# pem mill



## egerm (Dec 19, 2007)

i have found that when ever i have tried to use a pen mill on a hand drill it goes terribly wrong. also when i have used the drill press and manuel pushed the blank into the mill i had the same efect blown up blank. yet every time i have used the press to apply presur it works great. has anyone else had this happen


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Dec 19, 2007)

I use my hand-held drill...works fine for me


----------



## Randy_ (Dec 19, 2007)

I don't have a clue???  It might have to do with how your mill is sharpened.  There is not total uniformity as they come from the manufacturer.

I use a VS cordless drill and it works just fine; but if the DP works for you, that is what you should use.


----------



## rherrell (Dec 19, 2007)

Word of advice....Don't EVER hold the blank in your hand when using the pen mill(if you like your fingers). You stated that whenever you manually push the blank it blows up but when you use the drill press to apply pressure it works great. That should give you a clue right there.Too many variables when you use your hands. 
Make sure you're mill is sharp and if you're using sleeves make sure they fit with no slop. I put my blanks in a vise and use a cordless drill and don't have any problems.


----------



## RONB (Dec 19, 2007)

You can't make pens without hands.Be careful, clamp the piece down.


----------



## Daniel (Dec 19, 2007)

I use the pen mill in my drill press, hold the blank with a pair of channel lock pliers. I have had a few blanks tear out over the past five years. this means the mill is dull in my experience.


----------



## Paul in OKC (Dec 19, 2007)

I use mine in a cordless drill set on the low range, hold blanks in my hand.


----------



## rherrell (Dec 19, 2007)

Paul, I guess you and the infamous Eagle think alike. He uses his hands too, only not with a cordless drill.
Here's the email he sent me....I saw your reply about milling blanks.
FYI.
I have been milling on the DP and the lathe for the last three and a half years with absolutely NO PROBLEMS.
Clamping in a vice and using a drill would be my absolute last option.
I also hold them with my hand while milling on the lathe.
I am no expert but I have been told my pens are fairly desent.

I'm sticking by my guns though. 40 years of working in sheet metal shops has taught me a little about shop safety and I know this much... I'm not going to hold a little piece of wood in my hand that has a high speed cutter coming at me from the other side. I've had MORE than my fair share of industrial accidents and this just sounds like one waiting to happen.
Paul, I would think that with all your shop experience you wouldn't mill your blanks that way. Let's hope yours and Eagles luck doesn't run out.

Thanks for letting me rant a bit.


----------



## JasonF (Dec 19, 2007)

I used to hold the blank in my hand with a drill. I guess over time my trimmer was getting dull and I was having to push harder to trim the wood. One day my hand slipped and you guessed it, band-aid city on the thumb and forefinger. After that I sharpened the trimmer a bit and started clampping the blank and using the drill press. Worked great. Then over this past Thanksgiving week, in a hurry and out of "convenience", I used the "hold and drill" method. Yep-got the thumb and forefinger again. 

My wife had to ask, "is that why they call it a 'hand' drill?"


----------



## Randy_ (Dec 19, 2007)

> _Originally posted by Paul in OKC_
> 
> I use mine in a cordless drill set on the low range, hold blanks in my hand.



I do the same.  

No doubt there are safer ways; but there are much safer ways to get to your job than driving an automobile, too.


----------



## Geo in Winnipeg (Dec 19, 2007)

> _Originally posted by Daniel_
> 
> I use the pen mill in my drill press, hold the blank with a pair of channel lock pliers. I have had a few blanks tear out over the past five years. this means the mill is dull in my experience.


This is the way I have always used mine.


----------



## Rick_G (Dec 19, 2007)

I generally hold the blank in my hand with the drill on high.  Light pressure and I get cleaner cuts.  Oh I always wear leather gloves.


----------



## loglugger (Dec 20, 2007)

egerm, that happens to me when the pen mill gets a little dull. With the drill press you can get a more even presure.
Bob


----------



## Daniel (Dec 20, 2007)

Pat lawson got a broken finger a few years ago trying to hand hold a blank. I tried it for a while but had to many times the blanks would spin. You can use a table saw without a guard on it. but it is not a good idea to recommend it to others.


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Dec 20, 2007)

You're kidding right - a tablesaw without a guard?  And no mitre guage to support the wood?  

That's just asking to lose a finger!  I have a healthy fear of my tablesaw, and it's what keeps me safe around it...I would never recommend doing what you're doing!


