Borneo Rosewood Rollerball

[Proud_Poppa_of_2]

My friend, Scott Oldfield (Scotto51), sent me an envelope full of turning material a short while back. Included were a couple blanks of Borneo Rosewood that each had some nice sapwood running down a corner. I figured the sapwood would have to go to waste because there just wasn't going to be any left after turning.

About the time I got these blanks, Gary Greenberg (GaryMGg) posted a gloat about a Sierra (http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=32820&SearchTerms=sierra) he turned from a blank with a similar scant streak of sapwood. Even though I'm not half the penturner Gary is (on account of I watch my carbs and caloric intake, I exercise regularly and I don't spend all fall sitting on the couch watching Gator football), I decided anybody who's gonna call himself a penturner eventually has to muster the guts to drill a blank intentionally off-center and close to the edge for the sake of saving the sapwood. And that's what I did here. Take a gander.



In the spirit of full disclosure, I had a blowout while drilling the lower barrel as I neared the bottom of the blank. The blowout occurred along the sapwood/heartwood seam on both sides of the corner. The break was clean, so I was able to repair it with a couple of finishing nails and some molasses. (For all you newbies, that was a joke.)

Comments about the pen are welcome and appreciated. Comments about the photography are a waste of time as I am ineducable.

Thanks for looking.

 

[GBusardo]

Nice save and nice pen. Now that you have the guts to drill blanks on an angle, you can also do that to show off the grain on some pens. Sometimes it does not take much of an angle. People love the contrast between spa nd heartwood. Nice job on the pen!

 

[doddman70]

Very nice pen Michael you did a top notch job Beautiful !!!![8D]

 

[Tanner]

Nice job in getting the best out of that blank!! It's a beautiful pen!

 

[toolcrazy]

Very nice work and very nice pen.

I have done the same. Drilled off center to save a certain look. Who says you have to drill dead center.

 

[scotto51]

Mike,

It's a lot of fun to see what you were able to do with the wood!
Great Job and Save!
Can't wait to see what you make next!

It makes me really anxious to get going myself.

All my Best,
Scott
ps-It's a real pleasure to be able to be a part of such a great community to learn and later grow.

 

[GaryMGg]

Hey 2-Chops,
Surely you can do better than compare yourself to me. [:0]
First, I'm no great shakes pen-turner. I merely make myself out to sound that way
Second, while I may need to lose 10 pounds, I stay in pretty good shape.
It takes a lot of energy to be a vibrant, zealot Gator fan and we burn lots of calories worryin' 'bout the outcome of each game. [}]
Sure I haven't run a marathon in many years and the last time I did a 100-mile bicycle ride it took me about 5-1/2 hours to complete -- guess I ain't a spring chicken no more.
Gone are the days of four hour Centuries.
Or, as one of my riding buddies likes to tell me, "Shut up Glory days." [][B)]
Still, I get to the gym several times a week when work isn't cramping my style. December and January were pretty much written off for fitness but heck, we can't all be Mr America all the time.

Nice looking pen; the fit and finish look great. But,








What's for lunch???

 

[Proud_Poppa_of_2]

Thanks for your comments and encouragement, Gary, Shane, Tim and Steve. When you're messing with a gift blank and performing a delicate operation for the first time, your heart gets to racing and your knees take to quivering and your hands start shaking - and then it's time to take a deep breath and head out to the shop.

Scott, I hope I did your blank proud. Now I need to finish my idea for how I'm going to use that Corian you sent me. If I can figure that out, and I'm fairly certain I can, then I'll feel like I've advanced another step. And you're right. Neither this pen nor the Corian pen would/will have been possible were it not for IAP and what goes on here. Stay tuned.

 

[Proud_Poppa_of_2]

Gary, I thought that post might bring you out of your Van Morrison-induced trance. If you can stand to lose 10 pounds, I can stand to lose 50. A steady diet of pork chops will do that to a fella.

I'm impressed by your marathons and long distance bike rides, even if the marathons are in the past. I remember a time when I was between wives and had the hots for a young lady who goaded me into joining her in a sanctioned five-mile event. My training regimen consisted of quitting smoking at 11:00 p.m. the night before the race. I also may have stretched a body part just before the gun fired. I saw other people doing it and probably thought it worthwhile. Anyway, I recall finishing the race in 45 minutes, just seconds behind my then 8-year old son. I don't remember where the young lady finished, but it was ahead of us. She must have just kept running - Forrest Gump style - because I never saw her again.

By the way, the answer to your question is - corn chowder. It was left over from last night's dinner. Like most soups, it was better today than it was last night.

 

[Mather323]

Good work saving the pen!

 

[simomatra]

Great work, nice pen the sap wood gives it that extra omph

 

[GaryMGg]

2-Chop,
I write a lot of stuff in jest but in response to running a "sanctioned five-mile event ... and finishing the race in 45 minutes" especially without training, let me say: That's just sick. I hate your guts!!!
[}][}]
Truthfully, when I ran, I was a flat 8.5 minute miler; 5K, 10K, 15K, Marathon; didn't matter -- 8.5 min./mile. Cycling, you didn't want to lose my wheel 'cause I'd be gone but running was NOT my forte.
Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to head to the fitness center and work the line.

 

[wjskip]

Great looking pen - one question - light or dark molasses - personally i only use the dark when using galvanized finishing nails.

 

[R2]

A really beaut looking pen!1[]

 

[bitshird]

The pen is a real dandy, the save was well done,

 

[sbell111]

Originally posted by Proud_Poppa_of_2
... I decided anybody who's gonna call himself a penturner eventually has to muster the guts to drill a blank intentionally off-center and close to the edge for the sake of saving the sapwood. And that's what I did here. ...

Nice job.

We've been making some pens out of Jack Daniel's whiskey barrels. In order to retain some of the char line, we often drill them off center. It makes rounding the blank a bit more of an experience.