Pen blank?

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Wood Knot

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Mar 29, 2026
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Does it matter which way the grain runs on a pen blank?

Here's why I ask, I have some really nice tight grained mahogany wood blocks, the only thing is in order for them to be used as pen blanks the grain would run horizontally around the pen.
 
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I agree with all answers above, but as @d_bondi said - sharp tools!! The wood will be at it's weakest if all grain is truly horizontal to the center. Even a little bit of diagonal cut will help - allowing some of the harder, stronger cells of the wood to assist the softer cells along the diagonal joins. If your cut ends up with the wood truly horizontal to center, the wood becomes a stack - soft, then hard, then soft, etc. . Sharp tools will reduce your required cutting pressure which also will reduce the stress to the stack, as well as cleanly cut the wood.

You didn't say if this will be a kit pen with a brass tube - which would be a plus - or a custom pen with no inside structure to assist with the blanks strength, but with some care it will work either way.

Go easy -

Kevin
 
Wood Knot said:
Does it matter which way the grain runs on a pen blank?

Here's why I ask, I have some really nice tight grained mahogany wood blocks, the only thing is in order for them to be used as pen blanks the grain would run horizontally around the pen.
Click to expand...
The grain will run through the pen not around. I know it sounds like semantics but have you ever turned black palm? While the blank might look cool the actual pen is kind of two sided. The grain will look good from opposite 'sides' and plain, blah for the other two sides.
 
NJturner said:
I agree with all answers above, but as @d_bondi said - sharp tools!! The wood will be at it's weakest if all grain is truly horizontal to the center. Even a little bit of diagonal cut will help - allowing some of the harder, stronger cells of the wood to assist the softer cells along the diagonal joins. If your cut ends up with the wood truly horizontal to center, the wood becomes a stack - soft, then hard, then soft, etc. . Sharp tools will reduce your required cutting pressure which also will reduce the stress to the stack, as well as cleanly cut the wood.

You didn't say if this will be a kit pen with a brass tube - which would be a plus - or a custom pen with no inside structure to assist with the blanks strength, but with some care it will work either way.

Go easy -

Kevin
Click to expand...
Pin kits with brass tubes.
 
This is what crosscut looks like:

https://www.penturners.org/media/ahp-cigar.3611/


full?d=1558023328.jpg


Some woods excel when crosscut:
Heart pine, osage orange, sycamore and bubinga.
If the wood has a very tight set of growth rings, it's a good candidate.
 
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