   john_c2 | Dec 26, 2021 03:47am | #10

   The amount of wood surrounding the brass tube on pens is really thin. So thin that turners color the brass tubes with certain woods because the brass will change the outside color at times. It's possible to make a pen with a drill press, router, spokeshave, or a nail file. But I certainly wouldn't want to try.