# How I use my lathe - or -  A redneck's wood shop



## jtate (Nov 6, 2006)

Okay - I'm a redneck and I'm cheap and I ain't got much space in my barn.  Some folks would call it a storage shed.  Let's not quibble on the small stuff.  Here's some of how I make the most of what I got

Drill press?  We don't need no stinkin' drill press!






And I ain't got no fancy Beal Colletts and Chuck so I'm using my handy-dandy jacobs chuck.  Works right nice for mandrels that vary from the size of my plain ol' $10 MT2 mandrel





And I ain't got no bushings for these Pelikans 'cuz, well, they don't make no such thang.  So I made my own from Corian.  And since these pens are old and crumbly (kinda like myself) I made an extra long bushing to support the inside of the pen body.





Where I'm from we use EVERY part of the hog!  That trains us that ain't nuthin trash.  Even that busted pen barrel - that ain't trash that's a spacer!





I'll also sometimes turn my lathe into a pen press - that works great when I can't find my handy can crusher.  I use this thang when putting pens together in front of the TV.  I ain't got it mounted on the wall, though.  That would interfere with multitasking.






And them mandrels?  Them's from Harbor Freight.Those good folks think these things are "Transfer punches."  I ain't disagreein' but to me they're a ready made cheap set of multi-sized mandrels.





So that's some of how I work.  How 'bout your own selves?


----------



## loglugger (Nov 6, 2006)

That is close to how it is done here but I do have a drill press. You are making very good use of your tools and make beautiful pens.
Bob


----------



## alamocdc (Nov 6, 2006)

All I can say is, "Where there's a will, there's a Julia."[]


----------



## PenWorks (Nov 7, 2006)

How do you tell your in a rednecks shop ??????

Their drill bit runs sideways and there is enough aluminum cans inside to build a 747 []
At least we agree on one thing, you can't beat HF pen madrels []


----------



## Rifleman1776 (Nov 7, 2006)

Whatever works. Go fer it.


----------



## Skye (Nov 7, 2006)

I feel like we must be related. My shop is just about as low budget as yours!

Here's my first workbench:






Then I moved to my shed. Here's the shop, back when it was clean:






Before I bought a 4 jaw chuck:






Occasionaly I get to work here though (half the shop shown):






Do the best with what you've got, that's my motto! Glad to see there's still some of us who make do.

You'de be suprised, <b>some</b> people here think the quality of your work is in direct relation to the size of your shop.


----------



## TBone (Nov 7, 2006)

Size of shop and price of tools is no way related to quality of product.  And that works both ways.  A skilled worker can make beautiful products with nothing but handtools.  If you don't believe it, check out the pens made by Alzheimer's patients in the article mentioned in Woodcraft magazine (I think that's the mag.)  Also a tool, no matter the price, will not make great products if you don't have some skill and knowledge.  My current pen press is a woodworking clamp and my buffer is made from a paint roller.  Good job
But I have to disagree on one thing.  There are some parts of the hog that I WILL throw away.  []


----------



## Penmonkey (Nov 7, 2006)

Resourcefulness.[]


----------



## Skye (Nov 7, 2006)

> _Originally posted by TBone_
> <br />Size of shop and price of tools is no way related to quality of product.  And that works both ways.  A skilled worker can make beautiful products with nothing but handtools.  If you don't believe it, check out the pens made by Alzheimer's patients in the article mentioned in Woodcraft magazine (I think that's the mag.)  Also a tool, no matter the price, will not make great products if you don't have some skill and knowledge.  My current pen press is a woodworking clamp and my buffer is made from a paint roller.  Good job
> But I have to disagree on one thing.  There are some parts of the hog that I WILL throw away.  []



Veeeeeeery well said.

Paint roller? I havent thought of that one. I'm using a fuzzy bath towel and letting the lathe spin the pen. Seems to brighten up the TSW with light touches.


----------



## Draken (Nov 7, 2006)

The article mentioned was in Pen World, not Woodcraft Magazine.

Cheers,
Draken


----------



## Skye (Nov 7, 2006)

Oh, and your mandrels, they'll also work as a pen disassembly tool. Multi-tasker!


----------



## jtate (Nov 7, 2006)

What a great group of folks y'all are!


----------



## loglugger (Nov 7, 2006)

It must be in more than one magazine, I just read it in Woodcraft November 2006 page 53. Very good right up by Sarah Brady.
Bob


----------



## TBone (Nov 7, 2006)

> _Originally posted by jtate_
> <br />
> Drill press?  We don't need no stinkin' drill press!



Ok, I'm new to turning.  I understand the Jacobs chuck, what's holding the right hand end of the blank?  It looks like a live center.  What keeps it from spinning?


