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A Jen of all trades

Woodturning & woodworking

What You Need to Start Turning Pens

[REPLACE: Your subheadline, like the ocean resin post has]

By Jen Shannon

Contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Details

Three handmade pens: a golden burl wood pen with gold hardware, an orange and blue resin pen, and a pink and teal resin pen

Short answer

[REPLACE: In one or two sentences, the short list of what someone needs to turn their first pen.]

[REPLACE: A short intro. How you got into pen turning, how many pens you've made, and who this list is for.]

How I tested

[REPLACE: How long you've been turning, the lathe and tools you've used, and what you've learned along the way.]

The lathe

Mandrel and bushings

Pen kits

  • Four finished pens in gift boxes on a craft fair table next to a Jen Shannon Creative Atelier business card
  • Pen made from burl wood and black resin with ornate gold hardware
  • Honey colored burl wood pen with gold hardware
Different kits change the whole look of a pen

Blanks: wood or resin

  • Golden burl wood pen with gold hardware
  • Burl wood pen with gold hardware over a journal page
  • Dark reddish brown patterned wood pen with gold hardware
Wood blanks
  • Pen with swirled pink, teal, and white resin and silver hardware
  • Pen with swirled purple and blue pearl resin and silver hardware
  • Pen with dark green, black, and pink galaxy style resin and satin silver hardware
  • Pen with swirled teal, white, and orange resin and gold hardware
  • Pen with copper and black resin and gold hardware
  • Purple resin pen with silver hardware resting on an open palm
Resin blanks

Drilling and gluing the tubes

Turning tools

Sanding and finishing

What I'd skip

[REPLACE: One or two things you wouldn't buy again as a beginner.]

Affiliate disclosure

Florida Jen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you buy through a link on this page, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. "I use this" means the product is in my studio and I've used it myself. "Researched pick" means I chose it on specs and research without using it myself. Prices and availability can change, and the price on Amazon at checkout is the one that applies. Full disclosure.

Jen Shannon

Hi, I'm Jen

Mixed media artist and maker in Jacksonville, Florida. Everything marked "I use this" on this site is actually in my studio. Everything else is labeled as a researched pick, so you always know which is which.

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