ATTN: Wood blank sellers

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Dalecamino

Dalecamino

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
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Location
Indianapolis, In.
Would it be too much to ask of you to...mark the species of wood on your blanks? :rolleyes: It's all guess work if you don't. Sometimes there's a A-16 or something marked on the end. That doesn't help a guy selling a pen to answer the inevitable question "What kind of wood is it"? Answer...some kind of burl :redface: Just a little more work for your money maybe? Thanks for listening :biggrin:
 
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We've all had some with nice pre-printed stickers. Some stay on the blank, some have the print scrubbed off during shipping/handling process. Ever see this? Or just me :redface::biggrin:
 
I don't know if it happens to you, but sometimes they mark the wood with a species and when you look for it on the internet or in the wood book, you can't find it. I like to give my customers a card with all pertinent information like; species common name, phylum, common uses and some history. That can't happen when the name you use is "Ummmm".:)
 
Dalecamino said:
Would it be too much to ask of you to...mark the species of wood on your blanks? :rolleyes: It's all guess work if you don't. Sometimes there's a A-16 or something marked on the end. That doesn't help a guy selling a pen to answer the inevitable question "What kind of wood is it"? Answer...some kind of burl :redface: Just a little more work for your money maybe? Thanks for listening :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Hi hear you chuck, and I make my very best effort to identify all my blanks with the number/species they belong to and the cut type they were made with and even if I haven't identified that wood, the blanks are given a number that will be marked on my "timbers list" that everyone gets a copy off with any order.

I don't have a great deal of experience with the stickers but I have had blanks swapped with other turners that sometimes the labels are unreadable and if the person that sent the blanks can't identify it/them then, the process of identification becomes a lot more difficult.

Another side of this issue that I get all of the time is on single blanks that I offer as gifts, any of the ones sold, there is a record of what they were or, they come in a pack of 4 that will kelp the identification but my point was that quite often I have people calling me back and ask me what was the species of the blank I gifted because they forgot to make a note of what was written on the blank (normally a number) before they started to work on it.

I know Chuck that this is not what you are talking about, I'm however making reference of one instance when the blank was identified and the identification was lost in the processing and no record kept of it/them.

But I know exactly what you mean...!:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George
 
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How about this:

Take your stand, pen makers. DO NOT BE DISSUADED...it is the pen buyer's responsibility to identify the wood used in making the pen! :eek::eek:
:tongue::bulgy-eyes:


Alternatively, back to the real world of being successful in selling your pens...a nice, more permanent marking of wood ID (on the blank) would be very helpful.
 
Dear Lazy Buyer:
Please take the time to write on the end or side of the blank in your own handwriting so you can read it; the type of wood you bought.
You picked it out and paid for it, you should keep track of it. A spread sheet with all the data of which wood, when you bought it, how much you paid for it (including Shipping) and the size of the blank, would be a good Idea!


Thank you in Advance,
(marking hundreds of blanks costs time and money}

Mr. Lazier than you,
Wood Seller!

:biggrin::biggrin:
 
mredburn said:
Dear Lazy Buyer:
Please take the time to write on the end or side of the blank in your own handwriting so you can read it; the type of wood you bought.
You picked it out and paid for it, you should keep track of it. A spread sheet with all the data of which wood, when you bought it, how much you paid for it (including Shipping) and the size of the blank, would be a good Idea!


Thank you in Advance,
(marking hundreds of blanks costs time and money}

Mr. Lazier than you,
Wood Seller!

:biggrin::biggrin:
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LMAO Mr. Lazier! Having seen your wood pile (years ago now) I really can't blame you if you don't mark them. It's getting tougher for me to read my own scratches these days. :redface:
 
I never complain about anything I recieve from either a seller or from someone that is 'gifting' me blanks.

I am happy as can be when the blanks are marked. When there is a bunch of different blanks.......I mark them the best that I can. HOWEVER...... I am not an expert on woods. I haven't cut the tree down.......I haven't made the blanks......and I am not selling them to others as blanks.

