When my son was in 7th grade he wanted to use a lathe in shop class. He was told that they were reserved for seniors. I decided to surprise him with one for Christmas and we started turning/lathing. We enjoyed it so much that we eventually purchased another lathe.
We began to have friends and family over to teach them how to make a pen. Everyone that made a pen was excited, proud, and encouraged by their creativity. I just had to push to make this available at camp for the older campers.
In 2008, I was given permission to purchase 5 lathes, a bandsaw and drill press. I mounted the lathes on small individual tables and wrote lesson plans for 10 campers to share 5 lathes. The clinic was a success and went all 3 periods for the entire summer.
I purchased 5 more lathes the following summer so that each camper could have their own. I constructed two lathe carts that held 5 lathes each. The carts are put/rolled away at the end of morning clinic periods each day.
The process for making a pen is broken down into five days so that the campers can complete their pens on Friday. The campers select a block of wood and use the bandsaw to cut 2 pieces the length of the brass tubes.
They then drill the blocks and glue the brass tubes inside. A special bit is used to clean out any excess glue and to square up the ends. The 2 blocks are then mounted onto a mandrel which in turn is mounted on the lathe. Chisels are used to lathe the pen to the desired shape. The pen is sanded and friction polish is applied. The pen is taken off the lathe/mandrel and the pen parts are pressed in.
This is a great progressive program for older campers. I love teaching it, staff love learning to teach it, and the campers love doing it. I have witnessed campers showing their pens to their family many times on check-out day. I would be happy to help answer any questions if you are interested in starting something like this.