Ipé (Tabebuia chrysantha) is an incredibly dense wood, so dense it sinks in water, and won’t sustain a flame. It’s most common use in the US is for making decks. It’s naturally insect & rot resistant, and a number of famous boardwalks are made from it, like the one in Ocean City New Jersey. It’s [...]
Archive for the ‘Available for Custom Order’ Category
7 Jun
Madrona Slimline Ballpoint Pen
Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) is known as Madrone south of the Siskiyou mountains on the California / Oregon border, Madrona to the north, and Arbutus up in BC, Canada. It’s also the only broad leaved evergreen in Canada. This particular piece came from my brother’s back yard in Gold Hill, OR. This particular pen was sold [...]
4 Jun
Black & White Ebony Slimline Ballpoint Pen
This pen is made from Black & White Ebony (Diospyros embryopteris) which is also known as Pale Moon Ebony or White Ebony. There are so many species of Ebony in the world that it’s sometimes difficult to classify what you’re working with, but I’m pretty sure this is correct. I bought the wood from a [...]
3 Jun
Alder and Ifil Slimline Ballpoint Pens
These two pens were custom ordered for my client to be used as gifts on a trip to Japan. The pens are made from Alder (top), and Ifil (bottom). Alder is technically a hardwood, but is actually very soft and surprisingly difficult to turn in small scale. When turning bowls, it’s a lot of fun [...]
31 May
Osage Orange Salt Bowl
This little bowl is made from Osage Orange and is designed to hold sea salt for the cook who likes to be able to pinch in some some salt to whatever they’re cooking. It also serves very well as a saucer for dipping sauces which is what my wife is currently using it for. Finish: [...]
11 May
Mpingo Slimline Ballpoint Pen
This pen is made from Mpingo (Dalbergia melanoxylon) commonly known as African Blackwood. Turning this particular pen was fun because it was the first time I’d made anything from it. I was pleased to learn how easy it was to work, and how nice a finish it took. Although the pen looks like it’s all [...]
9 May
Mahogany & Ash Lamination Slimline Ballpoint Pen
The wood for this pen is laminated Mahogany (which has many different species so it’s hard to tell which one this specifically is) & Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) from the ruin of a broken tiller from our sailboat. The break happened on one of our recent trips and I was dumbfounded because I’d just refinished the [...]
7 May
Holly Slimline Ballpoint Pen
A couple of years ago, a friend’s house burned down mysteriously. He would eventually sell the property it sat on, but not before cutting down a few trees that had been damaged in the fire. This Holly (Ilex …?, one of 600 or so species – your guess is as good as mine!) was right [...]
6 May
Ifil Slimline and Cigar Ballpoint Pens
I made these two pens for my brother and his wife. He has supported and encouraged my efforts getting Unique Treen up off the ground, plus he gave me the Ifil that they’re made from. Making pens from Ifil is always an interesting challenge because it’s so finicky. A normal pen takes around an hour [...]
6 May
Osage Orange Slimline Ballpoint Pens
These pens were made from Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) wood that was harvested by my brother from the Yreka area in Northern California. The wood is difficult to work with, splintery and splits easily but is a rich golden color when finished. Osage Orange wood darkens with exposure to light and elements in the environment [...]
