Creating beautiful turned pens starts with carefully preparing the turning blank. Every pen kit on the market includes a brass insert tube that has to be glued into the blank. Then the blank needs to be trimmed perpendicular to and perfectly flush with both ends of the insert tube. The trimming process is fundamentally important to great results, but until now, the tools available to pen turners for that job have left a lot to be desired. Now Woodpeckers is introducing the Ultra-Shear Pen Mill Ci, a pen mill that effortlessly cuts every material pen turners use…and through mountains of pen blanks.
The Ultra-Shear Pen Mill Ci uses razor-sharp nano-grain carbide inserts mounted in a precision-machined milling head. These are exactly the same inserts used on our Ultra-Shear Pen Size Square turning tools. The special long-life carbide edges will shave through exotic hardwoods, acrylics, polymers, stabilized woods, cast hybrids and even non-ferrous metals with flawless results. When the edges finally get dull, fresh cutting edges are as simple as loosening two screws, turning the inserts 90 degrees and locking them back down. Not only do you have sharper, longer lasting cutting edges, the head is also significantly larger than any other on the market, which means after trimming a ¾” square pen blank, there’s no annoying “halo” of material.
Keeping the milling head perpendicular to the brass insert tube requires a pilot shaft that is carefully sized to fit the tube just right…neither too tight nor too loose. The new Ultra-Shear Pilot-Reamers are cut on precision Swiss lathes to exacting tolerances. We offer the 12 most popular sizes covering virtually every pen kit on the market. In addition to keeping the milling head perpendicular to the tube, the noses of the Pilot-Reamers are fluted to carefully cut away any glue residue or brass burrs inside the insert tube.
Competitive pen mills drive off the pilot shaft, relying only on the set screw to prevent the cutting head from spinning. The part that fits into your drill chuck on the Ultra-Shear Pen Mill Ci is part of the head, and has a 3-flat design that gives you a very positive lock when you tighten your chuck.
If you turn several different pen styles, we offer two sets. The 5-piece set includes the Pen Mill Ci and the four most popular Pilot-Reamers. The 13-piece set includes the Pen Mill Ci and all 12 Pilot-Reamers. Both sets come in a Woodpeckers plastic case with a custom cut foam liner to keep everything safe and organized. If you only make one or two style pens, you can buy the Pen Mill Ci milling head and just the Pilot-Reamers you need.
Additional Info
- **Pen Turning**: Ideal for creating high-quality turned pens, offering precision in preparing pen blanks.
- **Crafting with Exotic Hardwoods**: Effortlessly cuts through exotic hardwoods, ensuring smooth finishes on custom pens.
- **Working with Acrylics and Polymers**: Designed to handle acrylics and polymers, making it suitable for a wide range of pen designs.
- **Stabilized Woods and Cast Hybrids**: Perfect for trimming and preparing stabilized woods and cast hybrids for pen turning.
- **Non-Ferrous Metal Projects**: Capable of cutting through non-ferrous metals, expanding the creative possibilities for pen makers.
- **Glue Residue and Brass Burr Removal**: The Pilot-Reamers can carefully remove glue residue and brass burrs, ensuring a clean insert tube for the pen blank.
- **Custom Pen Making**: With the option to purchase individual Pilot-Reamers, it's ideal for artisans focusing on one or two styles of pens.
- **Organized Workshops**: The sets come in a Woodpeckers plastic case with a custom cut foam liner, keeping tools organized and safe.
- **Multi-Style Pen Production**: The availability of two sets caters to pen turners who work on several different pen styles, ensuring versatility in pen creation.