Customer Reviews and Photos for:
Pen Press/Drilling Jig
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Average Rating:
3.1
(30 customer reviews)
$99.99
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1) Submitted by
Antonio Genovesi, from Victorville, CA
on 12/31/2010
Customer Rating: 
After reading some of the reviews I was not sure about buying it. It went on sale and I took a chance. It is a great product. Some people did not like the slow turning wheel. I think it is great. When putting your pens together it gives you complete control. I was using my bench vice and broke som pens because it was hard to control, this is not. Also it makes drilling a snap. I am so glad I bought this as it will save me a lot of time and make things eaiser.
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2) Submitted by
Ed Eldridge, from Winter Park, FL
on 12/27/2010
Customer Rating:
I bought this product to save money from buying 2 pieces of equipment. I use the jig to drill my blanks first then change over to a pen press. It’s a little tight trying to get fingers in between jaws when pressing smaller pieces. So I turned two round dowels that fit in the 1” countersink and are turned down to ½”. The length depends on the length of the pen tubes. I also made one with a cone tapered hole to hold the pen tip. It works great.
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3) Submitted by
Jerry Durr, from Everett, WA
on 1/22/2010
Customer Rating:
This tool works great for drilling and works great as a drill press. This way you get two tools in one. Thank you Rockler, another great tool.
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4) Submitted by
Randy Mitchell, from Sun Prairie, WI
on 3/10/2009
Customer Rating:
Very well built and easy to use. Jaws line up spot on and hold tightly. I love that it opens wider than 2" so larger pieces can be used. I wouldn't use it as a pen press because the threads on the crank are a bit fine, but I didn't buy it for that anyway. I highly recommend this.
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5) Submitted by
Jeff Levings, from Caledonia, OH
on 2/21/2009
Customer Rating: 
I bought this product to save money from buying 2 pieces of equipment. As of right now I am pretty happy with it. I drill my pen blanks all at one time then remove the toll and put on my bench. Is a little tight trying to get fingers in between jaws when pressing smaller pieces.
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6) Submitted by
Robert Hollibaugh , from Orofino, ID
on 2/13/2009
Customer Rating:
I have just recently started making pens and pencils and have been using home made decices for assembly this is my first commercial press. l like the press and clamp. The only complaint I have is it is quite slow on the assembly side. I have tried spraying the threads with silicone and they are still hard to turn and slow to operate hopefully they will wear in, other than that I am well pleased
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7) Submitted by
Mark Lessinger, from Brocton, NY
on 1/1/2009
Customer Rating:
A bit clumsy to open and close the jaws when constructing and building a pen. Very hard to keep the jaws level and I have split a pen because I was unaware that the jaws were not level with each other.
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8) Submitted by
Mike McM, from Houston, TX
on 12/28/2008
Customer Rating:
General construction quality is very good, pretty robust design. The recessed pockets for using as a pen press can be a little deep, but not a show stopper for me. This is a HUGE improvement over the machinist vise I was using for drilling, and the hand clamp I was using for assembly. Better accuracy in drilling and better control in assembly, and both in a single tool.
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9) Submitted by
Jim Stacy, from Fresno , CA
on 12/1/2008
Customer Rating:
The threads are thin, heavier threads, I think, would make a better vice. It's much better than the lever type I was using. I'll be using it for clamping parts together, drilling large squares. It's too crowded for small drilling. I found laying a scrap on the base to hold the pen in place, level. makes it easier to use(clamping). Spraying silicone on the threads helps some.
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10) Submitted by
J. Bedgood, from The Colony, TX
on 8/15/2008
Customer Rating:
I have only recently started making pens and the like requiring this type of apparatus. It clamps nicely and is easy to do a whole series of blanks at one time in the drill press. With regard to the pen assembling part, I have found that when I am having to go from a short piece to a longer piece more that a few cranks the extension handle on the wheel seems to always unscrew and then I end up having to re-attach it before continuing. Shame to there isn't a way to slide the jaws to a wider setting real quick and then use the threads as a finer adjustment is needed... but overall it works fine for the few I do.
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11) Submitted by
Douglas Noe, from Union, IL
on 1/28/2008
Customer Rating:
Once I had my drill press table square I was able to put most any size blank and have it centered. The press worked well for p-en assembly although it was a little ackward still on the drill press. My fingers seemed to run out of room with small pens I am thinking of cutting a blank to insert in one side to increase finger room. It would have to be removeable for drilling.
