Woodturning Lathes

Help Create
My Pen Turning Pieces

The stars of my workshop, without a doubt, are my woodturning lathes. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to turn the pens and create the writing instruments I love to share so much. I’d be out on the porch whittling away at a twig with my bare hands, or trying to convince my grandkids to help me operate one of the old two-person hand cranked lathes.

Thank goodness for modern technologies! I’m especially thankful for my favorite, the Penn State Industries Turncrafter Pro model lathe. There are other lathes around, but I put a lot of thought into selecting this one, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

You can see a picture of me seated at the Turncrafter, working on a pen, on my home page. It’s a “home” page in more ways than one. I feel wonderfully relaxed and engaged sitting in front of my machine, working away on pen turning pieces for you.

Bonding With The Lathe

Initially, when my doctor told me to get a hobby, I looked at a lot of different options. However, I was drawn back to woodworking, and I liked the idea of hand turned pens. I just didn’t know that much about the equipment involved, namely woodturning lathes.

I remember my first days of bonding with my lathe with fondness. Oh, sure, there were a few kinks to work out. I had to rig up a special dust-collection system so I could keep the workshop clean and keep my wife from killing me after I got sawdust all over the house. Plus, I’ll admit that my first few pens weren’t very eye catching.

However, as we spent more time together, the Turncrafter and I really formed a connection. That machine makes everything possible for me. I love bringing new woods and materials to it, and I’m no longer afraid to experiment a little to bring out the best in the wood.

All For You

Of course, all of this fantastic machinery isn’t strictly for me. It’s for you and your benefit. Now, whenever I try something new, I’m thinking of how you might react to it and whether or not you’d enjoy something like this.

They're all kinds of woodturning lathes in the world, but only one of them works purely for your benefit. It sits in my workshop. I’m happy to sit in front of it, turning out consistently beautiful pens!