amboyna
Member
In direct response to this thread:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72509
I will give you the Cliff Notes version since I am a one fingered typist.
Arriving at this great and informative site I immediately joined and have been reading a lot for the past couple weeks. This morning I added a tiny bit of info to my profile. But I doubt it is enough to explain much. So here goes:
Took woodshop in High School where I fell in love with the lathe. In the early 70's I purchased a Shopsmith for $150. At first all I had to turn was salvage wood. Such as Walnut stumps from trees that died in a freeze in the Willamete Valley in Oregon. Chain saws, skil saws, etc. were used to process the wood. Eventually I discovered Gilmer Woods in Portland Oregon. Long story short, I am still buying from Gilmer Woods. Went there the other day and picked up some Birdseye Cocuswood, Fiddleback Mesquite from Paraguay (Prosopis nigra), some beautiful Snakewood, and some Pau Rosa (Swartzia spp.)
I started turning Pens about 15 years ago I think. I made a bunch of slimlines and a couple bigger ones. Can't remember what they were. But the bushings I used fit the Double Twist. Well, I quit making pens until now.
Things have changed a lot since then. There were not that many styles to choose from then. And now... Well, I am overwhelmed at the different kits available.
Lately I have been turning Wall Street II and Navigator pens from scraps leftover from turning bowls and making coffee tables.
I have a 3' by 5' veneer press. I tape up diamond match veneer tops, press them and make a solid border and solid legs. Sold a few over the years. Use to sell Veneer top Backgammon Tables at a place called Real Mother Goose in downtown Portland. The last one we sold went for $1,500. And they take 40%. So we quit doing that. Made Cribbage Boards and Clocks from veneer for a while too. Oh, and Ping Pong Paddles. The Ping Pong paddled went well for a couple years. Finally foreign markets started beating our prices and put us out of business.
So here I am trying to find a sellable commodity. Good luck with that. Right?
I am not really hesitant to give out information. I'm just new here.
Check out the photo of an old Pen Kit from Woodcraft. Part number 123052. I paid $3.95 a long, long time ago. Woodcraft has them on sale for $2.45.
Oh, and there is a Woodcraft about 20 miles from where I live.
Quite the Bio, eh?
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72509
I will give you the Cliff Notes version since I am a one fingered typist.
Arriving at this great and informative site I immediately joined and have been reading a lot for the past couple weeks. This morning I added a tiny bit of info to my profile. But I doubt it is enough to explain much. So here goes:
Took woodshop in High School where I fell in love with the lathe. In the early 70's I purchased a Shopsmith for $150. At first all I had to turn was salvage wood. Such as Walnut stumps from trees that died in a freeze in the Willamete Valley in Oregon. Chain saws, skil saws, etc. were used to process the wood. Eventually I discovered Gilmer Woods in Portland Oregon. Long story short, I am still buying from Gilmer Woods. Went there the other day and picked up some Birdseye Cocuswood, Fiddleback Mesquite from Paraguay (Prosopis nigra), some beautiful Snakewood, and some Pau Rosa (Swartzia spp.)
I started turning Pens about 15 years ago I think. I made a bunch of slimlines and a couple bigger ones. Can't remember what they were. But the bushings I used fit the Double Twist. Well, I quit making pens until now.
Things have changed a lot since then. There were not that many styles to choose from then. And now... Well, I am overwhelmed at the different kits available.
Lately I have been turning Wall Street II and Navigator pens from scraps leftover from turning bowls and making coffee tables.
I have a 3' by 5' veneer press. I tape up diamond match veneer tops, press them and make a solid border and solid legs. Sold a few over the years. Use to sell Veneer top Backgammon Tables at a place called Real Mother Goose in downtown Portland. The last one we sold went for $1,500. And they take 40%. So we quit doing that. Made Cribbage Boards and Clocks from veneer for a while too. Oh, and Ping Pong Paddles. The Ping Pong paddled went well for a couple years. Finally foreign markets started beating our prices and put us out of business.
So here I am trying to find a sellable commodity. Good luck with that. Right?
I am not really hesitant to give out information. I'm just new here.
Check out the photo of an old Pen Kit from Woodcraft. Part number 123052. I paid $3.95 a long, long time ago. Woodcraft has them on sale for $2.45.
Oh, and there is a Woodcraft about 20 miles from where I live.
Quite the Bio, eh?
