Running out of Excellent Wood

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avbill

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
1,973
Location
San Bruno, CA, USA.
I turn very few wood pens Yet my wood pen yield me the highest $$$ amount. I the past I turn only Burls. Very curly Mango & Koa. I been able to get Screwbean mesquite. and fiddled back spalted maple.

I only turn wood that is historic, or really curly or unusual burls. I have paid top dollar for these blanks

My supply is getting very low Any suggestions Bill Baum AS was my source and I have not seen his quality of high end curly and unusual blanks for some time.

ant suggestions thanks
 
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Possible source for you

Global wood source in San Jose has an excellent assortment of highly figured burls such as maple burl, amboyna burl and others. It's not too far from you and they have both pen blanks and turning blocks. They supply a lot of luthier stock and have some exceptional figured woods. Prices reflect their quality however.
 
bad dogs burl source has some nice burls Bad Dogs Burl Source - Pen Blanks

Ditto... I have the advantage of being able to shop there in person, and I have to say walking around there, I have never seen a piece of wood that I would have been disappointed in if I had purchased it sight-unseen...

I typically ONLY buy wood blanks online if I see the exact blank I am buying instead of an "example" blank. Bad Dog would be the one place I would feel comfortable not following that rule...
 
I was in Saratoga Springs, NY yesterday at the Northeast Woodworking Association's annual show. Bad Dog Burl was there, lots of nice burls and super nice people. I over spent but no regrets. Everyone should feel confident buying from Bad Dog.
Todd you are a lucky one.
D
 
You may be surprised what can be found locally....no matter where you are.

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Try Steve Crawford at Crawford Studio in Virginia (sleevecc@hotmail.com). Steve usually sells spalted Mulberry, Holly, Cypress, Sycamore, Beech, Cherry, Maple and others.
 
If mistletoe grows in your area, look for branches with galls caused by the mistletoe. The inside of the galls is like burl and makes for some very pretty pens...and they are usually free for the taking. This one was mesquite.
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For curly koa, islewoods on eBay looks amazing. I'm just not willing to pay for price yet.

they are worth the price. I have bought quite a few blanks from them and they have all been as good or better than advertised.

+1 on Islewoods! Great source. Everyone waits until the last second to bid so I suggest bidding your max if you're going to wait until it's almost over. Do check the moisture of the wood if/when you buy. Some are wetter than others.
 
For curly koa, islewoods on eBay looks amazing. I'm just not willing to pay for price yet.

they are worth the price. I have bought quite a few blanks from them and they have all been as good or better than advertised.

+1 on Islewoods! Great source. Everyone waits until the last second to bid so I suggest bidding your max if you're going to wait until it's almost over. Do check the moisture of the wood if/when you buy. Some are wetter than others.

It's also good to try to get multiple items at once, as they do combine shipping so you'll save quite a bit on shipping. I've also gotten a number of the larger blanks that I plan on cutting up into pen blanks as well.
 
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