LumberJocks

No longer a hobby???

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Project by blmac4 posted 404 days ago 2052 views 4 times favorited 14 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Last December I got a request from a local lumber company for 12 pens and boxes made from a variety of different woods, to be given to their board members. The boxes I made were the flip style and I had their logo engraved in them. They were delighted with the pens and the boxes and said they had something else in mind after the first of the year for me to consider. In March, they contacted me to make 100 pens from some of the wood from the Louisiana State Champion LobLolly Pine tree that had to be cut down. The tree was on their timber property. They wanted the company name engraved on the pens which was a challenge. Pine is not an easy wood to engrave. I delivered the pens today and again, they were very pleased with them. Hopefully, this will lead to some other orders.

I have included some pictures of the boxes from the first order, I can’t locate pictures of the pens, and pictures of the order I delivered today.

Bobby
Louisiana




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14 comments so far

View crashn's profile

crashn

512 posts in 662 days


#1 posted 404 days ago

Very nice, I like the box design and how it flips open.

-- Crashn - the only thing I make more of than sawdust is mistakes

View degoose's profile

degoose

6618 posts in 1551 days


#2 posted 404 days ago

Welcome to the world of woodworking business.

-- Drink twice... and don't bother to cut... @ lazylarrywoodworks.com.au For lovers of all things timber...

View waho6o9's profile

waho6o9

3059 posts in 773 days


#3 posted 404 days ago

May you have continued success Blmac4, good job.

View DKV's profile

DKV

2040 posts in 700 days


#4 posted 404 days ago

Really nice.

-- I would drink a river of the kool aid before I took the smallest sip of the tea...

View Moron's profile

Moron

4475 posts in 2090 days


#5 posted 403 days ago

Nice pens

make sure pandora isn’t hiding in the box as the odds of making money of a wooden pen, are slim to nil

people make sweet pens of passion, I rather doubt they are in it for the money………

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

View eddie's profile

eddie

4742 posts in 810 days


#6 posted 403 days ago

great looking pens ,what a honor that was to be asked to make ,isee why you make some great looking pen .me being here in Louisiana make me proud for you to . if cotton was king here i think pine is right on its heels. great job

-- Jesus Is Alright with me

View Martyroc's profile

Martyroc

2708 posts in 502 days


#7 posted 403 days ago

Very nicely done, feels nice to get paid for a talent you posses.

-- Martin ....always count the number of fingers you have before, and after using the saw.

View eruby's profile

eruby

63 posts in 971 days


#8 posted 403 days ago

Congratulations on the commission (and successful completion of the order).

What type of wood did you use for the box on the right hand side of the the second picture? The other two look like poplar and pine.

-- Eric - Baltimore MD

View SirFatty's profile

SirFatty

342 posts in 408 days


#9 posted 403 days ago

Someone wise once told me “Never make your hobby your job.”

I didn’t listen, and wish I had (I’m in IT).

View blmac4's profile

blmac4

90 posts in 2137 days


#10 posted 403 days ago

Thanks for all of the comments, they are appreciated. My wife has for years has tried to get me to expand “my hobby” but I have a full time job and did not want a second job or turn what I enjoy doing into work. Now that I am thinking about retirement, orders and contacts like these are happening at just the right time. I know I cannot count on this as a steady income but as long as the orders pay for the materials and a little for the time I wouldn’t mind it and it would still be fun to do.
The wood used for the boxes are poplar, cypress and spalted oak. I also used red oak, and magnolia.

View MichaelAgate's profile

MichaelAgate

397 posts in 520 days


#11 posted 403 days ago

Nice – Very nice. Best wishes on continued growth.

-- Michael and Matthew

View DrDirt's profile

DrDirt

1719 posts in 1939 days


#12 posted 403 days ago

If you really enjoy doing it….it doesn’t seem like work.

You may be asking yourself “Why didn’t I go pro sooner”

I would do both, collect the steady pay with benefits, let the economy recover – then retire into the pro woodworking side.

You are doing nice work – but there is a lot of competition with pens – - the cases are going to be more profitable (I think) as even other pen turners will buy cases – some plain some engraved for even their ‘NON professional stuff’ that they are just giving as gifts to family and co-workers.

-- "_If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves_." Edison

View Mountain View Woodworks's profile

Mountain View Woodworks

109 posts in 1037 days


#13 posted 403 days ago

Congrats!

-- Ty, Up in Washington

View glen's profile

glen

83 posts in 749 days


#14 posted 401 days ago

well done man! that’s a lot of pens to turn… the pen is mightier than the sword, but along the way, a good lathe and chisel can do some damage too.

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