Woods With A Story

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texasfootball21

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I've done a few pens out of woods with a history, woods that can tell a story. I've only really used BOW and I've sold pens just because of where the wood came from. People would like more to be able to say, "You see this wood? You know, this wood is from the ancient holy city of Bethlehem," then "You see this wood? You know, this wood is wood."


DISCLAIMER: I realize that this story is fictional! Please do not tell me that this never occurred, I know! It is a story. If anything the LEGEND was spread around to increase the perceived value of the wood and drive profits from its "dangerous" sale. Thank you, please read on.

I also like to include the little story I was told about Pink Ivory when I started turning to any client who is interested in the wood. According to the elderly turner who tells the story: Pink Ivory was grown in south central Africa. The tree was declared the sacred tree of the royal family of the Zulu people. The tree was so sacred that only a member of the royal family could own a Pink Ivory tree or possess pink ivory wood. If anyone, foreigners included, outside of the royal family had possession of the wood at any time, the Zulu would immediately put that person to death. Men who sought the wood found it more difficult to obtain then diamonds. The wood was feared and sought throughout the world, and many men payed for this precious wood with their blood.

DISCLAIMER: I realize that this story is fictional! Please do not tell me that this never occurred, I know! It is a story. If anything the LEGEND was spread around to increase the perceived value of the wood and drive profits from its "dangerous" sale. Thank you, please read on.


Anyway, what I would like to know is what kind of historic woods you guys turn that SELL well and WHERE did you BUY the woods?

I have been only turning antler recently because that is what sells in south Texas, but I enjoy turning wood more then antler so I need to stock up on some wood. Since I am going to be stocking up on wood soon I would like to add some woods that tell stories, thus I created this thread.

Again, please post the story behind the wood and where you purchased the wood from, unless you do not want to share this information.

Thanks,
-Joseph
 
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http://www.ancientwood.com/

I've made some reel seats for fly-fishing rods out of this wood. The age speaks for itself, but a nice story about what the earth looked like and which animals roamed its surface at the time can't hurt.

I found it easy to work and finish, and the sample I had featured a nice, yet subdued, grain pattern.

Cheers!

Gary
 
I've done some in Coolibah burl and included the words to Waltzing Matilda. Not historical, but a story nonetheless. Available from many sources.
 
Joseph The story people are most apt to respond to is that you are offering them a pen made from a local wood . The kind of tree their swing hung from , the hedge they had to prune on a Saturday afternoon when they wanted to be with their friends at the pool , the climbing tree at Grandma`s house , the switch Dad used on his behind when his teeth drew his sister`s blood .... Wayne
 
I've had two recent successes with "special" wood. One was my brothers & sisters, who I made a pen for each as Christmas gifts. the wood I used was a piece of mango I have been carrying around with me for about 15 years, which came from our family backyard Mango tree that we all remember fondly from our childhood.

The second was from a white peach tree that our neighbours recently knocked down to make room for their new deck. When they saw the pen i made from 'their" tree, that wanted every one I could make for them, as several of their friends and family are now recipients of their pens.

So as Wayne says, while historically or culturally important woods do have added "value", the most valuable to an individual is one that involves their lives in some way, based on my experience anyway.

Russell.
 
I am making some pens with olive wood from my sister and B-I-L's family ranch in CA. Sis's married name is "Wood", - so, olive wood from their ranch will be "WOW"!

The WOW pens were requested by them for family members.
 
I make a number of pens and sell blanks made from Mescalbean. The Mescalbean bean is so poisonous that one bean will kill a grown man. Archaeological records show that it was used ceremoniously to induce hallucinations and is believed to be the predecessor to Peyote among ancient Native Americans. It is a local native Texas wood as well. The beans are also considered good luck if you carry one in your pocket.

I also use and sell blanks made from Agarita. It is a local Native Texas bush that was used medicinally by Native Americans to treat syphilis and make yellow dye!

Osage Orange was used by Native Americans to make bows and the US Army used the root to make dye to make camo uniforms in World War I.

Pecan is the State Tree of Texas and the Prickly Pear Cactus that I make my cactus blanks from is the state plant of Texas.
 
leehljp said:
I am making some pens with olive wood from my sister and B-I-L's family ranch in CA. Sis's married name is "Wood", - so, olive wood from their ranch will be "WOW"!

The WOW pens were requested by them for family members.
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Hehe, her first name isn't Olive by any chance is it? :tongue:

Russell.
 
Of the pens that I've given away, those made from Curtis's Taste of Texas Sampler get the most positive comments by far. Tell someone their new pen is made of Bubinga and they will give you a puzzled look. Tell them it's made of Texas Pecan, and they know exactly what you're talking about. This is even true of very common wood like Ashe Juniper or Honey Mesquite. The story of the wood is simply that it's local and people can identify with it.


