White space selection

The second step of the pen creation process is to select the pen blanks. Since I make pens in both wood and acrylic (resin), there are many options. The goal is to select blanks that match the types of pens in a way that customers like. I also make polymer clay pens, but the process is quite different.

First of all, selecting wooden blanks. My workshop has some ready-made wooden blanks. They are pieces of wood about 18 mm x 18 mm by between 130 mm and 300 mm long. If I’m making a cattle pen, I may choose a variety of wood that I haven’t used for that type of pen before. My stock of prepared timber includes over 100 Australian and international timber species. I started making pens out of local woods such as camphor laurel, silky oak, Queensland maple, red cedar, pink mahogany, and box brushes that I had on hand. I collected these woods when I was working full time but had little time to turn any item. In recent years I have increased the stock to many more local and international timbers. As I use the stock, I move small logs around with a bandsaw. Depending on the wood, the first cut is made across the middle of the small log or diagonally. The remainder of the log is then quarter or half sawn, depending on which method of cutting produces the most interesting grain patterns. The result is pieces of wood about 18mm x 18mm square. I label the pieces I don’t use right away and put them away.

Second, selecting acrylic blanks is much easier. The acrylic blanks I use are (15mm x 15mm x 130mm). However, the time to buy is when they are on sale or on sale with volume discounts. So I have a stock of blanks that vary in number. I’ve found that customers have a range of preferred colors, so I stock a lot of resin blanks. For example, customers like “Candy crush” acrylic with streamlined pens. Mostly though, I mix and match and see where it leads.

The second step of the process can take a while, if I need to prepare blanks from small records.

However, I like to find blanks that end well and suit the type of pen. Some pen manufacturers reclaim “old” wood by impregnating the wood with resin. A future project!

One of the challenges in the life of a woodworker is resisting some of the bargaining temptations when buying lumber.