Posts: 3,066
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2004
03-22-2018, 05:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-22-2018, 05:54 PM by TomFromStLouis.)
I just cut some pen blanks from some of the waste of our sawmill, black maple if that matters any. (I had not even heard of black maple, but the heartwood is gorgeous with,yes, some blackish streaks).
The blanks are wet as can be and some were even cut across the grain. So tell me experienced pen turners, would either condition keep you from working a blank? I don't want to put out unusable material. Thanks for your help!
I would post a picture but I still have not recovered from the photobucket debacle.
Posts: 21,886
Threads: 0
Joined: Oct 2003
Cross grain blanks often make beautiful pens because the visual effect can be stunning.
Wet blanks should be very inexpensive.
Check the IAP, it’s the hub for pen turning.
Gary
Please don’t quote the trolls.
Liberty, Freedom and Individual Responsibility
Say what you'll do and do what you say.
Posts: 1,908
Threads: 0
Joined: Oct 2005
(03-22-2018, 05:53 PM)TomFromStLouis Wrote: I just cut some pen blanks from some of the waste of our sawmill, black maple if that matters any. (I had not even heard of black maple, but the heartwood is gorgeous with,yes, some blackish streaks).
The blanks are wet as can be and some were even cut across the grain. So tell me experienced pen turners, would either condition keep you from working a blank? I don't want to put out unusable material. Thanks for your help!
I would post a picture but I still have not recovered from the photobucket debacle.
Cross grain is great, you'll have the tube to support.
But you need to let them dry before using
Making sawdust mostly, sometimes I get something else, but that's more accident then design.
Posts: 36,547
Threads: 3
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: RTP, NC
(03-22-2018, 08:23 PM)n7bsn Wrote: But you need to let them dry before using
Yes. They will shrink as they dry, and if a tube is glued in, the blanks most likely will split around the tube because the tube won't shrink but the wood will. To make the drying happen faster, you can bore a 7mm hole in the blanks and wait several weeks. 7mm because that is the smallest diameter I know of for pen kits. You will have to drill them again when you use them.
Posts: 3,066
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2004
Thanks guys. Sounds like I ought to dry them a bit before putting them out for sale. Black maple is a hard maple and that stuff likes to dance around as it dries; that should be my risk I think.
