• Thanks for visiting The Penturners Forum today.

    There are many features and resources that currently you are unable to see or access, either because you're not yet registered, or if you're already registered, because you're not logged in.

    To gain full access to the forum, please log in or register now. Registration is completely free, it only takes a few seconds, and you can join our well established community of like-minded pen makers.

Pen blank vice

yorkshireman

Wood Rat
Executive Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2013
Posts
5,199
Location
wrexham
First Name
Keith
I see Snainton are offering 25 british blanks free with their pen blank vice. At the moment I use a small drill press vice which is OK but not the best at getting the blanks vertical. Anyone use this model? I'm going to Snainton on thursday so I'll give it a look.

keith
 

Woody

Registered
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Posts
12,812
Location
at home
First Name
no
Never needed one any ol vice will do with 4 bits of wood cut at 45% stuck 2 on each jaw of the vice job done and a lot cheaper for exactly the same thing
 

Grump

Grand Master
Joined
Aug 17, 2013
Posts
10,504
Location
Stevenage
First Name
Brian
All I ever did was drill a hole through a bit wood, cut it in half through the hole that holds it upright in the vice.
 

Neil

Fellow
Joined
May 21, 2013
Posts
3,132
Location
Hitchin, Hertfordshire
First Name
Neil
I see Snainton are offering 25 british blanks free with their pen blank vice. At the moment I use a small drill press vice which is OK but not the best at getting the blanks vertical. Anyone use this model? I'm going to Snainton on thursday so I'll give it a look.

keith

Keith,

It's an excellent bit of kit providing that you have a decent pillar drill. You need to make an "l" sapped jig out of a bit of 6 mm and 12 mm mac and its excellent! I'll try and post a pic of my set up when I get back to the uk sometime tomorrow or Tuesday.
 

yorkshireman

Wood Rat
Executive Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2013
Posts
5,199
Location
wrexham
First Name
Keith
Thanks for the info gents. Looks like I'm im a minority using a drill. Neil I look forward to seeing your jig thanks.

keith
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Wouldn't mind seeing the jig also Neil, you never know when you need a back up ... :whistling:
 

Woody

Registered
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Posts
12,812
Location
at home
First Name
no
Thanks for the info gents. Looks like I'm im a minority using a drill. Neil I look forward to seeing your jig thanks.

keith

Im with you Keith I much prefer to use a pillar drill much quicker and accurate used properly I only used the lathe for a few pens when I started up again but now I have a pillar drill all my pens will most definitely be prepared on there another thing you can mill the end of the blank on there as well
 

nimrod

Graduate Member
Joined
May 10, 2013
Posts
418
Location
Lancaster
First Name
Robin
I have used the vice you are talking about with varying degrees of success, for it to work really well your blanks have to pretty square, using a square to ensure they are vertical does not always work, I now turn my blanks between centres and drill them in the lathe and find this to be the most accurate way I have used. I bought mine at last years Harrogate Show along with a pen press which meant I got 50 English hardwood blanks none of them being marked as to what wood they are and I don't really have the time to sort them out, hope you are luckier than I was.
 
Warning! This thread has not had any replies for over a year. You are welcome to post a reply here, but it might be better to start a new thread (and maybe include a link to this one if you need to).
Top