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Pen and Pencil Holders

Project by RobS posted 681 days ago 590 views 0 times favorited 21 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Bee-ing all they can bee.

I stumbled across a dried up cedar tree with several branches still attached. Thinking I might bee able to use the trunk for some salvageable wood, I started to saw off the branches. Bee-lieve it or not this is what I found. Carpenter bees had tunneled nests all throughout the tree, up and down the trunk and branches. I was amazed at not only the lengths some of these bees went to but also how nice and round they drilled the holes.

Not wanting to simply discard some of the larger branches I elected to make these desk top holders, one for each of my children.

This was an extremely quick and easy project, the tops were already slanted since I cut them off right next to the trunk, so I simply cut the bottoms flat, sanded and coated with a little oil.

Of course I removed all the bees first, er.. uh.. well… I think I did. Ha. Enjoy kids…

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX


21 comments so far

View scottb's profile

scottb

3402 posts in 1220 days


posted 681 days ago

How nice of your shop helpers…. now if you can only get them to follow a drawing…

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

View RobS's profile

RobS

1243 posts in 1200 days


posted 681 days ago

Ha right Scott, then of course I would need to start training the younger ones too, so I could get smaller diameter holes..

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9521 posts in 882 days


posted 681 days ago

Pretty cool idea!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View hap's profile

hap

227 posts in 682 days


posted 681 days ago

cool way to use these.i mite make some of them.

-- hap, gunbarrel city tx.

View hap's profile

hap

227 posts in 682 days


posted 681 days ago

i made some lamps that look like that

-- hap, gunbarrel city tx.

View Blake's profile

Blake

2754 posts in 768 days


posted 681 days ago

Interesting piece with a very interesting story.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

11335 posts in 768 days


posted 681 days ago

Cool, a project that goes quick, looks good, and is functional.

View mot's profile

mot

4901 posts in 930 days


posted 681 days ago

Those are kinda neat, Rob.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View RobS's profile

RobS

1243 posts in 1200 days


posted 681 days ago

Thanks everyone, I know they aren’t much to look at and certainly didn’t take much skill. Just thought it was cool how nature helped out.

Thanks again.

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

View clieb91's profile

clieb91

681 posts in 828 days


posted 681 days ago

Neat way to use the natural wood. May have to keep an eye out for that kind of wood.

CtL

-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."

View TreeBones's profile

TreeBones

1557 posts in 917 days


posted 681 days ago

Great salvage, unique project, cool.

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.biz/concrete/

View John Gray's profile

John Gray

1751 posts in 779 days


posted 681 days ago

It’s really something the way the bees made the holes.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

View Jiri Parkman's profile

Jiri Parkman

603 posts in 706 days


posted 681 days ago

Good idea. I´m going to do somethin similar.

-- Jiri

View Marge's profile

Marge

144 posts in 847 days


posted 680 days ago

Very cool and a great conversation piece. They drill straighter than I do.

-- Marge, Colorado

View frank's profile

frank

1503 posts in 1099 days


posted 680 days ago

Hi Rob;
—-busy as a bee and bee-ing able to captivate, bee-work-able-wood as an ongoing worker of wood in your bee-ing….!

This project is all about bees bee-ing bees and you bee-ing a maker of great bee-live-able pen and pencils holders. And who knows but now that your children have these wonder-full holders of stories, that they might some day pick up pen and paper….and write their own versions of the story that comes from the wood?

....and so once again, but not the last I’m sure….,

I thank you for sharing this one with us at LJ.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

View RobS's profile

RobS

1243 posts in 1200 days


posted 680 days ago

thanks all..
and I’ve often wondered how many bees made all these holes, was it “Two bees or not two bees”? That’s my question.

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

View Dadoo's profile

Dadoo

1723 posts in 884 days


posted 679 days ago

Nature inspired, naturally made!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14156 posts in 1054 days


posted 679 days ago

sweet. what great teamwork—the worker bees and the ingenious artist!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Jimthecarver's profile

Jimthecarver

427 posts in 679 days


posted 678 days ago

Beautiful color and those lil guys were very busy. It must have tasted as good as it smelled….Good Job!

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6438 posts in 876 days


posted 617 days ago

cool posting … great gift idea

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20603 posts in 715 days


posted 608 days ago

Hi Rob,

How did I miss this when you originally posted it? This one made my day. It must bee nice to have help like this.

Nice post and I will try to bee more timely with my comments in the future. (Enough with the bee jokes right).

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

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