Teak

[Longfellow]

I have been offered a very large, solid Teak dining room table. It is broken and not repairable so I am thinking of cutting it into blanks. I have never worked with teak and am wondering if it is a wood that lends itself to pen turning. Any info appreciated.

 

[scotian12]

Hi Ken...I have worked with a lot of teak, primarily,selling it as a nautical theme. Its a dream to cut and turn...almost like butter so don't be too aggressive with it. The only negative is that it is a boring colour so put another interesting piece of wood with it. See my shipyard pens in www.scotianpens.com under nautical pens. Darrell Eisner

 

[Holz Mechaniker]

Yes, teak is an awesome wood to turn.

 

[Finatic]

Great wood, but make sure you wear a respirator as the dust can be an irritant.

 

[Sylvanite]

Teak generally has a high silica content, and can dull tools more quickly than other woods. Its grain also doesn't typically show much on small pieces, so pens can come out looking bland.

That said, there are also times when teak really comes out great.

Regards,
Eric

 

[bradh]

the wood is a little soft, but it makes a good pen: