Pen turning blanks

[Carroll Courtney]

Guys,I am new at turning pens and have only turned 3 of them.(slimslines from CSUSA)I would like to buy some blanks off of e-bay because there is such a mixture of woods and they seem cheap.I have read a post from other turners here that they have purchase some and when drilling, stuff ous's from the wood.Which seller should I avoided and is there any woods that should not be use for pens.Since I am new, what pen should a novice try after the slimlines? I would like to make me a good mechical pencil for my woodworking endeavors,what would ya"ll suggest?Thanks again Carroll

[David Fried]

I haven't bought wood off eBay. Our local hardwood dealers are willing to cut a board foot or two off a plank as long as they still have a certain length left. I have also purchased small pieces from thier scrap bins. Doing this way, a pen blank of exotic wood often costs less than a dollar. (Way less than a dollar)

I did make a shop pencil using the wood workers pencil kit from WoodCraft. It's an easy kit and a great pencil!

Good luck and good turning!

[Scott Donley]

Hi and welcome, I also don't do E-Bay, have bought MOST of my blanks from Woodturningz (http://www.woodturningz.com/Wood_Pen_Blanks.aspx) Gives you a chance to see and try all the woods out there without breaking the bank and good folks to deal with.

[Nancy Laird]

Craft Supplies, http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/, has a great assortment of blanks in wood, stabilized wood, acrylic, and others. So does Woodworkers Supply, www.woodworker.com (http://www.woodworker.com). Of course Berea - http://www.bereahardwoods.com/new/blanks/ - also has lots of blanks. We stumbled upon a place in Florida that offers 100 cocobolo blanks for $50.00, plus shipping. It's Cocobolo Inc., in Pinellas Park, Florida - phone (727) 521-0616. Shipping from Florida to NM was $15.00, and the blanks are beautiful, turn beautifully, and some of the most gorgeous figure I've ever seen.

Nancy

[Dick Strauss]

Carroll,
If you post your location a local turner/woodworker might be able to provide lots of scraps at a very reasonable price (free). If you are in the Toledo, Ohio area you're in luck because I've got a dozen blanks with your name on them.

Also, you may want to check with local cabinet makers, etc. for cutoffs.

Take care,
Dick

[Paul Engle]

Carroll , I went to register on E-Bay and what a hassle plus they wanted a credit card # just to buy. I agree with the others , when you start looking wood just seems to show up everywhere and dont think you have to turn just exotics ..... couple of guys in my area use locale woods and do just fine.

[George Summers]

Local saw mills are a good source of domestic woods. I have gotten the normal cherry, mahogany, walnut, pecan, spalted woods, maple, burls, etc from the scrap/slab piles at the local mills and usually for free.

George

[John Miliunas]

Caroll, first of all, welcome to the Creek! :) Secondly, you claim to have made several Slimlines already. That's great and I don't doubt you...however, this IS the Creek and picture-proof is part of our existence. (Well, that AND, we have Picture Police 'round here!:eek: )

Like Dick mentions, if we had an idea of your whereabouts, there's a good chance there's another Creeker nearby who would be willing to share cutoffs for cheap or free!!! :D

As far as "what next", that's really wide open. Most all of the kits aren't too bad to make, though more care needs to be taken with some. I would, for starters, stay away from any which need stepped drill bits for now. Get used to the basic method for turning and assembling and then move on to the more complex ones. Be sure to check on the instructions for any of them to be sure you collect up the correct mandrels and drill bits, as well! Most importantly, have fun with them and be sure to give us a peek at them sometime! :) :cool:

[Gary Herrmann]

I've looked at ebay and I would probably buy a board or larger turning block with the idea of getting pen blanks out of it. I haven't turned a pen yet - I hope to put one in my wife's stocking if I can ever get done assembling toys for my son and all the other chores I have.

I bought two small boards from a local exotics dealer a couple months ago on sale. One was a very nicely colored piece of canary wood, the other was a piece of quilted mahogany. I've reserved them for pens (they're too small for much else anyway), once I get a little practice in on some more run of the mill stuff.

[Bill Turpin]

I have purchased from him several times. Always extra thrown in. I asked him to make an exclusive American ONLY wood deal that I could bid on for the Freedom Pen project a couple of years ago. He sent me fifty blanks (free) for only the postage of about five dollars. I donated them to our club which made 500+ pens for the troops. He is a good source for odd-ball species that I can't get in NC.

Bill in WNC mountains

[John Hart]

Welcome to the Creek Carroll and a deeper welcome to the swirling abyss!!! ;) :) When I went to Berea Hardwoods with Blake McCully for my first mini tutorial on pen-making....They suggested that I do slimlines first...to get accustomed to the process...."Do it simple and straight", they sez. Then after I was comfortable...start putting some character into the form. Then do the American Flat Top. They claimed that that kit was the best step into a larger world. I fell in love with it....and found that the European Round Top was very similar in design as well. Lot's of versatility in those kits.:)

[Bob Noles]

Carroll.

First, let me say welcome to SMC. This forum is one of the best you can belong to and we hope you will visit often and share ideas with us.

Here is a link to a pencil that has become popular with many woodworkers as a great shop tool. While at this site you can also see many of the pen kit designs and blanks they have to offer. CSUSA is a highly respected vendor among pen turners so you can pururchase in confiidence.

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?search=action&keywords=woodworkers-pencil

Another site and is my personal favorite is Arizona Silhouette. Bill Baumbeck who owns the site is a very good person to do business with and has a great reputation. Every purchase I have made from him always included a free high quality blank in the package when it arrived.

http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/index.htm


If you have made only 3 slimlines, I suggest you stay with this kit for a while longer since you are already tooled for it. This design has dozens of modifications and variations that can be explored as you continue to perfect your technique. I can recommend some good books and DVD's that will enhance your slimline adventures if you want to send me a PM or email.

As far as blanks, it sounds like yours may simply be a matter of needing drying out. Some people stabilize the blanks and they have not fully cured while others may simply still be green. The only wood I can recommend staying away from is the one that you are allergic to, otherwise, there really is no bad wood.... IMHO

Let us know how we can help further. I think you will find a lot of friendly helpful folks here that are always willing to give you a hand.

[Terry Quiram]

Carroll, sent you a PM.

[Charlie Black]

Hi Carroll!
Try:
http://ipopperwoods.com/

the economy bundle is a great buy!!
Good Luck!!
Charlie

[Charlie Black]

er... uhh.. I meant the 70 peice package for $30 bucks!! Can't go wrong... Economy looks good too - but nothing like the brgain of the 70 peice deal!! Free shipping this month too - plus it looks like there is a 30% discount on all orders...read about this ... I just noticed the discount - I assume it is for all orders...
I am not affiliated in any way with this company...
Regards
Charlie