Like Chuck, all I ask is for the blanks to be marked in some manner. I got a lot of blanks just last year with a "W:...."M"....."C: marked on the blanks and a note in the box telling me that the letters stood for Maple, Walnut, Cedar. This helped alot.

So don't tell me as the buyer, it is up to me to know what you are selling me. And when I order something.......including a note explaining what you have sent is always a big help. To many times ..... I think wood is wood. just like so many people think Stone is Stone.

To the sellers that take the time to mark their blanks.......... "THANK YOU!"
 
Shoot Chuck...

Next thing you'll ask for a "Shop Manager" - someone to sweep the floor, dust, tidy up your messes, get you a cold one and even wash your towels. :embarrassed:

However, I hear that a certain gopher has good references. :laugh:
 
mark james said:
Shoot Chuck...

Next thing you'll ask for a "Shop Manager" - someone to sweep the floor, dust, tidy up your messes, get you a cold one and even wash your towels. :embarrassed:

However, I hear that a certain gopher has good references. :laugh:
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I did have a manager for a few days. :biggrin: But, he went back to St. Cloud :crying::biggrin:
 
That 'shop manager' should have found you some room for a dust collector, stabilzing equipment and a way to sort out all the wood blanks by type of wood.

Of course, your studio would need to be enlarged.

And we better find a hiding place for the still.
 
This is why I keep a Sharpie with my wood pen blanks. When storing them, I make sure that I've written the name on them. Unless they're a species that I already know what it looks like.
 
stonepecker said:
That 'shop manager' should have found you some room for a dust collector, stabilzing equipment and a way to sort out all the wood blanks by type of wood.

Of course, your studio would need to be enlarged.

And we better find a hiding place for the still.
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When the shop manager was here, there was no stabilizing equipment. But, a short time later it, just suddenly showed up. Leaving me the responsibility to figure it out. :biggrin: AND...it ain't a flippin' STUDIO! :mad:

jsolie said:
This is why I keep a Sharpie with my wood pen blanks. When storing them, I make sure that I've written the name on them. Unless they're a species that I already know what it looks like.
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Thanks for the advice John! :wink::biggrin:
 
When the shop manager was here, there was no stabilizing equipment. But, a short time later it, just suddenly showed up. Leaving me the responsibility to figure it out. :biggrin: AND...it ain't a flippin' STUDIO! :mad:



It looks to nice and clean to call it "a cave"........lol
But on my next trip I will bring a shovel and we can make it bigger to hold all the nice tools you have Chuck. Heck, by then you might even have some new ones.!!!!!! :biggrin:
 
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Well, I could not agree with Eugene (EBorraga) sorry mate, unidentified resin blanks, regardless if full resin or hybrid offer the same confusion as any unidentified wood blanks, and off-course, I'm all for wood...!:wink::biggrin:

On the other hand, I was not expecting the array of answers we had so far, I though that Chuck attention call was quite valid, even though, is also correct that having every blank identified is time-consuming, however, is my belief that the seller should provide the buyer identified product unless they are blanks from an unidentified wood species of which, I sell a few.

Each one of us have a slightly different way to identify our stock, some are more complex than others, however, if the identification provided by the seller is not exactly the way the buyer likes, then is up to the buyer to change that identification to suit him/her before the confusion sets in.

Cheers
George
 
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Chuck, overall I agree with you that wood should have some sort of identification so that if you want to get some more or if a customer wants to know. I have never been able to tell many woods apart. But then, sometimes I look at a piece of wood with a lot of character and just go "Wow" and admire it - who cares what it is - it is just great to look at.
But, I guess I should take more time to learn.:confused:
I too wish a vendor would mark the ID of the wood but most of my wood is FIG/FOG wood or has come from friends who didn't know what it was either.
Great thread and I guess I'll be a little more tolerant when I get wood in the future.
Gordon
 
EBorraga said:
Just another reason to go away from wood blanks!! Long live alternative materials!!!!!
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Same game , just a different ball park . Most of us can`t identify all of the plastics either . But we should . The education function that we provide to our customers doesn`t have to be limited to how to change a refill . All pertinent product information should be provided to the customer . It is then his/her decision as to how much of it to retain .
 
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