MesquiteMan said:
I make a number of pens and sell blanks made from Mescalbean. The Mescalbean bean is so poisonous that one bean will kill a grown man. Archaeological records show that it was used ceremoniously to induce hallucinations and is believed to be the predecessor to Peyote among ancient Native Americans. It is a local native Texas wood as well. The beans are also considered good luck if you carry one in your pocket.

I also use and sell blanks made from Agarita. It is a local Native Texas bush that was used medicinally by Native Americans to treat syphilis and make yellow dye!

Osage Orange was used by Native Americans to make bows and the US Army used the root to make dye to make camo uniforms in World War I.

Pecan is the State Tree of Texas and the Prickly Pear Cactus that I make my cactus blanks from is the state plant of Texas.
Click to expand...
 
Every piece of wood you use to make a pen has a story whether you buy it or harvest it yourself. Big secret is not to buy product back when selling or giving the pen as a gift. Basically don't bore your patron or gift receiver with a whale of a tale!

Let the pen sell itself! A little story just frosting on the cake!

Yes, you should know your product, and share that information, but keep it short!
 
1080Wayne said:
Joseph The story people are most apt to respond to is that you are offering them a pen made from a local wood . The kind of tree their swing hung from , the hedge they had to prune on a Saturday afternoon when they wanted to be with their friends at the pool , the climbing tree at Grandma`s house , the switch Dad used on his behind when his teeth drew his sister`s blood .... Wayne
Click to expand...


Wayne; I started turning pens when a neighbor had to cut down the tree in their backyard. He stopped by and asked me if I could make something out of the tree for his three grown kids. The tree was the one the tree fort was in, home base for tag, shaded those important picnics and tea socials... You get the idea. I cut a couple of rounds from the tree trunk and made cut outs for photos of the kids playing around the tree. He liked them, but asked me if I could make something the kids could use everyday?

I found out all three of his grown kids would write in the course of their jobs, so I suggested pens. The pens were a big hit and I enjoyed making them. So much so, that I started making pens.

As you know pen making is addictive and will suck your wallet into a black hole of finance (worst than a bank!)
 
Corn cob of course:)

I also have sold many pens using salvaged Iowa barnwood siding. Barns were an important part of American history and applies to many of the States. I have the name of the state engraved on it for the shop I supply. Native woods are also nice.

Oak is Iowa's state tree. I like to use Curly White Oak as it has nice pattern and tends to be more closed grain than red oak.

The possibilities are many.

Tim
 
Interesting Stuff

If you read between the lines the customers will purchase what is interesting to them. " the tree in the backyard with was home base."

My son has a friend which received his PHD in English, so I purchased a blank from Robert Frost. foundation.He totally enjoying the pen.

My son's PHD panel (9) plus all the readers for his PHD will need to receive something. There either historians or archaeologists. So I'm planning different woods for each Thinking and finding the wood that will make it interesting to them will be task! with so many!

A very good friend is a eye doctor and a musician plays the organ. She also wears pink all the time. Her cell phone is pink. So I gave her a solid pink pen accented in Satin Pearl.


If you are making pens as a hobby for yourself and making pens for friends and family you really need to consider their likes and interests. from color, to family heirlooms, to where they live such as a Texas Flag pen. Be creative! :coffee:time
 
Joseph, one of my favorites is the honeysuckle root burl my wife dug up out of my neighbors yard. Another is a piece of walnut 2x4 that my sister-in law hung onto for 40 yrs, an old man was building a staircase with it and gave her a piece. My latest is when I went to St. Louis and brought back some mystery wood from the Mississippi River. I havent sold any of these, gave them as gifts so far but think they would sell.
 
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Irish Bog Oak, Ancient Kauri, Lake Superior sinkers, American Chestnut from old barns, BOW, White Oak from a Tree that Abe Lincoln is likely to have played under, whiskey barrels of various brands.
Also some local history items for local shows; scraps from repairs to a local covered bridge, a giant old tree on a courthouse lawn that blew over in a storm, gym floors, an old one room school house, etc. And a few special order pens that are made from wood that came from a family home, barn, yard tree, tree planted by an ancestor, wood boat, etc.
I always make up a info card about business card side with the story of the wood. I make info cards for rare woods like snakewood and pink ivory.
 
I sell a lot of pens made from a 1722 house that was hit by a micro burst and needed some work. The wood is American Chestnut and it has some nice grain and COAs go along with the pens and blanks.
 
Wow, thats a way better response then I expected! I am going to luck further into these and keep an eye out for some of the local woods with lots of meaning, never really thought about those. I also really liked the Historical Wood of America link above, I wish you could buy some blanks offline.

I'm going to luck further into all the options you guys mentioned.

