Achieving a flawless finish on your wood turned pens and lathe projects can be a long process that requires patience, attention to detail and many stages of sanding. Wet sanding or using an abrasive paste are two ways to get your pen blanks to that satisfyingly smooth and flawless state. […]
Kate Freuler
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There is an overwhelming number of choices when it comes to finishing your custom pens and other lathe projects. Some people swear by wax and oil products, while others always turn to shellac to get that deep, glossy look. When deciding what polish to choose when shopping for woodturning supplies, […]
Have you ever attended a craft market and noticed that other vendors are selling items similar to yours? Or if you sell handmade wood turned pens online, you may have noticed the market can be saturated. This is when it’s time to bring in something new and different to make […]
Stabilizing your own wood for pen turning can be a real trial-and-error process. There are so many variables that impact how your blanks will turn out, such as humidity and temperature. At William Wood-Write, we’ve been stabilizing our own pen blanks and project blocks for years and have learned a […]
If you’re working away on a wood turning project and discover cracks or holes, don’t panic. When it comes to exotic wood, especially unstabilized burl, you never know what you’re going to get. You might find a range of inclusions, fissures, bark or gaps. These details aren’t necessarily a bad […]
Turning between centers, or TBC for short, is a method for turning wood on a lathe without a traditional pen mandrel. This method uses a live center and a dead center to hold a pen blank and bushings in place instead of a mandrel, hence the phrase “turning between centers”. […]
Creating an inlay for handmade rings or other wood turning projects can seem intimidating at first. After all, something that looks so great must be difficult to do, right? We have good news: It’s easier than you think. With the right tools and materials, you can be a master of […]
Have you ever bought multiple pen blanks of the same wood and noticed varying colour, grain and density? This is probably because they came from different parts of the tree. Sapwood refers to the newer, outermost rings of a tree while heartwood is the older center. Then there is the […]
Have you ever seen those amazing wood turned projects that have multiple kinds of wood seamlessly pieced together? It’s impressive! Segmenting is a woodworking technique that combines various small pieces of wood, metal or acrylic to create a whole blank, which you can then turn on your lathe. It’s often […]
It’s a debate that can go on forever: Is stabilized wood better than natural wood when it comes to turning? Truthfully it comes down to what you’re making, what species you’re working with and personal preference. Stabilized wood has been thoroughly dried and then permeated with resin under vacuum. This […]
You’ve probably seen brightly coloured pen blanks, but did you know that you can make your own? While you can buy pre-dyed and stabilized wood for pen turning, alcohol based ink allows you create your own colour combinations and patterns that will make your custom pens stand out from the […]
Wood turners are always on the lookout for features in wood that make our projects stand out, whether that’s a unique grain, an unusual colour or the intricate patterns found in a nice piece of burl. One way to give meaning and value to a pen, bowl or other turning […]