Chakte Viga

[JBarry]

Anyone have experience using chakte viga for pen blanks? Impressions?
I have had excellent results making bowls from larger blanks, but am uncertain whether this wood will look bland at pen blank dimensions.

 

[Woodchipper]

Looked it up. Seems there is a bit of a grain pattern. I have made blanks from hard maple from a cutting board. No grain but opened the way to dyeing. If you have some leftovers, cut a blank and post a photo here.

 

[Fred Bruche]

Cut a 3/4 x 3/4 x 5 piece, turn it to round between a dead center and a live center, that should give you some idea what a pen would look like.

 

[jttheclockman]

Anyone have experience using chakte viga for pen blanks? Impressions?
I have had excellent results making bowls from larger blanks, but am uncertain whether this wood will look bland at pen blank dimensions.

https://www.bellforestproducts.com/chakte-viga/


Won't know unless you try. Give it a go and tell us what you think.

 

[JBarry]

Thank you for the helpful advice. I'll give it a try. If anything photogenic results, I will attempt to post a photo.

 

[egnald]

I have made pens with Chakte Viga and they turned out just fine. I bought it as lumber on sale at Woodcraft several years ago. I was drawn to the dramatic color variations between some of the pieces. Some were tan but others were more orange or orange-yellow. It is one of those very dense woods that has an interesting tonal property - almost musical when the pieces clank together. As with almost all wood species I assume that the lighter yellow-orange-ish colors will darken or turn brown/tan over time. I'm anxious to see pictures! - Dave