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12) Submitted by
Mark Fuller, from Poway, CA
on 11/27/2012
Customer Rating:
I bought this Jig about a year ago when I started turning pens. It seemed like a good solution to two situations! drilling blanks and assembling pens. The jig works for both tasks. Used for assembling pens requires a large amount of hand strength to turn the handle, too much I think. It also occasionally jams when extreme assembly pressure is applied. Also very long pen blanks must be absolutely square if they need to be drilled from both ends. I have not found a way to secure the jig to the drill press table so its position must be adjusted for each hole drilled. Not a bad product for starting out but there are better solutions out there.
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13) Submitted by
D, from Baltimore, MD
on 1/25/2008
Customer Rating:
The press works great and I find it preferable to the lever action presses. I like the MDF inserts and the smooth action of the press. My only criticism is that it sits up relatively high and that takes away from the clearance between the bottom of the drill bit and the top of the blank being drilled.
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14) Submitted by
Ted McCrobie, from Hampstead, MD
on 11/28/2010
Customer Rating: 
I have had this item for some time now, I was very pleased with it at first then I found that the holes were not drilling straight. I found that there are small bearings under the allen screws in the jaws. At some point two of the screws had loosened and fallen out along with the bearings & spring. Now it is not much more then a pretty piece of junk.
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15) Submitted by
Rolf
on 10/1/2010
Customer Rating:
1. The wheel loosened from the shaft after a short time, nothing a little locktite won't fix.
2. It didn't operate smoothly and it seems as lubricating the threads would just invite sawdust to clog the threads.
3. The operation of pressing a pen I found to be awkward trying to locate the holes in the recessed area. Ouch cut the back of my hand on the sharp edges of the extruded aluminum. Hmmm, did that several times over the course of 20 pens. The wheel is to small to exert enough pressure easily.
4. At the 21st pen I noticed the cap had gotten marred by the press as the finish had already worn off the press in that area.
On the bright side, customer service was fast and pleasant and they are sending me a shipping label to return it.
My advice on this one is to stay away.
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16) Submitted by
Jim, from Maple Grove, MN
on 1/2/2008
Customer Rating:
I just opened the box and found the unit ready to go. I've screwed it to a sub base that I "C" clamp to the drill press table. I really like the self centering feature since not all my blanks are cut the exact same size. Now I don't have to keep repositioning my drilling jig. I turn a variety of items so what I'm going to do is make a pattern of the wood inserts and make a bunch. Then I'm going to label each one for the different size drill bit being used...this will help reduce the tear out(if any). The clamping "wheel" is very precise compared to squeezing a clamp...it looks like this is due to the fine threads.
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17) Submitted by
Chad M Kroells, from Minneapolis, MN
on 12/31/2007
Customer Rating:
The new pen press worked very well. I've used the jig to make 7mm pens and cigar pens. The self centering vise was very smooth and I like the replacable MDF inserts to help eliminate blowout. The ability to slowly close the vise was a plus when assembling the 7mm pen. The jaws do not "give" like wood jaws can. When this happens the pen nib gets driven in the wood. There is no guessing about closing the vise another 1/32" and hoping that the vise doesn't slip and drive the insert in too far. This is a good product that requires virtually no setup (other than mounting the jig to a plywood base for easier clamping) and the jig eliminates the need to have self-centering vise of some kind and another method to assemble the pen. The only thing left to do is make a storage drawer for my bits and bushings. Highly recommened.
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18) Submitted by
Tim Murray, from Conway, AR
on 1/15/2011
Customer Rating: 
As a drill press blank holder it gets 5 stars.
As a pen vise to assemble the pen, it requires a lot of effort. It's not geared right for that. Or, the wheel is just too small...you can't get a lot of torque on it. And, the frame of the vice blue is too close to the wheel. It's too easy to rip a knuckle while bearing down on turning the wheel.
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19) Submitted by
Susan Schultz, from Cassatt, SC
on 7/19/2008
Customer Rating:
As far as a drilling jig, it works great. The replacable insert is a nice feature. I bought this in order to save money over buying a drilling jig and a pen press, however I didn't think it out very well. I have to continously move it back and forth between my drill press table to drill the blank and my workbench to press the pen. If I try to press my pen while it is on the drill press, the bit gets in the way unless I drop the table low and it has turned out to be more trouble than it's worth. Think about your work habits before buying a dual-duty jig.
I will be buying a new press because this product performs much better as a drilling jig than it does a press. The wheel action is smooth until I actually start putting pressure on the pen parts. Then it gets extremely hard to turn and I have to let go of the pen and turn the wheel with both hands. If I am using CA glue on the parts they can set up before I get them seated. I also have to feed a wrench through the wheel spokes and use that as leverage to wind the wheel back out because I cannot do it with my hand strength alone. I'm not sure why the wheel gets so tight but it is an issue for me.
