Even though the pen kit is not fancy, it is one of a group of mixed types made from a barn plank of cypress that is dated well over 100 years old. My wife's family were all raised in this particular barn/house in Illinois. I have never dealt with a more difficult wood to shape. The individual age rings were very weak and brittle, and many cuts were damaged by boring insects over the years. I lost an average of two blanks for every one I could finish. I didn't particularly like the look of cypress, but sentimentally, it made a big hit in her family.