How to Make a Wooden Pen and Pencil with Drill Press

With a simple hardware kit, you can make a wooden pen or pencil from almost any wood. Doing the pencil is not that tough one of us may have been thinking. One who is a bit late into the woodworking hobby knows how a piece of wood can turn into a special item.

And, Making a pencil with the help of a drill press is no such wonder.

You just have to drill a hole in two small wooden blocks, turn them around, and press the hardware into the turned cylinders Furthermore, you do not need a lathe to turn the wooden parts — you can make the entire project on a proper drill press!

How to Make a Wooden Pen and Pencil with Drill Press

We all know how woodworking is evolving day by day. You can make anything, from Rustic Pot Rack to wooden chairs, tables and even pen and pencil. What you need are planning and experience.

Also, enjoying the woodworking projects is important, because It will keep you motivated for making creative items using different power and woodworking tools. Let’s find out how you can make a make a wooden pen below.

1. Planning for the Wooden Pen

Well, I do not like planning much in my other chores. But in woodworking, you need these stuff. You need to plan, design the project and taking care of the size and measurement. No matter, how much you hate planning, you have to do it in making a wooden pen and pencil.

[responsive_video type=’youtube’ hide_related=’1′ hide_logo=’1′ hide_controls=’0′ hide_title=’0′ hide_fullscreen=’0′ autoplay=’0′]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGWFUd0Kldw[/responsive_video]

So, you need to have a proper plan for making a wooden pen. I will be describing the plan in the lower section in the heading and describe the whole process for better understanding.

2. Select the stock and cut the parts to size.

You can make pens and pencils from almost any wood, although hardwood works best. Choose a wood with distinctive coloring or grain patterns, such as bird’s-eye maple, walnut hurl, or ash crotch —these make the completed writing instruments visually interesting.

The pens shown are made from bocote, an imported hardwood. I specially chose bocote wood for its tough nature, which will not only make the process easy but also will leave the pen with longer lasting capacity.

Cut two turning blocks from the stock. Make these blocks the same length as the brass tubes that come with the hardware kit, and ‘An inch wider and thicker than their diameter. For most of the available kits, the blocks should be about 2)A6 inches long and Ys inch square.

3. Insert the tubes in the turning blocks

Drill a 7-millimeter-diameter hole through the length of each turning block. In the hole, you will be inserting the tubes for the wooden pen. You just have to be a bit careful in the process. After doing so, you can then glue the brass tubes in the holes with cyanoacrylate glue.

To drill a hole through the turning block, clamp it in a vise or a hand screw clamp. Press the edge or the face against the bit to make sure the length of the block is parallel to the bit. Then drill a 7-millimeter¬diameter hole through the block. These drilling can easily be done with woodworking drill presses.

Coat the outside of the brass tube with cyanoacrylate glue (Super Glue) and insert the tube in the block. As you push it in. rotate the tube, if possible — this will help spread the glue. Press the tube in until the ends are flush with the ends of the block. Warning: Wear rubber gloves as you do this to keep from getting glue on your skin.

4. Turn the cylinders

Turning the cylinder is an important part of making a wooden pen or pencil. When the glue dries, mount the turning block on a mandrel and secure the man-drill in your drill press chuck. Remove the tailstock from the turning jig, and clamp the jig to the drill press table.

Using the tool rest to support a chisel, turn the block round. Repeat for the remaining block. Sand and finish the wooden cylinders while they are mounted on the drill press.

Let the glue dry completely, then mount the turning block on a mandrel. Secure the mandrel in the drill press chuck. Remove the tailstock from the turning jig, clamp the jig to the table and adjust the tool rest to within an inch of the block. Make sure the block does not hit the rest as it rotates.

Start the drill press and turn the block to a cylinder. Use a gouge to rough out the turning, then turn it down to its final diameter with a flat chisel. Note: Most pen-making mandrels come with brass collars that eliminate the need to check your work with calipers. Just turn the cylinder until it’s the same diameter as the collars (usually 8.5 millimeters).

When the cylinder is the proper diameter, sand it smooth on the mandrel. Then apply a finish. The choice of finish depends on the wood and your own preference. A wiping oil (such as Lung oil) works well for most woods. For oily woods, simply apply paste wax.

5. Press the metal parts in the cylinders

Put three layers of masking tape on the bottom of the chuck, to prevent it from marring the brass pen parts. Following the directions that come with the hardware, press the metal parts into the brass tubes.

Start each part by tapping it with a rawhide mallet, and then use the quill as a press to gently push it all the way into the tube.

Use the quill and the quill feed as a press to install the metal parts in the turned cylinders. Start them by tapping with a small rawhide mallet. To protect the brass pen parts, apply three layers of masking tape to the bottom of the chuck.

Then gently push them home with the quill, making sure the parts slide straight into the brass tubes. The order in which you install the hardware will depend on the manufacturer. Also, they will be depending on whether you are making a pen or a pencil. In either case, you need to follow the instructions properly.