Woodturning Pen Blanks

Building pens from natural figured wood blocks can be a rewarding and very enjoyable experience. Because of the small size of the finished product, woodturners can shape pens using smaller equipment than would be necessary to turn large bowls or other creations.

You can find hardware readily available for creating rollerball pens, fountain pens, and other specialty items as well. These will all work perfectly with our pen blanks, and you will discover that even subtle variations in dimensions and contours that you apply with a lathe will lend each pen a unique character.

Before turning your pen on a lathe, you'll need to start with one of our wood blocks and drill it with an appropriately-sized hole, then insert and glue in place the metal tube from your hardware. Most frequently, pen designs include a body and a cap, which are turned separately and can be detached from each other.

When turning your pen, use a skew or other tool to apply different types of cuts, bevels, and ornamentation, and look to other woodturners and references for examples of possibilities. Don't be afraid to be creative and experiment!

As you complete your project, you can apply woodturner's finish to give the wood a nice polish. Or, a variety of different stains and oils are available to deepen the tone of the wood, depending on the appearance you desire. The finished product will have come quite a long way from the original pen blank!