Question for Pen Turners

[rcarmac]

So I have received a commission to make about 25-30 pens for a business client. They had to remove a “significant” and “sentiment” tree from their property due to expansion. They want the pens made out of the tree for them to give out. I didn’t see the tree before it was removed, but they call it a “pin oak”. The tree was cut down about 3-4 weeks ago. I got a piece today that’s about 8” dia. by about 2’. I have about 1 1/2 years till the expansion is done and they do not want to start giving out the pens till then. With the wood being green, do I just let the log dry out for a year before cutting and turning the blanks, cut the log into pen blanks now and let dry out for a while, or is it ok just to go ahead and turn the pen blanks green?

 

[Stuart Kent]

I don't turn pens, but I do turn a lot and I work with oak, a lot. break it down into the smallest possible pieces and seal them with anchor seal as soon as possible to relieve the torsional stress in the wood.

 

[rcarmac]

Just the ends need to be sealed right?

 

[Stuart Kent]

Just the ends need to be sealed right?

yes, but pen blanks are so small that they are easy to dip and it certainly won't hurt them to dip the whole thing...

 

[rcarmac]

How long would u recommend waiting before turning

 

[Stuart Kent]

How long would u recommend waiting before turning

here are a few different ways to approach this.

1. seal and wait 6 months - 1 year.

2. use a vacuum chamber to stabilize the material with resin. They are fairly simple to build and work very well for small parts.

3. stabilize them with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and turn them right away

4. turn them green, and soak them for several days in tung oil

5. turn them green and then microwave them - you'll have to experiment to get your heat and rest cycles right. I would begin with 10 seconds high heat, rest for 20.

good luck, let's see some pics when you finish them!

 

[rcarmac]

Thanks Stuart, your the best.

Only on this site can a simple woodworker like me get 1st class expert advice.

 

[nn4jw]

I've turned a few wood pens that were good, but I'm not going to claim any particular expertise. That said, I'd not turn green wood for them because I'd be concerned about shrinkage.

The procedures I've used required drilling the square blank, inserting/gluing the metal tube, then turning. The wood remaining on the tube can be pretty thin and I'd be concerned that it would crack and split as it dried.

If stabilized first it's likely not an issue. But green?

 

[rcarmac]

Does Klingspor sell Anchor Seal? I search their website and didn't come up with anything. What is Klingspor version for a wood sealer?

 

[Stuart Kent]

Does Klingspor sell Anchor Seal? I search their website and didn't come up with anything. What is Klingspor version for a wood sealer?

I have some, could be an excuse to join us for an NCFS Woodturners Club meeting...

 

[Gotcha6]

If you are willing to try it, you can combine paraffin wax and mineral spirits at a 1:1 ratio in a double boiler for the same results.

 

[Bear Republic]

Stuart is World Class and is always willing help out with his vast knowledge. This group of woodworkers is a living history of woodworking and then some.

If you can't meet up with Stuart, which I recommend, Klingspor does sell their own version of Anchor Seal. I don't have experience with it but since members may.

 

[scsmith42]

So I have received a commission to make about 25-30 pens for a business client. They had to remove a “significant” and “sentiment” tree from their property due to expansion. They want the pens made out of the tree for them to give out. I didn’t see the tree before it was removed, but they call it a “pin oak”. The tree was cut down about 3-4 weeks ago. I got a piece today that’s about 8” dia. by about 2’. I have about 1 1/2 years till the expansion is done and they do not want to start giving out the pens till then. With the wood being green, do I just let the log dry out for a year before cutting and turning the blanks, cut the log into pen blanks now and let dry out for a while, or is it ok just to go ahead and turn the pen blanks green?

Robert, Stuart hit the highlights regarding your options.

Wood dries very poorly in log form. Typically, if you were to dry the lumber for tuning I would suggest that you have the log milled into boards that are approximately 1/4" - 3/8" thicker than the thickness of the blank that you want to end up with. So, for a 3/4" dry pen blank, have the boards milled at 1". They will shrink 6% - 12% in thickness as they dry.

You only need to coat the ends of the boards / blanks if you want them to dry. If you're trying to keep them green, then dip the entire blank in some type of end sealer. Klingspor's should have end sealer in stock.

Now here is a trick that is not widely known..... the most figured portion of an oak log is typically the section that is immediately adjacent to where a limb branches out. The wood cells change direction where the branch wood and the trunk wood meet, and the resulting wood grain can be absolutely spectacular. The photo below shows an example of this; it's what I call "feathered oak". This pen that was turned for me by Alex Lesniak of Fuquay Varina, NC, along with three others from the same blank.

​

 

[dwminnich]

Why not cut oversized blanks and microwave-dry them rather than drying rough-turned pens? With pieces that small I'd expect the drying to go quickly. As someone else mentioned, I'd worry a lot about turning green blanks, and I don't know what effect the brass tubes would have on a microwave if you tried to dry the green-turned barrels.


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