A storied pen

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C_Ludwigsen

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This is my first attempt at hand-cut inlays. It is Bethlehem Olivewood with Bloodwood. The pen is a special gift from my wife to her "secret sis". In December of each year they reveal their identities and pick new secret pals for the new year. Along with the certificate for the Bethlehem Olivewood, my wife wanted a "story" about the symbolism in this pen. Here is my feeble attempt at that.

The Storied Pen: Given as a gift from my wife to her secret sis this year.

Made from Bethlehem Olivewood, signifying where it all began. The cross is hand-cut Bloodwood, pointing to where His earthly journey ended. He shaped our lives and His feet were bathed in tears, so this pen's shape is that of a teardrop. The centerband holds it together - a wedding band uniting the Bridegroom to His bride.


Pen_Cross_Inlay_03.jpg


Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great day in the shop...
 
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Ron Mc

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Wonderful Chuck! Fantastic wood choice and workmanship. Did you make the angle as well?
 

JimGo

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Great job with the pen! I resorted to sending the wood out for laser cutting when I did one like this; how did you cut the BOW to get the inlay so tight?
 

C_Ludwigsen

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Thanks folks.

Ron: I didn't make the angel - only WISH I had that level of skill. The angel is from the Willow Tree figurine series (THERE STATUES - sorry, TV commercial humor). My wife is collecting (read as addicted to) the whole series.

JimGo: I first made a test piece using Maple and Bloodwood. That helped me get it right on the Olivewood piece. Basically I drilled a series of 9/64 and 7/64 holes to remove the bulk of material, used a Dremel burr bit in my Shopsmith at router speed to clean out most of the rest of the material, then cleaned and squared the cuts with an Xacto Chisel point blade. I cut the Bloodwood slightly over the 9/64 and 7/64 size (respectively) then sanded to fit. That clear enough?

Oh, I started to go the laser route with Ken - real reasonable price too. But noooo, my wife wanted it more personal - and done by hand.

You guys are great. Thanks for taking a look at it.
 

ryannmphs

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Chuck,
Just wanted to say that looks awesome. Going with the test blank was a great way to practice, I'm gonna hafta try something like that one day (WHEN I get a few extra minutes [:)])
I look forward to seeing it tonight.

Ryan
 
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