# Verawood Pentel



## vonaltenhofen (Jul 19, 2020)

Verawood, also called greenheart was used to build the ship used by the ill-fated Shackelton expedition to Antarctica. Strong wood, able to break through ice. So I decided to create a Pentel mechanical pencil from it. Just because.[8^)

Reactions: Like 7 | Way Cool 6


----------



## DKMD (Jul 19, 2020)

Cool! I like the grain in that stuff.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Tony (Jul 19, 2020)

Very cool! Pentel makes a great pencil, good choice!

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Arn213 (Jul 19, 2020)

Those would be great presents for artist, designers and Architects- I think I need 1 or 2 . Are the pen blanks smaller for that type- 1/2” as oppose to 5/8” to 3/4”?


----------



## Graybeard (Jul 20, 2020)

Really nice job. The Pentel mechanism is the best one out there I think. I learned the hard way to keep the nib end like you did, if it's flush the nib can go up in the wood.


----------



## duncsuss (Jul 20, 2020)

Arn213 said:


> Those would be great presents for artist, designers and Architects- I think I need 1 or 2 . Are the pen blanks smaller for that type- 1/2” as oppose to 5/8” to 3/4”?


It's possible to use a thinner blank than for a typical pen, but you have to drill a long hole down that single piece which can be challenging. (Most pen barrels are significantly shorter, so there's less chance of the drill wandering off course and coming out the side of the blank.)


----------



## Wildthings (Jul 20, 2020)

duncsuss said:


> It's possible to use a thinner blank than for a typical pen, but you have to drill a long hole down that single piece which can be challenging. (Most pen barrels are significantly shorter, so there's less chance of the drill wandering off course and coming out the side of the blank.)


Don't you have to use a stepped bit for the Pentels


----------



## duncsuss (Jul 21, 2020)

Wildthings said:


> Don't you have to use a stepped bit for the Pentels


Some people have argued that it's possible to do it with a regular bit, then flip the blank and drill the smaller hole from the other end. I've never had success doing that.

I use a regular bits until I'm about 1/2" from full depth, then switch to a step bit for the last 1/2". It's less wear on the step bit (which is not as easy to sharpen) and has a higher probability of drilling in a straight line. The hole has to be drilled longer than normal-length jobber drill bits, and I found the longer bits more likely to wander off-center - I find I get best results when I start with a jobber bit, then change to the longer bit, then change to the step bit.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 2


----------



## vonaltenhofen (Jul 24, 2020)

Arn213 said:


> Those would be great presents for artist, designers and Architects- I think I need 1 or 2 . Are the pen blanks smaller for that type- 1/2” as oppose to 5/8” to 3/4”?


Drill wandering is a concern because of the depth of the hole. I drill on my lathe. That way the blank is spinning, not the drill. Not foolproof. Start with a straight 1/4' long drill. Drill to depth. Then follow up with the step drill. Even if the drill wanders, it can usually still work, but not if it wanders out the side of the blank.


----------



## ripjack13 (Jul 24, 2020)

What is the step bit you guys use?




duncsuss said:


> Some people have argued that it's possible to do it with a regular bit, then flip the blank and drill the smaller hole from the other end. I've never had success doing that.
> 
> I use a regular bits until I'm about 1/2" from full depth, then switch to a step bit for the last 1/2". It's less wear on the step bit (which is not as easy to sharpen) and has a higher probability of drilling in a straight line. The hole has to be drilled longer than normal-length jobber drill bits, and I found the longer bits more likely to wander off-center - I find I get best results when I start with a jobber bit, then change to the longer bit, then change to the step bit.





vonaltenhofen said:


> Drill wandering is a concern because of the depth of the hole. I drill on my lathe. That way the blank is spinning, not the drill. Not foolproof. Start with a straight 1/4' long drill. Drill to depth. Then follow up with the step drill. Even if the drill wanders, it can usually still work, but not if it wanders out the side of the blank.


----------



## vonaltenhofen (Jul 25, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> What is the step bit you guys use?


Here's where to buy the step drill and mandrel. http://theperfectcollection.com/products.php?cat=11

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


----------

