Bushing rip off??

[silver]

This is not going to change. the Europeans are not going to revert to Imperial measurements and the USA if it ever adopts the metric system will likely do so slowly and piecemeal just as the UK has done. The two systems will continue to exist sided by side long after any of us are around to worry about it.

Its not just a "European" reality.

94.7% of the world uses the metric system by population, so why don't the 5.3% change over to metric?

Is it the fact that the 5.3% of the world are the biggest buyer of pen kits

So we have bob hope of changing them over to standardising bushes to metric. (Sorry standardizing bushings)

 

[silver]

Do you not worry that it turns off beginners ?

Do you not think that the wheel sizes on cars would put off a new driver learning their skills?

Low profile tyres cost so much more, and does the driver really have to replace those tyres with "like sizes or can they use another type or size?

But in reality when buying a car for the first time do they ever think about buying the most economical to run.. NO its the one that the cheapest to insure as thats the one big impact that new drivers actually pay for.

So, why don't they make a standard size wood turning lathe with standard headstock threads so all the wood chucks manufacturers can make a standard size for the new wood turner..No they provide thread adapters for that, a cost that a newcomer would have to buy to enable them to use a specific chucks.

Does that put people off taking up wood turning? Does it concern anyone? I don't believe so. All they want to know is can they buy parts for their lathe and can they get it to do what they want in life so they can enjoy their new found skills.

The original Question of the thread was a concern for the OP and I guess that when getting in to pen turning now realises that there is an additional cost to buy bushes to suit every different pen.

That is a learning curve for all of life skills that we take up.

If I wanted to learn to fly an aeroplane I could just go out and pay to have lessons and obtain a licence.. In those lessons there is nothing to say how much a plane would cost to buy, run or even disclose the landing costs of the airports / strips you will need to use.

So in reality your questions of "standard" sized bushes making universal fittings may be an option but its not the biggest problem any new pen turner would face.

This conversation could go on with analogy for everything, why not 110v rather than 220v? why not all convert to Euro plugs rather than a UK plug. Why not all move to the American style electrical plugs. It would help millions of travelers around the world daily rather than a few penturners having a standard size of bushes..

 

[Walter]

Is it the fact that the 5.3% of the world are the biggest buyer of pen kits

Seems unlikely. If even 1% of the 5.3% are woodturners and of those less than 10% actually make pens then the actual impact of pen makers is about 0.03% at an exceedingly generous estimate.

As this forum has 1773 members and only about half a dozen are even bothered enough about the issue to get involved in the discussion, perhaps less than one in a billion people gives a flying ferret one way or the other. The Chinese certainly not enough to change the tooling that is churning out imperial sized brass tubes.

 

[Dalboy]

To be honest I don't really care if there are different sized bushes. When I first took up pen turning I knew there was additional costs as I did my homework first, and yes I have to turn on a budget so have found a way round that suits me I make my pens by using tapered bushes and measure and yes I do it all in imperial.

Ok I don't make as many as some but what the heck I enjoy my time turning items be it pens or bowls and even making model and toys.

If I was to be put off by every little bit of cost I would just sit here and do sod all.

I will not make any apologise for the way I think take it or leave it.

And there is my 2 tuppence worth

 

[Les ELm]

TBC without bushings and use your calipers.

Les

 

[Lons]

And there is my 2 tuppence worth

Derek. I hope you factored in those tuppences you've been spending as additional costs of contributing to the forum. :wink:

Maybe those should be cents, francs, dinar or pesos to name but a few.

 

[silver]

Maybe those should be cents, francs, dinar or pesos to name but a few.

But you just don't realise how difficult that is to deal with do you?

If the whole world had GBP or dare I say it the Euro then we would be able to keep things simple and the whole world would be a simple one and I could then buy my bits without the exchange rate effecting me..

You just don't care do you, just think how hard it is going to be for my grandchildren learning how to use the GBP and deal with exchange rates.. you would think it would put beginners off wouldn't you.

That's my cent worth.

 

[Walter]

TBC without bushings and use your calipers.

Les

Heaven forfend. That would be far too much of a "faff". Might even involve learning a skill.

 

[Lons]

And while we're at it Eamonn, why can't we standardise the weather! I want an Ozzie climate, my missus says too hot. On the other hand let's standardise women instead, would make a blokes' life much easier, might be able to understand how they think.

