The Slimline Pen

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Slimline wooden pen with polished brass accents and figured wood grain finish.

The slimline pen uses a standard 7 mm mandrel, 7 mm bushings, and a 7 mm drill bit. The plain band used in the demonstration can be switched out for a more ornate band, as shown below. The blank for this pen was cut from a maple burl growing in the forests of Virginia.

Materials

  • 24-karat Slimline Pen kit or kit of choice
  • 7 mm mandrel with slimline bushings
  • Maple burl or material of choice
  • Drill bits, 7 mm
  • Pen insertion tool
  • Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue, thin and medium
  • Barrel trimmer
  • Pen press
  • Assorted grits of sandpaper through 800 grit and Abralon sanding pads
  • EEE cream and woodturner’s finish
Four-step woodworking process showing maple burl pen blank marked, squared by diagonal lines, drilled in a pen vise, and
Hands demonstrating applying cyanoacrylate glue to pen tubes and pen blanks for slimline pen assembly steps.
Hands gluing, squaring, and mounting pen blank halves on mandrel for slimline pen turning.
Hands shaping a wooden pen blank on a lathe using a spindle gouge and adjusting the tool rest.
Hand sanding a pen blank on a lathe with sandpaper and compressed air cleaning dust
Hands applying Triple EEE cream and woodturner's finish on pen blanks, pen parts lined up on assembly rack, and assembling
Hands assembling a slimline wooden pen by inserting twist mechanism and attaching pen sections.

This article is excerpted from Pen Turner's Workbook by Barry Gross. 

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