Where do you buy your Exotic pen blanks at?

[Donny Lawson]

I started looking at pen blanks on e-bay and ordered some yesterday.Is the quality pretty good or should I beware of this?Where do you buy yours at? I have bought some in the past at my local woodcraft store but I thought I could buy it cheaper with e-bay. Any suggestions?
Donny

[Scott Hackler]

One thing you might concider (becuase I am going to do this as well) is buying an exotic bowl blank and resawing it to multiple pen blanks. I have seen several bowl blanks that (when resawn) will yield pen blanks that normaly cost $5-10 down to $1-3 each.

[Neal Addy]

Check my "Links" page for a list of wood suppliers (under the "Woodturning - Wood Sources" section).

[Greg Ketell]

http://www.harrisburlsupply.com/home.php If you don't see what you want, call Nolan. he is one of the major importers supplying lots of our other vendors.

GK

I started looking at pen blanks on e-bay and ordered some yesterday.Is the quality pretty good or should I beware of this?Where do you buy yours at? I have bought some in the past at my local woodcraft store but I thought I could buy it cheaper with e-bay. Any suggestions?
Donny

[David E Keller]

I've had great luck on eBay buying Hawaiian blanks from Joel(eganlaw) and Kalai(koa_wood). I've bought Burl slabs and cut my own from a number of vendors. Check out chitswood on eBay as well, as he will occasionally have huge lots of blanks that are very reasonable.

There are several online vendors for stabilized blanks, but they'll cost you.

I've bought quite a few blanks from the classifieds at IAP, and I've been extremely happy with what I've purchased there. Lots of Aussie burls, amboyna, and olivewood have made it my way recently, and the prices are reasonable.

Woodcraft is usually a last resort for me as I've found better blanks at better prices elsewhere.

[Rob Young]

I've done the following, in no particular order:

Check the classified at the Penturner's forum (penturners.org I think).

Ebay, however the shipping is often a deal breaker unless you can find one of the exotic lumber suppliers that is filling flat rate boxes with cut-offs. Usually cheaper per blank because you are doing the blank cutting labor.

Wood-n-whimsies (woodnwhimsies.com), but I've only purchased acrylics and horn from them, not exotic wood blanks. However their prices are competitive.

Make my own, there is a decent hardwood supplier about 50 miles from me. Quite often they have a bin of cut-offs with things like rosewood with knots or wild grain, paduk, wenge for very small money per piece. I just get a few and cut them up.

Trade at my local woodworking guild. Again, its cut-offs from other peoples projects. To small for them to use or their scrap bin is too full.

[jason lambert]

step 1 get off this board for penturning.
step 2 go to penturners.org and look in the classified section. Ebay is also good but to tedious.

[Montgomery Scott]

I usually buy 1.5" turning squares and resaw them. If you need 7/8" blanks then this isn't the most efficient method but works well for 3/4" or smaller blanks.

[Chris Stolicky]

step 1 get off this board for penturning.
step 2 go to penturners.org and look in the classified section. Ebay is also good but to tedious.

Jason - I take it you fall into that pool of people who feel that those who turn pens are not 'real' turners, or at least should not be able to ask question in the "Turner's Forum"?


Donny - I have had good luck on ebay. AS also has a very good selection of woods, many are also stabilized.

[David Walser]

Donny,

I've had good luck with these retailers for exotic pen blanks:

• Wood Turningz. They're having their annual New Year's sale right now. (Click on the "Click Here to see our Weekly Specials!" link on the left hand side of the page.) http://www.woodturningz.com/Pen_Kits.aspx
• Arizona Silhouette. http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/index.html

There may be cheaper alternatives, but both these stores have given me excellent service and have provided me with some beautiful blanks. Be sure to check out the weekly specials from both companies. (Wood Turningz will email you their specials if you sign up.)

Good luck!

[Harry Hagan]

http://www.choice-woods.com/index.htm

[Mac Carlton]

I started looking at pen blanks on e-bay and ordered some yesterday.Is the quality pretty good or should I beware of this?Where do you buy yours at? I have bought some in the past at my local woodcraft store but I thought I could buy it cheaper with e-bay. Any suggestions?
Donny

Have you ever checked out IAP, penturner.org
they have members that sell pen parts and blanks and give IAP forum members discounts. there is some really nice stuff on there.

[Dan Forman]

I've had great luck on eBay buying Hawaiian blanks from Joel(eganlaw) and Kalai(koa_wood). I've bought Burl slabs and cut my own from a number of vendors. Check out chitswood on eBay as well, as he will occasionally have huge lots of blanks that are very reasonable.

There are several online vendors for stabilized blanks, but they'll cost you.

I've bought quite a few blanks from the classifieds at IAP, and I've been extremely happy with what I've purchased there. Lots of Aussie burls, amboyna, and olivewood have made it my way recently, and the prices are reasonable.

I've bought from most of the same places as David with good success.

Dan

[Robert Parrish]

I buy some of my stock from West Penn Hardwood. They have kiln dried turning stock in some species and their prices are good.