How many blanks?

[pipemaker]

How many pen blanks do you have on hand?
I am slowly accumulating a variety of blanks, and with so many types of wood and the variations within the types, I'm finding that collecting these blanks could easily become a hobby in itself.

 

[jrc]

I always have have enough cut and drilled to make 200 to 300 pens all out of local hardwoods. A friend with a lumber mill keeps me supplied with the best wood that can be found. Most is wood that is trimed off boards to make flooring. Mostly crotch and knot wood.

 

[PenWorks]

I would hate to think, every now and then I try to organize them. I would guess 2,000 plus.[] and you guys keep coming up with stuff I never heard off.

I am glad pipes are made of briar wood only. []

 

[ilikewood]

I quit counting when I realized I couldn't count that high. [] Serious addiction!

 

[goldentouch]

I have no idea but I have a shelf 8 ft high and 6 ft wide with dividers every 1 ft. I keep all these full of different types of wood. I keep one shelf for BB blanks only. They stay mostly full and when it starts looking bear I will replinish. I also keep individual boards ready to cut into blanks at all times. Then there is the box with Corin and another with bone and antler. The favorite is BB blanks and BOW followed by antler.

 

[mikes pens]

I just built a shelf under my work bench for my blanks. I only have about 200. There are many different kinds. Very little repetition. I agree that it becomes a hobby in itself collecting beautiful wood. I see something new and I want it.

Mike

 

[melogic]

I was at a show last fall in Columbus, Ohio and there was a guy there who was a member of a wood collecting club. He said they had regular weekly meetings and everything. I purchased some nice woods from him and I wish I could find his business card. I have several hundred blanks now. I also have a lot of limbs and logs as everyone I know now cleans their garage and gives this stuff to me. The only thing for me is my wife loves this as much as I do so I don't have to hear her gripe at me to get all of that wood out of the garage. My latest edition to the wood was some Bethlehem Olive Wood.

 

[Old Griz]

You've got to be kidding Mike... I am afraid to count all the blanks I have.. and I mean just the exotics.. LOL.. I might get extremely depressed... and to make matters worse I have more coming...LOL..
I have a bunch of USPS boxes that I keep them separated in.. each box holds quite a few blanks.. and I think at last count I have about 10-15 boxes filled and more stuff in other boxes.. plus the box of exotics that I just had stabilized by River Ridge... and the 6-7 8ft pieces of Jatoba that I need to cut into blanks... Oh and don't forget all the corn cobs, acrylics and deer antler... and...
AHHH HECK,,, just forget... too too too many blanks... and not enough kits or time...

 

[elody21]

Hundreds and hundreds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[elody21]

and Hundreds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wayneis]

Lets just say that if I sold off all of the wood that I've collected, I could upgrade every maching in my shop with the best and have money left over to buy more wood. But about the only thing that I have that I would really upgrade is maybe my table saw as I've always wanted a cabnet saw. Now I have a Delta Contractors 10" which is a pretty good saw itself. With my shop in my basement I have to muscle every thing down the stairs, or up them so when we sell my wife and I decided that we are hiring a moving company just to move my shop.

Wayne

 

[Old Griz]

Wayne... what a great idea.... anyone want to give me $2000 for a bunch of pen blanks.. sight unseen... LOL... You all know I am honest... LOL... That would get me a new Jet 1640 2HP 220V lathe... and I could sell the 1236 and get more wood and start all over again.... LOL

 

[Gary Max]

Who has time to count them----my wifes says there are a couple thousand in the dinning room along. I know I have several stacks out in the shop ready to cut into blanks--some real nice apple wood. Lets not forget about bowl blanks---we can do that by the TON-----LOL

 

[KKingery]

Honestly, I keep about 15 blanks on hand at any given time. Reasons? No. 1 is storage space for them, No. 2) I don't have the money to spare to keep an inventory - inventories cost in money already spent, and in money lost by just sitting there - and No. 3) I average enough time to make one, maybe two pens a week - For me, it does'nt make sense to have 200 blanks.

