10/15/2026
We had a new client reach out to us with a very specific and special project that is extremely meaningful to the client.
I really enjoy working on these kinds of projects..... they require attention to detail and my best efforts.... knowing full well what I'm creating will bring a lifetime of reminders and memories.
The clients Grandmother had a dining room table that had been passed down from family member to the next... for a very long time so lots of history before she passed away. The table was in disrepair and missing components....SO.....
The client asked us to make 12 pens using wood from the table. The table was extremely well built and had a stained veneere as the outside layer.
The wood harvested for the pen blanks was a light colored wood with vety tight grain. The client wanted the pens to match the top color as close as possible. Several attempts to stain the wood and change its color were unsuccessful...so we had to get creative.
We cut the material to size, drilled a hole down the center, glued a brass tube in the hole, then turned the pen to final size and lightly sanded them to 600 grit.
Once all 12 pen blanks (24 pieces) were ready, we placed them in a bin with stain and put that in a vacumn chamber. We removed all the air from chamber, the stain and the wood and let it set. Removing all the air allows the stain to replace the space where the air molecules were....thus fully penetrating the wood.
We took everything out of he chamber and let it dry for 2 days before putting them all back on the lathe to wet sand them to 12,000 grit, then we polished them with a fiction polish before final assembly of all the pen kit parts.
We are extremely pleased with the outcome!!
