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 beautiful, handcrafted pens by ensuring the turning blank is perfectly prepared for assembly.
- **Woodworking Projects**: Can be used in various woodworking projects that require precise trimming and shaping of exotic hardwoods, acrylics, and polymers.
- **Crafting Custom Pens**: Perfect for hobbyists and professionals looking to craft custom pens with a wide range of materials, including stabilized woods and cast hybrids.
- **Jewelry Making**: Suitable for small-scale jewelry projects that involve non-ferrous metals, allowing for precise cutting and shaping.
- **Model Making**: Can be utilized in model making where precise trimming of small, detailed parts is necessary.
- **DIY Projects**: Ideal for DIY enthusiasts looking to undertake projects that require high precision and a flawless finish.
- **Educational Workshops**: Can be used in educational settings for teaching students about craftsmanship, material properties, and precision machining.
- **Art Installations**: Useful for artists working on installations that require the manipulation of various materials to exact specifications.
- **Restoration Work**: Handy for restoration projects where precise material removal is needed without damaging the integrity of the piece.
- **Prototyping**: Suitable for prototyping small parts where precision and finish are critical to the design process.