With the abundance of various types of hard woods and softwoods available, it makes sense that pen crafters make use of any available type that gives them an edge. Hardwoods are woods that bear leaves and loose them in the fall, with the exception of some far southern areas. Softwoods are generally conifers, with needles rather than leaves and are green year round.
Examples of softwoods are yellow pine, white pine and spruce and are generally used for projects non pen related, although pen crafters do turn some soft woods and turn out beautiful looking pens. There big drawback with these woods is that they are prone to cracking and splitting due to drying out if not completely sealed during the finishing process.
Some examples of hardwoods are red oak, curly maple; birch and poplar which tend to do well in the manufacture of pens and are favorites of wood workers for a variety of smaller projects and turnings. They tend to take sealing and finishing very well and rarely split or crack over time.
Using the right wood to create a pen is as important as to which style the pen crafter wishes to make. Smaller diameter pens work well with almost any type of wood, but the larger diameter pens are more suitable for hardwood consideration.
Additional types of wood available to pen crafters are burls, which are growths either around the tree trunk or on the roots of the tree. Some of the rarest burls come from the tree roots of long dead trees. Burl wood exhibits swirls, eyes and even voids in the wood. They may take a stain or finish evenly or not and are beautiful when properly finished.
The final type of wood used commonly in pen crafting is spalted woods. Spalting is the process of decaying wood by fungi. The wood turned exhibits striations of colors as well as areas of dark colored areas (dead wood). When turned, they accept many finishes well and provide a beautiful pen when completed.
Thus, the pen maker has a large supply of wood sources to turn beautiful pens and other objects. As long as there is wood available, wood workers will find something to create.
Paul Witmer is a pharmaceutical engineering professional and an avid wood worker specializing in fine pens. Paul is also co-owner of www.WitmerEnterprises.com
Easy Wood Tools - Spalted Maple Burl # 1- Roughing your square blank out to round with Craig Jackson
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