Types of Materials

To Create Pen Turning Products

The types of materials I use for my beautiful pen turning unique items are all extremely appealing to the eye and serve as the perfect writing instrument.

Some Types of Materials

Aromatic Cedar - is red in color and the thin sapwood is nearly white. The grain is very fine and even except for knots. It has a delicate fragrance.

Source Region: North America

Black Walnut - Walnut heartwood is a rich dark brown to purplish-black, mostly straight grained, but with wavy or curly grain occasionally present. The texture is rather coarse. Walnut works with hand or machine tools without difficulty, but with a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges. Holds nails or screws well, glues satisfactorily, and polishes to a high finish.

Source Region: North America

Bocote - is sought for its great beauty and ease of working. Bocote is a particularly fine, beautiful wood, with colors varying from light to golden brown and variegated irregular markings. Bocote is a strong lustrous wood, with medium and uniform texture and straight or shallowly interlocked grain. Solid types of materials.

Source Region: Mexico & Central America

Cherry - The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform, straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets.

Source Region: North America

Cocobolo - is a member of the Rosewood family. It grows in the drier uplands on the Pacific side of Mexico down to Panama. It shines up to a nice luster and can be nailed or screwed easily. It is waterproof which is excellent for making knife handles. It smells like lilacs while it is being sawn or sanded. It varies in color from red to yellow and striped with black to lighter black. It darkens with age.

Source Region: Mexico, South America

Rosewood - East Indian Rosewood is a beautiful exotic turning wood that is easy to work with. Wonderful striped figure. It is very stable. Only exported as turning squares or components for musical instruments. Exquisite types of materials.

Olivewood - is brown to rich greenish brown in color, streaked with dark brown lines. Sapwood is creamy yellow or gold color and is often interlaced with dark stripes. Very nice contrast. The figure ranges from straight to wavy. It is hard and heavy, very fine texture.

Source Region: East Africa

Padauk - is vivid reddish-orange, but it changes to bright red or coral pink with dark streaks. Padauk is similar to Walnut in density and ease of working. For a good solid project with no worry about getting defects, Paduak is one of the best woods for color and quality. High-grade types of materials.

Source Region: Central Africa

Pecan – Harvested from central Alabama wood forest on a relatives 150 acre homestead.

Purpleheart - is also know as Violetwood. This violet colored wood is an extremely dense hardwood that requires sharp tools and patience, but the results can be stunning.

Source Region: Central and South America

Tulipwood - has irregular streaks of yellow, rose and red or violet on a cream to straw colored background. The wood has a fine texture, high luster, and takes a high polish. Hard Source Region: Tropical South America, especially Northeast Brazil

White Oak - wood is beige to creamy tan. It has a finer texture than Red Oak. Quarter sawn lumber has dramatic medullar figured called fake/tiger oak. Heartwood is decay resistant and suitable for exterior uses.

Source Region: North America

Zebrawood - heartwood is a light golden-yellow with narrow veining or streaks of dark brown to almost black, giving the quartered surfaces a zebra-stripe appearance. The grain is interlocked or wavy and produces alternating hard and soft grained material.

Source Region: West Africa

Other Types of Materials

Acrylic - any of a group of related plastic substances derived from acrylic acid or a related compound when combined make beautiful colors.

Alabama Oak Burl - Harvested from a central Alabama wood forest on a relatives 150 acre homestead.

Corian – is created by blending natural minerals with pure acrylic polymer. The result is a remarkably durable, versatile material.

Deer Antler - Harvested deer antlers from a variety of different species of deer

Source Region: North America

Hardwood Veneers called Color Grain

Spalted Maple - Cream-white with a reddish tinge. Large Maple trees may have dark brown heart. Usually straight grained but sometimes curly or wavy with variations producing birds-eye or quilted patterns. Fine brown lines give an attractive growth ring figure on plain sawn surfaces. Texture is fine and even

Source Region: North America