As the wood turns

Howdy folks, just in case you thought we were having too much fun selling t-shirts, knives, shaving brushes, art, and a variety of others...

I have recently expanded my wood turning hobby. For some reason I thought that making pens was a good idea, so I bought a starter kit with all the fixin’s for 5 slimline ballpoint twist pens. They went together pretty easily with no major hiccups, and only a few minor ones. I used a couple of the blanks provided and a couple of my own: Purple-heart, Lignum vitae, Salt cedar, Cocobolo, and Figured Sipo. I also picked up a couple of wine bottle stopper plugs. I’ve only made one so far, out of pear wood – looks pretty good to me. I was somewhat disappointed with the limited amount of customization and creativity that go into turning pens. The pocket clips limit the back half, and comfort limits the front, so you can’t do much beyond some gentle curves, and banding. So, am I stopping at those 5? Of course not, I just ordered another $150 worth of supplies, not just pen kits and accessories, but a few other gizmos and gadgets. What’s next? Sectional walking sticks, seam rippers, mechanical pencils, fountain pens are all on the agenda. And finishing some knives as well.