What to do with excess wood.

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Wooden_Pen_Turner_11

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I have only done slimline and cigar style pens but when I cut them, there is always a little block at the end. What can you do with a bunch of them?:confused::confused::confused:
 
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Sometimes I square off a little waste pice and laminate it on the end of a blank for contrast. More often than not I laminate a bit of pickguard in between. I've even seen some pens where the guy cut thin slices (say, a quarter inch) of waste, rotated them a bit with each layer and glued them back together, then drilled for the tubes, etc.

Bottom line is, do something with them! Do anything (that's safe) that comes to mind with them. You just might stumble on to the greatest innovation ever in woodturning! The guys that create these wild products are not geniuses. They're just fearless about failing.

Have fun with it!!!

Dale
 
I save them and then make things like this with them. Kids like them for their board games.
 

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I have made center bands from the little cutoffs. You can drill to proper size and turn to fit pens of contrasting color.
All the best.

Don
 
Hi Ryan, cut them at different angles, glue them togather (they will be crooked and rough looking) and make "scrap" pens.
 

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I use them for center bands, and I also make key tags from several glued together. Sometimes the pieces can be quite big and it doesn't take many to make a piece big enough to make quite a few different things. I also use them when drilling blanks, I place them underneath the blank to prevent blowout.
 
Glue them together in about 6" lengths, turn them to round and put a finish on them. Put them in your pen case and use them as samples for customers. Make 10 of them and you can have 60 different kinds of wood and synthetics to show your customers.:wink:
 
You're both crazy, I use the bottom drawer of my rollaway tool chest. How else can you get them out of sight before the wife comes out to the shop and says "where did all these wood scraps come from? :-)

James
 
A mate of mine uses them for cufflinks, don't ask me where he gets the kits but i seen a few he had done and one in pink ivory really caught my eye
 
I've glued them together end to end into about 6 inch lengths. Then I split them down the middle lengthwise on the band saw. I then flip one of the pieces end for end and glue them back together. Rotate the blank 90 degrees along the long axis and cut it lengthwise again. Flip one side end for end again and reglue. Now, just cut, drill, and turn. It makes for great pens, and they have sold like crazy for me.

If you do several of them, you can mix and match. You can add veneer, aluminum, etc between layers to create more interest. I usually just use titebond glue, and it seems to hold well.

Don't have any of them made up right now because they all sold.
 
Centerbands, custom finials, segmenting....

Or you could just send them all to me!:biggrin::rolleyes:

(Just kidding, by the way)
 
David Keller said:
I've glued them together end to end into about 6 inch lengths. Then I split them down the middle lengthwise on the band saw. I then flip one of the pieces end for end and glue them back together. Rotate the blank 90 degrees along the long axis and cut it lengthwise again. Flip one side end for end again and reglue. Now, just cut, drill, and turn. It makes for great pens, and they have sold like crazy for me.

If you do several of them, you can mix and match. You can add veneer, aluminum, etc between layers to create more interest. I usually just use titebond glue, and it seems to hold well.

Don't have any of them made up right now because they all sold.
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Hey man, next time you make one, PM me a picture, or post it on here. I bet everyone would love to see 'em.
 
Here is one that hasn't been mentioned especially for those "nice" grain species. In the fall find an oak tree that produces huge acorns and look around the ground. All those acorn caps about 3/4" to 1" will be lying on the ground. Find as many as you can. Take them home and brush them off and put some danish oil in a pan and let them soak for awhile. Let em dry. Take your little cut offs and drill a 3/8" hole in the end and glue a little section of 3/8" dowel rod. Use your jaw chuck or better yet Beall Collet Chuck and turn a wooden acorn. I get close to the diameter and use my dremel tool to grind the inside of the cap to fit. Glue the cap on. Make about 20 or 30 and put them in a turned bowl. Makes one of the coolest decorations for the Mrs. She will absolutely love it.
 
jtdesigns said:
Here is one that hasn't been mentioned especially for those "nice" grain species. In the fall find an oak tree that produces huge acorns and look around the ground. All those acorn caps about 3/4" to 1" will be lying on the ground. Find as many as you can. Take them home and brush them off and put some danish oil in a pan and let them soak for awhile. Let em dry. Take your little cut offs and drill a 3/8" hole in the end and glue a little section of 3/8" dowel rod. Use your jaw chuck or better yet Beall Collet Chuck and turn a wooden acorn. I get close to the diameter and use my dremel tool to grind the inside of the cap to fit. Glue the cap on. Make about 20 or 30 and put them in a turned bowl. Makes one of the coolest decorations for the Mrs. She will absolutely love it.
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Wow, that does sound cool
 
I cut my pen blanks at 4 1/2 inches long so I don't get any little squares. But before I started the wood supply end of this "hobby" I used to do glue ups and make pens out of them. They sold real good to folks who were shopping with their kids.
 
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