----------



## Huzzah (Nov 7, 2006)

> _Originally posted by TBone_
> <br />Size of shop and price of tools is no way related to quality of product.  And that works both ways.  A skilled worker can make beautiful products with nothing but handtools...



This reminds me of something I read on a photography forum a few years back.  It seems this photographer was showing some of his work off at a Thanksgiving dinner.  The host told him that the pictures were great, he must have great equipment.  After dinner he told the host that dinner was excellent, she must have excellent pots and pans.  I think the comment was lost on the host, but I got a kick out of it.  I have found that all hobbies have this same issue []


----------



## Lloyd Frisbee (Nov 7, 2006)

It looks like he uses the tool rest to keep the blank from spinning.


----------



## jtate (Nov 7, 2006)

Yep, I hold the blank against the tool rest with my left hand while I crank the handle in the tail stock which lets the live center push the blank forward along the tool rest and into the drill.  If you just try to hold the blank by hand and push it forward without the stabilizing force of the tail stock live center, the blank will wobble on you.

  That ain't good.  You don't want your blank wobblin' on ya.

The jacobs chuck has to be shoved into the headstock firmly.  If not sometimes it will pull out as you're moving the blank back off the drill bit to clean out the shavings or whatever.

(And, Loyd, I'm a she)


----------



## Skye (Nov 7, 2006)

I keep forgetting that!


----------



## jtate (Nov 7, 2006)

You forget that a wobbling blank ain't good?  Geez, we gotta get you some help!


----------



## Skye (Nov 7, 2006)

Lol, I wouldent put that past me neither!


----------



## TBone (Nov 8, 2006)

> _Originally posted by jtate_
> <br />Yep, I hold the blank against the tool rest with my left hand while I crank the handle in the tail stock which lets the live center push the blank forward along the tool rest and into the drill.



I see now, at first it looked as though the blank was clearing the tool rest.  Was wondering why you didn't move it out of the way  []

Thanks


----------



## TBone (Nov 8, 2006)

> After dinner he told the host that dinner was excellent, she must have excellent pots and pans.



That's great, gonna have to remember that comment  []

Good equipment can still turn out lousy results.   If you don't believe it, I'll show you some of my pens []


----------



## jtate (Nov 8, 2006)

Thanks, folks.  I've really enjoyed this thread.


----------



## Rojo22 (Nov 9, 2006)

yes the article is in the woodcraft magazine as well, just got done reading it myself, and what an incredibly inspiring way to get pens "done"....Thats all that counts....


----------



## esheffield (Nov 9, 2006)

I'd be a bit nervous holding on to that blank to keep it against the tool rest. Makes my hand hurt thinking about how things could go wrong. I'm all for making do as much as possible, but that just doesn't look very safe to me. Just be careful.


----------



## chisel (Nov 9, 2006)

> _Originally posted by jtate_
> <br />Yep, I hold the blank against the tool rest with my left hand while I crank the handle in the tail stock which lets the live center push the blank forward along the tool rest and into the drill.  If you just try to hold the blank by hand and push it forward without the stabilizing force of the tail stock live center, the blank will wobble on you.
> 
> That ain't good.  You don't want your blank wobblin' on ya.
> ...



That really does look kind of dangerous. You should look into a mini-chuck to hold it for you. Even the cheap ones from PSI would be fine for drilling blanks. 

Be careful...


----------



## jtate (Nov 9, 2006)

Do you mean a chuck to hold the blank on the tail stock side or to hold the drill bit on the head stock side?


----------



## chisel (Nov 9, 2006)

> _Originally posted by jtate_
> <br />Do you mean a chuck to hold the blank on the tail stock side or to hold the drill bit on the head stock side?



When I drill with my lathe, I stick my jacobs chuck in the tail stock (holding the drill bit), and the mini-chuck at the head (holding the blank). It really works great for accurate drilling.


----------



## redfishsc (Nov 9, 2006)

A true redneck shop would have a Holly Carberatuer bumper sticker on the lathe and a rifle rack over it. 

But all in all, looks pretty right-on to me! 

I recently moved to North Carolina (from South Carolina, I guess I'm a yankee now?). Around here they don't call them "pens". It sounds more like "pee'ins". I guess that makes me a Pee'in turner. Now pardom me while I go see a man about a horse.


----------



## Skye (Nov 9, 2006)

What do you write with? "A pee'in!"
What do you put in a pin chushion? "A pee'in!"


----------



## redfishsc (Nov 9, 2006)

hmmmmm... a pee'in cushion. I don't think that's a hobby I'm interested in taking up.


----------

