Wormy Spalted Cherry

[johnhart]

For all you nature lovers, I wanted to try out a pen without a centerband and decided to use a piece of spalted cherry that I found at the side of the road. It was a little wormy and the piece I chose was pretty plain. I managed a good fit and it moves nice. But really, I don't like this pen much.

 

[simplepens]

Form and fit do look good. I'll agree with you about it being plain. Sometimes the best part of the pen is the learning experience.

 

[JimGo]

JOhn,
It's rather plain, but you did a great job with the shape. Don't forget, ditching the "stock" centerband doesn't mean you don't have to use one at all - you can always make your own out of a contrasting piece of wood, or another material. You might also try some embellishments, like burn lines, near the center so the joint doesn't seem quite as apparent.

How did you like the smell of the cherry as you turned it? Bet it was nice! I did some apple a few months ago that smelled REALLY nice when I turned it!

 

[johnhart]

I'm going to get serious about different bands now. I like the idea of a nice conservative pen with character....at least for now!

Cherry is my favorite wood to cut. Sometimes when I have the fence on the tablesaw set wrong, the cherry will smoke and it wafts through the whole house. Pretty great! A little smokey though []

 

[DCBluesman]

Very well executed, John. While many of us love the bizarre grains, the strange burls and the exotic resins, there is something wholly beautiful in a nice piece of simple wood. Maybe it's just a touch of class! [8D]

 

[tipusnr]

Plain, simple...whatever! It's a nice looking pen well-executed!! You should be proud of it!

 

[atvrules1]

Nicely done John, yes the wood is a little plain, but you have done a nice job with it. I would agree with the above comments about trying a different type of centerband etc, but the overall shape is very pleasing.

 

[johnhart]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments. Yep...I think I'll keep it and give it a special place to remind me of my beginnings. There's a long fun road ahead methinks. []

 

[dubdrvrkev]

Looks good John. Nice shape and fit. Not liking pens much has been good for me, most of the ones that I thought were kind of boring were quick sellers, some of the pens that I really like haven't moved. So you never know, you might have some luck that way too.
Keep up the good work.

 

[jvsank]

Nice looking pen