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20) Submitted by
Dennis Berchulc, from Shelby Twp., MI
on 6/17/2010
Customer Rating:
Overall it is constructed very good. I'm sure I will have no problems with it. The reason that I rated it a 3 Star is that the wheel that you turn is way too small. As we all know the larger the wheel the less resistance in turning it. The current wheel is 3 1/2" in diameter. A 6" wheel will fit on the tool with no further modification and made it a whole lot better to apply pressure to push in the pieces of the pen. The circumference is 70% more on the 6" wheel.
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21) Submitted by
Edwin, from Dallas, TX
on 9/16/2010
Customer Rating:
I purchased this pen vise/drilling jig several months ago & I see that several people don't seem to like the device. There is several problems with mine, the set screws on the sides fall out all the time. There should have been lock tite of teflon pin to keep them in place. Also the vise handle is hard to turn for using as a pen press. Better using drill press with several attachments, seems to work better. also if trying to drill several pen blanks that are just a little different sizes you have to reposition the blank vise every time on the drill press.
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22) Submitted by
Ken Salo, from Champlin, MN
on 5/3/2009
Customer Rating:
This works great to drill blanks, but it does not do well as a pen press. We bought an arbor press that does the job with a lot less effort (be careful, however, to watch very closely--the one ton press can put too much pressure on the pen piece and it will crack.). We also had a problem with ball bearings and set screws coming off. Rockler has good quality items and this is a bit disappointing.
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23) Submitted by
Jim McLaughlin, from Los Osos, CA
on 12/22/2010
Customer Rating:
The white delrin/nylon bearing at end of threaded rod opposite of hand crank disentegrated the first time I used the vise. I liked the design, but not sure the plastic bearings are the way to go. Maybe I got the "Lemon".
Editor's note: Our customer service team at 800-376-7856 is available to assist.
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24) Submitted by
Frank Wilson, from Fountain Valley, CA
on 12/28/2010
Customer Rating:
I like the idea and the jig works fairly well when the pressing is easy. The threads lockup if you have to use and pressure on tight fitting parts or hold a blank for drilling. The worst aspect is that the device is so light and slippery that it must be clamped down even when using the press for easy operations. The metal bottom is very slick.
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25) Submitted by
Craig Smith, from Lake Tapps, WA
on 3/2/2008
Customer Rating:
This works well for a drilling jig but pressing large pens can put a fair amount of stress on the plastic bushings resulting in eventual failer. I see this as a potential problem. Once a part is pressed into the pen blank I find that backing out requires more exertion then the actual pressing.
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26) Submitted by
Dave Peeples, from Powder Springs , GA
on 3/20/2011
Customer Rating:
This device is an excellent drilling guide, but is not good at all for a pen press. The handle is nice and works well, but took too much pressure to press tight pens together.
I did have to put a drop of glue in the four bearing holes because the set screw holding the bearings in kept backing out. Once that was done, it has served me well having used it on over 200 pens.
Would like to add Rockler has the best support and fastest shipping for everything I have ordered from them in the last 5 years, Good Work Rockler team.
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27) Submitted by
Mike, from Florissant, MO
on 6/19/2011
Customer Rating:
I bought one of these earlier this year. If I could give it a negative star I would. This vise has two major flaws. The bearings are plastic or nylon and fit loosely so the work piece wobbles back and forth which creates egg shaped holes in place of round holes.
The handle is too small to tighten or loosen sufficiently to hold the workpiece adequately with out use of a cheater.
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28) Submitted by
Joe , from Oceanside, CA
on 12/23/2011
Customer Rating:
I bought this pen press / drilling jig about a month ago. I find it quite clumsy to operate. The screww fell of the whhel the first time I used it. It is also very difficult to operate/ turn the wheel that opens and closed the jaws. I would not buy another one of these tools even if it sold for five bucks.
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29) Submitted by
Jim P, from Brookline Station, MO
on 12/22/2011
Customer Rating:
I am a game call maker and bought one of these to hold my 2" square stock just to try it out. This is the best clamp I have ever used. I bought one on each drill press, one for the barrels and one for the stoppers. Now all I need is something to hold them down.
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30) Submitted by
J Maclachlan, from St Peters, MO
on 1/18/2011
Customer Rating:
We bought this a couple of months back and put it to use immediately. Things started out okay and I liked the size of the unit and the fact that I could easily clamp it down to keep it from moving.
We have used this press to drill and press together about 35 pens and I'm already seeing the biggest design flaw in this unit and that is the wheel used to open/close the press. There isn't enough wheel diameter to close the press tight enough to hold a round piece acrylic without really bearing down on it and then the plastic wheel allowed the speed handle bolt to slide right through.
This wheel and handle need to be larger and be made of aluminum or steel, not plastic. I'll have to retrofit mine now since the handle is now broken off and the wheel is too small.
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