There seems to be two camps when it comes to drilling pen blanks.
One is to use a drill press or pillar drill for some of you and the other is to use your lathe.

In a recent thread one of our members mentioned that they preferred to drill pen blanks on the lathe because they found it to be more accurate.
If this is also your method, I would like to know how you came to this conclusion.


Here is my thinking on this process and why
I use my drill press, a device designed for the purpose of drilling holes.
I clamp a pen blank to the fence using a stop-block for repeatable (reasonable) alignment. I say reasonable because not all pen blanks are created equal and I do not mill them before I drill them, no need.
I proceed to drill using the appropriate bit, RPM and feed rate, clearing debris as necessary.
Even if occasionally a hole is not "perfectly' centered, I don't care. Why, because the hole is straight & true. if the hole starts in the center but leaves slightly towards the bottom right corner as an example, it doesn't matter. Maybe the blank isn't quite square on the end. Maybe some debris got in the way and it wasn't clamped perfectly square. As long as the hole is straight & true it doesn't matter.

I insert and glue in the tube and allow to cure.

Now when it's time to trim the barrel, ANY misalignment of the hole in relationship with the end of the blank will be erased. Once the ends are brought into 90 degree alignment with the barrel, it doesn't matter where the hole entered and left the wood.
Any drilling "accuracy" or inaccuracy has become a moot point.

This is one, if not the main reason to leave the wooden blank "slightly" longer (1/32" on each end) than the brass tube, so that when it's trimmed you have sufficient material to compensate for any drilling inaccuracies or blank irregularities. This is in most all pen kit assembly instructions.

This is why the additional time and procedures needed to drill with the lathe are IMO unwarranted, I find no benefit over that of using the drill press.

(I know grain alignment is an important factor, especially with two piece pens but the degree of alignment issues is minimal when dealing with a 3/4" piece of stock, you simply should not be "off" by that much without having a different more serious issue)

That's my two cents and how I got there

I did all the things you mentioned above when I was drilling with my drill press.  I have two drill presses, a floor model and a bench top.  I used the bench top for drilling pen blanks.  I set it on the slowest speed, roughly 400 rpm.  I had good results.

I decided to try drilling on my lathe since I had some pin jaws (4 jaws).  They worked great.  Again I slowed down to about 400 rpm and cleared the debris every one-half to three quarters of an inch depending on the material.  I found the pin jaws held the blank more securely, especially odd shaped blanks, than the pen vice I had been using on the drill press.  Exit holes were consistently closer to center than they were on the DP.  YMMV

Finally I broke down and bought pen jaws (2 jaws) for my chuck and my results were even better because the blank was more secure. 

I still use my drill press on occasion when I have a blank I expect to be a problem child, but I'm sold on drilling blanks on the lathe as the best method for me.

Ed, I use both a drill press and the lathe.  I really like the lathe, and the 4 jaw pen chuck, when I'm drilling deer antler.  I find that it is easier for me to adjust a curved antler when I use the lathe than on the DP.  On the DP, I found that I was drilling thru the sides of the antler about 50% of the time or more.  On the lathe, I have been much more successful, less than 25% are now wasted.

I have better luck drilling them with the drill press, then I do with the lathe. And I even purchased the proper pen holder set-up, to hold them to be drilled. But every time I've tried using it, the hole doesn't drill straight, it's almost out the side of the blank at the end.
Len

Chris Neilan wrote on Dec 12^th, 2017 at 7:16am:


IMO
A quality pen mill is the more accurate method.
A sanding jig such as Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or , can introduce too much "play" into the equation.
Both a mill and sanding jig use the barrel as the reference but that's where the similarities end.

With a mill, the tool itself needs to be square which only consists of two machined parts.

With a sanding jig (like the one I linked to),
First the sander needs to be aligned properly, table to disc.
Then the jig needs to be aligned properly, on all axis.
Then the jig mounted to the sander must be aligned properly within the miter slot, not all miter slots are created equal.
The sanding disc must be free of defect, I think this speaks for it's self.

Everyone of these steps can introduce a certain amount of play into the process which can add up to a less the perfect result, Ends not being square and/or a slight convex curve (rotating the blank on the sanding disc) can be the result.

Depends on the species for me.
In the seclusion of my shop, I will sometime hold it in my hand. (I don't advise trying this at home)
I usually use a vise. I have a pair of vise pads with a V-notch cut into them to keep it secure. Minimal pressure is required, the notch really just helps to keep the blanks from wanting to slip and holds it upright, especially with those less than perfectly milled blanks.

The Whiteside Mill Kit that I use has 4 "common sizes" 7mm, 10mm, 25/64", and 27/64"
You can purchase individual pilot shafts as you need them
Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Great discussion on various techniques.  I think you draw the correct conclusion Ed that circumstances vary and require different techniques.

I drill on the lathe primarily because when properly aligned, the lathe will drill on center all the way through most of the time for me.  This is more important for segmented pens where you need a perfectly centered hole to maintain the balance of your segment sizes all the way around the barrel (think Celtic Knot.)  Secondly, I get better effective quill travel on the lathe for longer blanks.  My DP has 3" quill stroke, and then I have to raise the blank up to finish drilling.  With the lathe, I advance the tailstock and the blank stays chucked in the pen jaws.

I primarily use a barrel trimmer on the ends for squaring, but in some cases you need to sand (delicate blanks, e.g., segmented, can blow apart using a barrel trimmer.)  There is a special setup for sanding on the lathe I found over on the IAP site that uses a mandrel mounted offset in the tailstock (sanding disk on the headstock) that does a great job sanding perpendicular to the tube.

But I don't believe there is only one best way for everything.