My first pens

Pretty nice for the first try.

I’m going to get me a kit someday When I get-a-round-to-it.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

nice to see it didn’t get to cold down in cozy old Florida and keep you out of the shop this weekend!!

The pens look great! You’ll soon be a large group of like minded folks saying:
“Hi, my name is Gary. I’m a penturner.”

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

Thanks gents.
Dick—I’d recommend it. There’s something totally relaxing about finishing a project in
such a short time ;-)

Darryl,
Now there are 5:
another rosewood like the first, one of QS magnolia w/ black [like a dingy taupe curly
maple], and one black with a paduak bottom w/ an osage orange top. I’ll try to get
some new pictures up soon.

Osage orange is really nice; I need to mill some more of that stuff. ;-)

Gary

I turned three more last night—now there are 8. Don’t know how to post follow-up pics, so
here’s a link to the latest batch:

http://user.gru.net/garyg-1/woodwork/pens6.jpg

methinks I’m having too much fun.
Gary

Gary if you can get some Ossage Orange root, the pen just shimmers with the light. I had an osage orange come down in the creek behind my house and I cut about 1/2 of the stump up in small pieces. Send my your address and I’ll send you a chunk to try.
karson_morrison@bigfoot.com. By the way Pink Ivory makes beautiful pens for the lady folks. I charge $15.00 extra for the pink ivory wood. I sold a pen and pencil set to a lady, and they were stolen from her desk 2 days later. And she came back and ordered another set.

I would be carefull with Cocobolo for pens. The first one went fine. And, the second time I broke out in a bad case of Posion Ivy blisters. Some people are allergic to the dust. I guesss I am now so I won’t turn another one. Penn State Insustries has some interesting pen kits called teacher pens. The are double ended with a black and a red ink in each end. They are nice for gifts to the children’s teachers for Christmas or end of school.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

My Brother-In-Law (and fellow lumberjock – who’d better start posting some projects!) has made a few things out of Osage Orange, I love how that looks.

Can’t have too much fun! Looks like you’ve picked up the ball and just started running.

I’ve got a bunch of blanks glued up and ready to go, but haven’t started on pen#1 quite yet.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Karson,
Thanks for your generous offer. I sent separate email with the info.
I should’ve asked if you’d like some figured sapelle. If so, put a note in
the package and I’ll send some back. I’ve got a bunch.

Scott,
You gotta just do it.
I can’t believe how long it took me to get the mandrel. Now, I could kick myself.
I’ve got a long list of people I want to make these for and will need more kits.
Good thing one of the guys in my local WW club told me he’s got a few hundred
extras. ;-)

Gary

I’ll be trying those pens real soon…

In the meantime, you’ve got me thinking that since so many of us are from opposite ends of the country, if not the globe,... perhaps we could offer up some “local” wood to trade…. What’s local to one, is exotic to another, right? Pound for pound, and even exchange even beats a bargain on e-bay!

Anyone?

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Scott,
It’s a great idea; some of us have done this on other forums we participate in.
From my way of thinking, it’d be easier if there’s a central place on this forum for
the trading options to be listed rather than embedding it in a post like this one.
So, it’s your idea. Therefore, I nominate you to approach our hosts and see if that
can be worked out ;-)
I’d certainly love to trade some of my stash for some of what others have at an
equitable exchange rate.

Shipping lumber is always expensive but sending smaller amounts isn’t too bad.

Probably the biggest issue is going to be the `value’ of local lumber, esp. local exotics.
We’d all have to agree on the fair value of said wood. Rather than leaving it up to each
individual, it might be better to select a regularly published national guideline as that value.
Perhaps using that as a maximum value could help `keep the peace’.
Just a thought—or too much thought. ;-)

Gary

Gary, your hosts are reading ;) Feel free to discuss the trading idea here. Thanks!

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Martin_Sojka/1357216976

Another little trick that I came up with. I save a sandwich bag of the wood chips and sanding dust after I make a pen out of strange wood. Like Bloodwood, osage orange etc. and when you get a blank that might have a worm hole in it. I fill it with a contrasting sawdust wood and epoxy.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I did a search on pen turning, & came up with a pretty good article from Fine Woodworking, So I’ll a post it here for anybody interested.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011069064.pdf

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1