Pen Making Guide for Beginners

Making a turned pen is a rewarding woodturning project and a good way to work with a wide variety of woods and resin materials. This guide gives a simple overview of the things to consider before starting.

1. Choose your pen kit

Your pen kit determines the components used in the finished pen and will normally specify the drill size, bushings and blank dimensions needed. Browse our Pen Kits and check the requirements of the individual kit before preparing your blank.

2. Choose a pen blank

Pen blanks are available in natural wood, stabilised wood, resin and hybrid materials. Wood offers natural grain and figure, stabilised wood provides another natural-material option, resin provides a wide choice of colours and effects, and hybrid blanks combine resin with natural materials.

Visit our How to Choose a Pen Blank guide or browse the full Pen Blanks UK guide.

3. Check drill bits and bushings

Use the drill size and bushing requirements specified for your chosen pen kit. Our Pen Kit Drill Bits & Bushings collection contains accessories for selected kits.

4. Prepare and turn the blank

Cut and drill the blank to suit your kit, following the instructions supplied for that kit and the safe operating instructions for your own tools and equipment. Different materials can behave differently when being cut, drilled and turned.

5. Sand and finish

After turning, work through an appropriate sanding and finishing process for the material you are using. Browse our Chestnut Woodturning Finishing Products and True Grit & Gloss collections for available finishing products.