Thanks everyone!
Keep them coming!
 
I turned 9 Gatsbys as gifts out of different woods, including Pink Ivory, Gabon Ebony, Snakewood, Olivewood, Amboyna, Thuyna and others. I researched the "history" of each. The receipants each chose an envelope with a photo of their pen and the history enclosed. They were thrilled not only with the pens... but also with the "history" included. Would a paying customer feel the same? I'm gonna see... but only afther they buy the pen.
BTW: I'll be happy email the historys I compiled to anyone who desires. they are 9 typed pages, too many for this thread.
 
Jackosbo said:
I turned 9 Gatsbys as gifts out of different woods, including Pink Ivory, Gabon Ebony, Snakewood, Olivewood, Amboyna, Thuyna and others. I researched the "history" of each. The receipants each chose an envelope with a photo of their pen and the history enclosed. They were thrilled not only with the pens... but also with the "history" included. Would a paying customer feel the same? I'm gonna see... but only afther they buy the pen.
BTW: I'll be happy email the historys I compiled to anyone who desires. they are 9 typed pages, too many for this thread.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a great idea, and that is very kind of you to offer. I may have to take you up on that.

Keep Them Coming!
 
Jackosbo said:
I turned 9 Gatsbys as gifts out of different woods, including Pink Ivory, Gabon Ebony, Snakewood, Olivewood, Amboyna, Thuyna and others. I researched the "history" of each. The receipants each chose an envelope with a photo of their pen and the history enclosed. They were thrilled not only with the pens... but also with the "history" included. Would a paying customer feel the same? I'm gonna see... but only afther they buy the pen.
Click to expand...

Yep, I do the same with mine, and one paying customer "demands" the history card. They've come back several times. It really gives meaning to the pieces. The pain for me is getting a story short enough that I'm not printing out reams of paper to go with the pen. i'm trying to keep it to something about credit card size.

Russell.
 
I have a nice stock of the Ancient Kauri also (from a friend who used to live in NZ) and it's between that and African Blackwood which sells extremely well to woodwind players such as myself. :)

Nancy
 
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Thanks for keeping this thread alive Nancy, I am getting some great ideas.

I would really like to get my hands on some ancient Kauri. I've seen it for sale for $55 for 10 blanks. Not sure I need 10 right now, but I may go ahead and go for it if I can sell a few pens.

These ideas are great and this is helping me out a lot, thanks to all who replied.

Anyone else have some ideas?
 
texasfootball21 said:
Thanks for keeping this thread alive Nancy, I am getting some great ideas.

I would really like to get my hands on some ancient Kauri. I've seen it for sale for $55 for 10 blanks. Not sure I need 10 right now, but I may go ahead and go for it if I can sell a few pens.

These ideas are great and this is helping me out a lot, thanks to all who replied.

Anyone else have some ideas?
Click to expand...

I'm about to order more Bog Oak blanks from overseas. I'll likely post some when they arrive.
 
I haven't turned anything with history yet, but I did order a couple of Constant Laubscher's pre-civil war pine blanks. A buddy of mine back in Atlanta is a big civil war buff, and I was planning to make him a pen. I think he'll get a kick out of a pen made out of wood from the building where Sherman stabled his horses :). Of course then I saw the confederate flag inlay kit and now i'm going to have to save my pennies.

-Rick
 
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I was just contacted by someone with some reclaimed timber from WV. Some is WV Bog Oak, white oak that was reclaimed from a pond excavation that he is claiming has been dated back 10k years. Some is from an old River Crib wall. I'll likely be getting some to see how it is.

But what I really wanted to share is this. When I was in SC for Thanksgiving. I went out to a piece of property that my mother's boyfriend owns. We took a woman from Memphis out to see the Tenant Farm House that was built for her great grandfather (black son of a white farmer). You could tell that his son had meant something to the farmer as the building had a metal roof, not common for the period. Before leaving I pulled a board out and got the woman's address to send her a pen. I cut the board into some blanks last night. In a 3/4 inch square piece I counted 22 rings. The house was built sometime around 1900. Not sure what species it is yet, but Chestnut is a distinct possibility as it was common to the area. I'll be posting a pic of the pen this weekend.
 
wood that people have often heard about but have never seen finished would probably sell well, i've done a few irish bog oak pens and they went down a treat, but the bog yew pens didn't as its quite rare along with bog pine and bog ash
 
My pre-civil war heart pine blanks were in our mailbox today :) (thanks Constant!). My wife says they smell good, but I haven't gotten to see them yet.

Do any of you guys have a digital example of a "history card"? I'd like to put something like that together for this pen, even though I won't be selling it.

-Rick
 
I can email you one, Rick. (edit) Just did a capture of the four panels of my info card, PM me with your email address and I'll attach it for you.
 
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