Wood, as we know, are of varieties and have diversified presence all over the world. With the variation, comes the unique characteristics and features of that particular wood that can be relied upon, to create the best woodturning projects.
With the variation, comes the ubiquitous strengths and limitations of that particular wood which allows and enables us to work in a certain dimension only. Each exotic wood blanks has distinct workability, the flow of grains, density, sound, and appearance along with several properties that tend us to decide about the uses of it.
Not every wood will be best for making musical instruments, or pen blanks; it’s decided upon its usability and turning capabilities.
Though several kinds of wood can be used for pen making or pen turning, in this article, we are going to talk about the top 10 exotic wood pen blanks for pen making.
Tulip Wood
Tulip Wood, also known as Brazilian Tulipwood, is considered to be hardwood. Hardwoods are dense wood and it has its strength in pen turning. Tulip wood is considered to be hardwood due to its high density, but it turns very well and along with a very high polish.
Tulip wood is mostly used in small turning objects such as knives and pens and is a stunningly beautiful wood that comes in short supply.
East India Rosewood
East India Rosewood has amazing furniture making strength along with musical instruments, especially the guitar. Then again, this wood is suitable for pen blanks which have profound class, character and leave its mark.
This wood also has a rose-like odour and has interlocked grain which finishes exceedingly well.
Gaboon Ebony
This wood is also famous for its alter ego such as African Ebony, Nigerian Ebony, Cameroon Ebony. The Gaboon ebony woods have straight grains that maybe sometimes interlocked they are a bit difficult to work with but they produce this lustrous shine upon finishing and make it worth the effort.
The wood has high density which puts it under the category of hardwood. The hardwood is pretty ambitious wood for pen making and can be envisaged as hand-turned pens or wood turned pens.
Basswood
The wood is also recognized as American Basswood, Lime, Linden, and is known as simple wood for the carving if any beginner is interested in any small project such as handmade wooden pens.
Basswood is under the softwood category and has easy workability along with proper gluing and finishing. This wood is best for hand carving and lightweight to work with.
Honduran Mahogany
With several other names such as Honduras Mahogany, American Mahogany, Genuine Mahogany, Big-Leaf Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany, this wood has its durability strengths on the basis of density, girth, and growing conditions.
With straight, interlocked, and way grain structure, this wood has its usability in several applications and finishes well with custom wood pens.
Hard Maple
Hard Maple, also known as sugar maple, rock maple, is a closed-grain wood with a somewhat wavy presence. This wood is best for beginners and can be used for pen making by them due to its very easy workability with both hands and machine tools.
Hard maple also has high density which is good for pens and it turns very well along with proper gluing and finishing.
Cherry
The wood is also called as Black Cherry, American Cherry, which has its similar features as of Hard Maple. This wood can be used for pen making along with pen turning kits by the beginners since it is very easy to work with.
The grains of this wood are closed and straight which helps in the workability of the wood by the beginners in wood carving. It also has fine, even texture with a moderate natural luster.
Along with hand carving, this wood can also be easily worked with machines and tools, exhaled by mild and distinctive scent when being worked.
Purple Heart
Purple Heart, also known as Amaranth, can be used for acrylic pen blanks or acrylic blanks for the making of acrylic pens. The wood has versatility in terms of grains, be it straight, but can also be wavy or irregular.
With some negligible challenges in the workability, Purple Heart is very durable which resists both decay and insect attacks.
Cocobolo
With a great distribution in Central America, this wood is also famous by Cocobola and Cocabola. This wood has a flexible presence in terms of grain which can be straight, wavy or interlocked, but are of fine natural luster.
If you are trying to make big and bulky kinds of pens, which can give great shapes to your pens; cocobolo can help you with that. This exotic wood has apt grain patterns to make the great shapes pens, and why not, since this wood has great turning capabilities.
Black Palm
Though, black palm is highly variable in weight, strength, and hardness properties because the wood is so non-homogenous. But then, the wood is denser and gradually becomes lighter and softer which makes it great for pen turning and pen making.
Conclusion
With the presence of a variety of woods around the market, all wood can be used for pen making and turnings. But then, some wood has its unique strengths in terms of their properties, workability, grain structure, and ease of carving, which allows the better turning of wood and its applications.
Exotic Wood Zone accommodates varieties of exotic pen blanks or wood blanks which can be browsed by you to make up your mind and develop the best pens with the help of proper pen turning kits. These pen blanks can be found on our website or on this mentioned link:- https://exoticwoodzone.com/collections/pen-blanks
Also, watch how a beautiful pen can be turned by Tulipwood Pen blank here:- https://exoticwoodzone.com/pages/wood-turning-works
Exotic Wood Zone also has guidelines and information on various woods which can be of great help for a decision made by you to consider it for a purchase. You can visit the mentioned link here for it:- https://exoticwoodzone.com/pages/species-guide
Now, with all the insights on the top 10 exotic wood pen blanks for pen making, let’s delve into the contest of this season where you have to enter a pen for a chance to win a 250$ wood package by our team. In this contest, submit your photos of pens and our visitors to the website will mark their votes on the basis of their likeness and workability on the pens. At the end of June, our team will choose a winner of this contest, who will thereby take a wood package worth 250$.
So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and show your best-turned woods!
