Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
how small are pen blanks?
Andy in Raleigh
>I have some oak that has spalting along one edge. It's yellow with the black lines in it. Anyway, rather than tossing scraps I thought I might offer them to a pen turner (I guess I should give Fred in NC first shot since he's a pen turner and a home boy :) if they are big enough to be useful. Scraps I have vary from maybe 1/2" square at the smallest with none over 1" square. The wider scraps I save for my intarsia pile.
Re: how small are pen blanks?
Ezekiel Holliday
>Pen blanks range from 1/2" square to 7/8" square. It just depends on what type of pen you are making.
Zeke
Re: how small are pen blanks?
Wood Spinner
>Typical blanks are either 3/4 x 3/4 x 5 or 5/8 x 5/8 x 5 depending on pen style.
Good turning and be safe
Bill
From the horse's mouth...
Fred in NC
>Hello Andy! Thanks for thinking about me!! I do turn a lot of pens, and I am in NC, South of you. I love spalted wood!!!1
I can actually turn 1/2" blanks into slimline pens, although I prefer a minimim of 5/8". All it takes is very accurate drilling. Some pens require bigger than that, up to 1". However, it also depends on the design of the barrel. I make pens that people can use, and carry in pocket or purse, so I don't usually go to extremes in design.
If you like to send me some blanks, that would be appreciated. You can email me at:
fredlido -AT- bellsouth.net - just replace the AT with the @. I don't like s p a m.
Thanks again, Andy. I wait to hear from you !!!
These are not very small !!!
Fred in NC
>Thank you for the spalted wood, which came today, Andy! Soon it will be PENS !!! Best regards and happy holidays.
Fred
