Pens and bowls

Here are a couple of pens that I have turned. The smaller 2 are mini key chain pens. I order the mechanical part of the pen and then "turn" the wood to make the pen. The dark rings on the top pen is burned into the wood. First you cut your groove, then you take a piece of smooth wire and while the piece of wood is turning on the lay, you put the wire into the groove and it burns the wood. The pen on the right was made out of a deer antler. You basically make them all the same way. You can make 'em skinny, fat, curvey, straight, tapered....however, just let your imagination run. I will say that I have never.....never made two pens or bowls that were identical. I don't think I could if I wanted too....lol

This is a wood bowl that I made from redwood. It is about 7 inches in diameter and about 2 inches in height. It has a smooth finish with a groove carved into the side.

This next one was made from black walnut. It is my favorite one so far. The white part of the bowl is where the wood was rotten. You can treat the rotten wood with a solvent that hardens it, making it stay together and then you are able to turn it. It has the rough rugged look. You can tell the top of the bowl is not level, it has character marks all over it. It is about 9 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 inches in height.

This piece of wood came from the woods right here in south Mississippi. You can order different types of wood through wood catalogs or go out and gather your own. I have a friend that owns a sawmill. He lets me come by and fill the back of my truck with pieces he would normally just throw away. I don't know if you have heard this saying, but we call it...."friends helping friends". I like to get them and let them dry. Cherry, poplar, walnut, oak....all make good bowls. I like to use a wood that is grainy....to me it adds more character. . My son, Tyler, made a bowl for his grandmother.....my mom for a Christmas present. She thought it was the best present ever. He told me that making bowls were not for him......he said "that one(bowl) was my first and last one to make".....ha. He is just too young and impatient for now. It is good therapy...quite and relaxing....and the reward is instant.......take a block of wood, cut everything off of it that doesn't look like a bowl, and depending on the size, you can hold and see the finished product in 2 to 4 hours.