Making pens from wood and other materials on the wood lathe is a fun and relatively inexpensive hobby. Wood pens make fantastic gifts and they are also a joy to use in your own work and personal life. But what exactly goes into making a pen in this way? I’ll walk you through it step by step, complete with photos.
Select Your Pen Style and Choose Your Material
The first thing you have to decide on is what type of pen you want to make, and there are hundreds of styles to choose from. Beyond just roller ball or fountain, there are factors such as metal finish and degree of complexity. The choice you make here will influence the material you choose to make the pen out of. This may not be as obvious as you might think as you could choose from literally hundreds of types of wood, plastics, even bone or antler. It helps to think about what effect you want to create and who the intended audience is. Some woods, for example, might have special meaning to some people and some colors of acrylic plastic might evoke a favorite sports team or school. Once you have selected your material, cut a “blank” to size according to the style of pen you are going to make.
Find the Center of the Blank and Drill
Every pen starts as a “blank,” a typically more or less rectangular piece of wood and the task immediately after cutting it to size is to drill out the center of the blank so that the internal hardware can be inserted. Finding center can be done using a centering device, or if you are really good you can eyeball it, and being exact isn’t critical here.
Next, I clamp the blank in a wood clamp or use a purpose made device for clamping pen blanks for drilling on the drill press. If using a device that is not self-squaring, be sure to make certain that your blank is held square prior to drilling to help reduce the risk of drilling at an angle that could cause your blank to break, or for the exit to be on the side of the blank instead of at the base. Using a drill press helps ensure a straight and true center drilling. Be sure to use the size of drill bit specified in the instructions that came with the pen kit, or use calipers to measure the specific diameter of the tube you will be inserting.
I use special bits designed for making the long bores associated with pen making, but any decent bit will do as long as you are patient. Nothing hurts quite like having a really nice blank blow out on you when the bit exits the blank. ALWAYS use a sacrificial backing material that you can drill into to help reduce the risk of break out.
Preparing the Brass Tubes
Every pen kit that I have seen incorporates brass tubes to form the internal structure of the pen. The brass tubes will be relatively smooth and oxidized when you receive them and there is active debate among pen makers as to whether it is necessary to rush or burnish the tubes prior to use. I have always used a relatively fine sandpaper to rough and polish my brass tubes prior to gluing, although I realize that some pen makers say this isn’t necessary and is a waste of time. It is my habit though and no one claims it hurts anything, and I continue to believe that it helps to remove, or least reduce, the presence of oils, dirt and oxidation to ensure a good tight glue fit. When making a large production run of pens, I mount the blanks on the lathe to polish them since it saves time and the effort of gripping and sanding by hand. The homemade peg board the tubes are mounted on is organized on a grid so that when making numerous pens using different materials I can easily keep track of which pen is made from which material. Again, this isn’t required, it just happens to work for me.
Gluing the Tubes into the Blanks
Gluing the tubes is easily the messiest part and the part I enjoy the least. It seems that when using cyanoacrylate, better known as super-glue, it is impossible to not have it end up all over the fingers. I wear gloves but glue still finds its way where I don’t want it. I use wax paper as a work surface since the glue won’t adhere to it easily. I start by squeezing thin glue into the blank as this will not only help to hold the brass tube, it will also seal any cracks that might be present in the blank. Next, I quickly roll the polished brass tube in a small puddle of medium thickness super-glue and then very quickly slip the tube into the glued hole. You have to work FAST as the glue will set up in seconds and you really can’t work with half the brass tube sticking out of the blank.
Milling the Blank
No matter how carefully you have measured the blank, milling the ends to ensure that they are square is essential. Milling is accomplished through the use of purpose made pen mills that utilize a shaft of a slightly smaller diameter than that of the brass tube used to clean out any excess glue that might be inside and a razor sharp cutter head that shaves away the excess wood. It helps to routinely sharpen the cutter head and to remove any glue build-up that occurs to keep it functioning at its best. Be very careful when milling to again ensure that you blank is held squarely in the clamp you are using, otherwise the purpose of milling, to ensure square ends, is defeated from the beginning. Also, don’t mill past the length of the brass tubes. The length of the brass tube is requisite for the finished pen to work and the cutter head will easily shave away the soft brass, so watch closely for the appearance of brass shavings and stop when you see them. Pen mills can be mounted into a handle and the milling them done by hand, but personally I find it infinitely easier to mount the mill into the drill press and use its power to mill the blanks. It is quick and easy, but again close attention is required to not over do it! Some pen makers use a belt sander to mill their pen ends, but I have tried this method and had it fail miserably. There is simply not enough tension on the belt of a belt sander for the ends to be truly square, at least not in my experience, so I stick to using the purpose made hardware.
Turning the Blank
Now you are done with the grunt work and are ready for the fun part: turning the blank on the lathe! Mount the blank on a pen making mandrel and use spacers as needed, or an adjustable length mandrel. Sometimes, two blanks can be mounted at once, depending on the size of the blanks being turned. I find previously turned, but unused for some reason, pen blanks to make excellent spacers, if needed. I use a roughing gouge to turn the blank to round. Then I switch to an oval skew chisel to take the blank down to final size. You could just as easily use a spindle gouge to take the blank down to size, or even a bowl gouge if you prefer. The choice is ultimately yours and is likely to depend on what tools you have and are most comfortable with. I find that the skew chisel leaves a finish so fine on most woods that I can start sanding at a fairly high grit, so that tends to be my preference.
Sanding the Blank
I am big believer in the value of thoroughly sanding a blank, no matter how smooth it might look after the skew chisel is done. I sand my blanks down a grit of 600, although I do realize that some would find that overkill. My theory is that this is a device which is intended to be held and handled and I think that most hands are sensitive enough to distinguish fairly fine details and imperfections, so I like to make my blanks as absolutely smooth and flawless as I can. Sand to a level that suits your work style and preferred level of finish.
Finishing the Blank
For the initial finish, I favor a product called EEE Ultra Shine. This Australian product contains micro-polishers in a base of wax and shellac, so not only does it buff out any extremely minor flaws, it also lays a nice base finish. I follow that with Shellawax Cream, also from the EEE family of products. Once applied and buffed with a clean rag, all done while the blanks are on the lathe, the shine is incomparable and the feel is silky smooth.
Assemble the Pen
All that remains is to sort the hardware associated with your particular pen style and to assemble the pen according to the instructions. I like to lay my hardware out in the final order of assembly before I begin working any further. I open all the little bags and holders, remove everything, lay it out, and then start assembling. I use a pen press to fit the parts, although you could use most any vise or press, provided that you can ensure consistent and even pressure to avoid bending or warping your work.
Final Touches
I perform assembly wearing gloves so that I don’t leave fingerprints on shiny metal finishes, but I still also wipe every pen off with a cotton cloth and place in a protective plastic bag or presentation case, depending on where the pen is destined, to ensure that all my careful work and finishing efforts are nice and shiny as a new pen heads to its new home and owner.
nice article