Thanx Daniel.... and yes, the larger holes are for stoppers. When I dropped the rack, stoppers and pens off, the owner asked if I would make her another rack that would hold approx a dozen stoppers (she also sells some pewter and cast resin stoppers). Told her I should be able to do that for 40 bux... she said that if that is all it cost, she'd take two!... more new tools in Bill's future!!! The winery sells stoppers, pens and a wood glass holder that fits over the neck of a wine bottle for me.
The Sassafras has a ginger smell when turning. It is a very workable wood. My mother-in-law is the one who brought me the Sassafras, so she got the first pen I made from it. You should try working with some Honey Locust too... I did some scroll saw projects with it a while back and you get an odor similar to sugar cooking... just fixing to burn...
Bill