 

[Daniel]

And Hundreds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a box here in my bedroom of just the ver best of the very best of my blanks. nice enough to get to live inside. there are about 100 of them. the bax that has to live on the back porch has about two hundred in it. then there are the blanks that get left at the shop. kids get to play with them they get tossed around pretty good. well I ahve no idea. I could probably carpet my yard with them. meaning a few thousand. then of course there are all the blanks still inside tha logs I have collected. far more wood already than I could ever turn into pens. and still collecting. i am so grateful that this hobby doesn't have to make since.

 

[tipusnr]

I don't know how many I have but I've decided to stop cutting new ones until I have space to store them!

 

[tomwojeck]

I only have about 25 or so on hand. I don't sell that many pens, so I don't need too many. However, I'm hoping to get ready to try my luck at a local craft fair, so I'll probably start stocking up.

 

[btboone]

I have only around 25 or so too Tom, unless of course you count "titanium blanks."

 

[Rudy Vey]

My wild guess would be well over 1000, but I will not count them, turn some pens in the time I save....I know at this time I have about 150 BOW and 50 Dymondwood on hand, plus all the fine other stuff (like several hundred Amboyna Burl, Thuja Burl, Afzelia Burl....)

Rudy

SEMI

 

[Gary]

Way too many!

 

[wdcav1952]

According to the wife - too many
According to me - not enough

 

[Fred in NC]

A few hundred only. That is cut blanks. The rest is in larger pieces.

 

[ilikewood]

Just an example of me as the "not the brightest bulb on the PC" syndrome. I had to read this about 10 times!!

With my shop in my basement I have to muscle every thing down the stairs, or up them so when we sell my wife and I decided that we are hiring a moving company just to move my shop.

wayneis

I kept thinking to myself that considering Waynes wife is a lawyer, he wasn't going to get away with selling her. JEEZ - I feel like an idiot...I need to read things better.[:I]

 

[penhead]

Anyone know the ratio of how many exotic wood pen blanks you can get for a wife nowadays..[}][][B)]

Originally posted by ilikewood
<br />Just an example of me as the "not the brightest bulb on the PC" syndrome. I had to read this about 10 times!!

With my shop in my basement I have to muscle every thing down the stairs, or up them so when we sell my wife and I decided that we are hiring a moving company just to move my shop.

wayneis

I kept thinking to myself that considering Waynes wife is a lawyer, he wasn't going to get away with selling her. JEEZ - I feel like an idiot...I need to read things better.[:I]

 

[TheHeretic]

bout 4 or 5 hundred in blank form. Than the boards that are for pen planks and the total reaches well over a thousand. And I have only been turning for a year in April. Bowl blanks numbers are about 50. I am rapidly running out of room and need to do some flat work to build more storage in the basement for all the household storage that is currently in my garag... errrr shop!

Dean
Columbus OH

 

[woodpens]

I would guess I have somewhere over 1,000 in blank form. I also have several boards and burls that would add up too. Most of what I have is exotic plus some nice US grown woods like maple burl, black ash burl & redwood burl. I inventory my pen kits, but not my pen blanks. I definitely don't have time for that. []

 

[Thumbs]

Now, I'm the "DumbHead" because I thought "TheHeretic" was just answering "penhead." And now, I'm in trouble 'cause my wife just saw this!

 

[opfoto]

I only have about a 100-150 blanks, Thanks to recent deliveries from Jim and Ryan.

 

[Rifleman1776]

KKingery said "For me, it does'nt make sense to have 200 blanks"
We're supposed to make sense? [] Wood accumulating is an addiction.
I have several hundred pen blanks on hand but often am cutting more for trade. Have about 30 duck/call blanks on hand too. Plus a whole whoop of wood that could be resawed into pen/call blanks and/or turned into whatever.

 

[JimGo]

I have only been turning for a while. I currently have between fifty and seventy pen blanks.

 

[nilsatcraft]

I must be quite the newby because I'd be surprised if I had 50 blanks on hand. I have a pretty good source nearby for all sorts of cool exotics that I can get whenever I want, though, so I usually pick my blank when I'm ready to make my pen.

 

[Mudder]

Originally posted by nilsatcraft
<br />I must be quite the newby because I'd be surprised if I had 50 blanks on hand. I have a pretty good source nearby for all sorts of cool exotics that I can get whenever I want, though, so I usually pick my blank when I'm ready to make my pen.

Cheater!

If I worked where you do I doubt that any of my paycheck would make it out the door. [8D] I would have a boatload of the best tools tho []