----------



## marionquill (Dec 20, 2007)

I use the drill press - the problem I have though is that the 7mm pen mill tears up the inside of the brass tube. Normally it isn't too much of a problem but when it tears it too much, the nib will not fit - too loose. I also have problems with the 7mm on acrylic blanks - it always causes too much friction and then the brass tube comes out and is stuck to the pen mill...frustrating. I plan to try and sand it down a bit this weekend and see if that helps. Anyway, my two cents on using your hands to hold the blank while using the pen mill: you're crazy!

Jason


----------



## Phillip (Dec 20, 2007)

Norm from "This Old Shack" could not have said it any better. Always remember to read, understand, and follow the safety rules outlined in your owners manual. Please protect your fingers. It would be a great loss to log onto IAP and find no pen pics because of unfortunate and preventable bodily injuries.


----------



## Paul in OKC (Dec 20, 2007)

> Anyway, my two cents on using your hands to hold the blank while using the pen mill: you're crazy!
> 
> Jason



I agree it would not be the safe award way to go. I do not hold so tight that the blank can not spin if it catches. The only time I have that problem is when the mill is dull. But I know a guy that .............


----------



## johncrane (Dec 20, 2007)

Welcome!!


----------



## susan41 (Dec 21, 2007)

I started off milling by holding the blank in my hand while using a hand drill with the mill attatched.

BIG MISTAKE!!

Smacked my fingers silly and took off a nice chunk of skin in the process!!  A lesson VERY well learned!!

I used this as incentive to get comfortable using my drill press and havent really had a problem since and can honestly say that I have  not yet experienced a blowout during the 2 years that I have been turning. (Thank you lord)!!

However, I do have 2 issues, that you might be able to help me with.

1/When I mill arcylic blanks on the drill press the acrylic tends to "gum up" around the tube and cause a little "overlap".

2/I have not been able to find a mill large enough for the bigger pens.  I usually end up trying to mill them on the sander and they always turn out lopsided somehow.

Any tips??

Thanks!!

Happy Turnings!!

Susan


----------



## rherrell (Dec 21, 2007)

Susan, if the sander you have is a disc sander make you one of these...http://content.penturners.org/articles/2005/blanksquaring.pdf
 I made one and I like it alot. One tip...the 80 grit that's probably on your sander is a little rough. 220 works well for me.


----------



## jtate (Dec 21, 2007)

If you don't want to use the pen mill at al you can do this little trick - a bit of sandpaper, hole punch, and tape and you have a pen mill replacement.

http://woodenwritingwonders.com/Documents/No Stinking Pen Mills.pdf


----------



## egerm (Dec 21, 2007)

Thanks to all who responded i think i need to sharpen my mill and keep using the Drill Press and chanel locks. 

And i justed handed out Pens for Christmas presents at my office and they were a big hit. It was so much fun to beable to give something you made your self.

 Anyways Merry Christmass to all 


Eric


----------



## jhs494 (Dec 21, 2007)

I would never hold my blanks in my hands.
25 years ago when I started as an apprenitce machinist I was told the easiest thing to cut in the shop is you...those words still echo in my head, especially when I am about to take a short cut.


----------



## jtate (Dec 22, 2007)

I usually rough turn my pen parts, on the lathe with the bushings in place.  Then, when the business ends of the parts are a a little bigger than the bushings I take them off and use the pen mill and my hands (one hand holding the blank and the other holding the pen mill) and clean up the edge.  There's less material to remove then and the milling goes faster.  If I turn it too small, however, the pen mill can catch and tear out a chunk of wood. 

This hand milling - with a very sharp pen mill - can be done on a mass of pen parts while sitting on the couch watching TV is your domestic partner accomodates the slight amount of saw dust.

Julia


----------



## loglugger (Dec 22, 2007)

Jason, you might want to check and make sure your drill press table is square both front and back with the quil. Bend a wire and mount it in the chuck, turn the drill by hand and let the outher end of the wire lightly rub the table all the way around. Yea I make it clear as mud. 
Bob 




> _Originally posted by marionquill_
> 
> I use the drill press - the problem I have though is that the 7mm pen mill tears up the inside of the brass tube. Normally it isn't too much of a problem but when it tears it too much, the nib will not fit - too loose. I also have problems with the 7mm on acrylic blanks - it always causes too much friction and then the brass tube comes out and is stuck to the pen mill...frustrating. I plan to try and sand it down a bit this weekend and see if that helps. Anyway, my two cents on using your hands to hold the blank while using the pen mill: you're crazy!
> 
> Jason


----------



## marionquill (Dec 28, 2007)

I'll give that a shot, Bob - thanks for the tip!

Jason


----------