That's never going to happen is it.

Life's too short to argue about a few £s worth of bushes however. I've spent some time this afternoon with a close friend who's caring for his dying wife, also a friend for 30 years, and she has days maybe weeks left. On the back of my sisters' sudden demise at Christmas it changes your perspective of what's important.

 

[21William]

I think the least the manufacturers could do is to produce tapered bushes to help get the blank profile right!

 

[Bammer]

When I started making pens, there was only 1 kit out there .....

When Walter started woodturning, it wasn't even invented

 

[Walter]

When Walter started woodturning, it wasn't even invented

We had to make our own entertainment. You could go to Craft supplies with half a crown and get a set of the only bushes available and still have change for the bus fare home.

 

[silver]

We had to make our own entertainment. You could go to Craft supplies with half a crown and get a set of the only bushes available and still have change for the bus fare home.

Craft supplies, brings back happy memories that does. Day out with me dad and call for a liquid lunch..

The amount of old people that used to go there was really annoying doddering around, especially when they were waiting for the bus outside..

 

[Penpal]

Lets not beat about the bush the subject more than likely develops irritation for the non users ,frustration for the users. Thimple if you hate them forget them. If you love them pay or make them.

May the day come when better methods are developed. It will happen.

Peter.

 

[Dalboy]

We had to make our own entertainment. You could go to Craft supplies with half a crown and get a set of the only bushes available and still have change for the bus fare home.

You had better explain what half a crown is [MENTION=95]Walter[/MENTION] as some of the young wipper snappers on here would not even know. Ahh the good old days 12 pennies to the shilling

 

[wm460]

And while we're at it Eamonn, why can't we standardise the weather! I want an Ozzie climate, my missus says too hot. .

This 40°C weather will bring a bit of colour back to her cheeks.

 

[Lons]

Ahh the good old days 12 pennies to the shilling

Those were the days when LSD / £SD meant money in your pocket not pills you took that spaced you out of your brain. I never tried it btw.

 

[Lons]

This 40°C weather will bring a bit of colour back to her cheeks.

Been there, done that Mark.

On a day we were due to fly home it was 42c in Sydney, I wanted to sit around in the park but my missus couldn't stand the heat so she made me leave 2 hours early so she could sit around in the air conditioned airport. I hate bloody airports.

She was much happier when we landed in Newcastle where it was raining and only 8c, Having spent 5 weeks getting acclimatized to the Ozzie weather, happy wasn't my mood.

 

[Prokraft]

When I first had a pen kit I refused to buy either a mandrel or a set of bushings - it is possible but it takes a lot of time (I still have my very first attempt and it is awful - but writes) so I think you need to decide what to invest in, time or money. As has often been said time is money so there is your dilemma.

Make a bottle stopper instead - you can do that whatever size you please and have an excuse for the consumption of alcohol.

 

[Penpal]

Hi, I'm Tom,

I've just started turning pens (my daughter bought me "Pen Turner's Workbook by Barry Gross" for my Christmas). Normally I turn bowls and spindles etc. & have made a couple of acoustic 'Blue Grass' style mandolins. Making pens seems quite an enjoyable side to woodturning and could, perhaps, provide some pocket money into the bargain. I've bought a few different pen kits (slimline, sierra, European filigree etc.) but find it annoying that just about every kit requires a different set of bushings. I'm sure this topic must have popped up many times on Penturners Forum but I'm also new to forums (and interactive computing!) so my searches have not been productive. I've tried to produce some bushings of my own but I'm trying to turn metal bushes on a woodturning lathe using files and emery cloth so the results are not very accurate or true. I would be prepared to shell out some cash for a 'universal' set of bushings but find it a bit tedious (and expensive) to buy new bushings for each new style and make of pen kit but have not found such a thing with a 'Google' search. Anyone know of a set of bushings that would fit most common pen kit styles? I've also wondered about making (or buying?) some tapered, self centring (??) bushes, any thoughts on that? I should also mention that I'm a Scotsman -'nuph said!

Tom you have with your posting helped us members face the reality involved in turning pens in the early stages. Thankyou for your impressions with regard to bushings. By now in the reply postings is a pretty comprehensive cover of how ,what,when and why.

Peter. PS Happy turning.