This is my first pen and the first time I've ever used a lathe. The blank was an old redwood picket from my deck. Lessons learned: 1. Don't use a blank that is 2" sorta square. 2. Don't leave quite as much meat on the blank before sanding. 3. Use bushings of a better quality, got way to much "metal" on the blank when sanding. Opinions(criticisms are OK too) appreciated, thanks.