So starting with a story. Most all the maple you see in the pens that follow came from pieces like the picture on the right. My father worked at a Jr high school back in the 60s and 70s and brought home the wood from broken desks to use as firewood. It sat in Home Juice Company boxes (the company the school used for their juice) for years. I moved those boxes to my workshop back room at some point where they sat for MORE years til about 2017 when I started making pens and looking for wood scraps he had brought home from the woodshop. Saw these broken desk seats and when I cut into one, found it's MAPLE! So, I made a jig as you see above to be able to run these thru the table saw and make 3/4" x 3/4" sticks of wood to use as pen blanks. The part that dips where your butt goes isn't thick enough to use as pen blanks but I get a couple off each side.

So each pen I make with Maple in it has some real history. Used initially by hundreds if not thousands of kids and then reclaimed for another use. 

#1 - This is a Maple and Walnut Slimline hardware

#2 - This is Maple and Padauk wood - Slimline hardware

#3 - This is a Maple and walnut Celtic Knot - Majestic Squire Gold and black Hardware

#4 - This is maple, walnut and red blood with Designer hardware

#5 - Maple and Walnut chevron - Slimline hardware

#6 - This is Granadillo wood where the sapwood and heartwood met up giving both light and dark wood.  Designer hardware

#7 - The chevron again but with a purple heart wood - slimline

#8 - Maple and red blood wood in a celtic knot - slimline hardware

#9 - Maple and redblood - slimline hardware

#10 - Can't remember the exact wood at the moment but I have more.  :-)  Designer hardware

#11 - Maple, Copper metal and bloodwood (I think) - designer hardware

#12 - red oak - slimline hardware

#13 - Maple - designer hardware

#14 - Maple, walnut, red blood - designer hardware

#15 - Maple, padauk - slimline hardware

#16 - Purple heart and maple - slimline hardware

#17 - maple and purple heart - slimline hardware

#18 - just maple, slimline hardware

#19 - just walnut - slimline hardware

#20 - Redheart, ebony and aluminum metal - Designer hardware

#21 - More just maple but made from recycled broken Jr High school desk chairs from the 60's/70's - Slimline hardware

More to bore you with. The next few photos detail how the pen below (#22) and others like it further down are made.

First cut 3 pieces of wood. 2 that are 3/4" wide and one that is only about 3/16" square.  Everything gets sanded to 3/16" thick.

Then the first glue-up is done as in the photo to the right.  The small piece edge-glued to one of the larger ones. 

The next step is to use my jig of aluminum "L" with plastic pads to keep glue from sticking.   Glue the second 3/4" piece of wood at a 90 degree angle to the first onto the small piece of colored wood.

Once dry, a 1 1/2" piece of aluminum gutter flashing material is bent on a "shop brake" to a 90 degree angle and glued to the finished "L shaped wood. (no photo of the aluminum)  

The long L shaped piece with the glued up wood and aluminum is cut into small pieces like the one at the right.

The final glue-up is to assemble all the little pieces using another little jig I made that holds them straight and at a 45 degree angle to form a pen blank that gets trimmed down to 3/4" x 3/4" square and about 2-3" long.

Drill a hole in the blank for the pen tube to be glued in and then turn on the lathe and you end up with the next picture. 

#22 - A maple, redblood, aluminum design - Majestic Squire Gold and Chrome hardware

#23 - Walnut and maple "X" pen - Slimline Gold hardware

My first attempt at using CA (superglue) to finish a pen. This is Mahogany wood. 

Basic walnut with slimline hardware

Purple heart wood with Designer NT hardware

Roman Olive wood with Designer NT hardware

If I recall, this is Cocobolo wood with heart and sapwood with Majestic Squire Hardware.

Spalted maple.  Spalted wood is wood which has started to decay.  (the black figuring) Majestic Squire Hardware.

Plain ole Black Walnut with Majestic Squire Hardware. This wood is from a branch off one of my Black Walnut trees in the back yard. I trimmed it, dried it for 2 or 3 years and then cut into pieces to use for pens. 

Maple, Walnut and Redheart with Majestic Squire Hardware.

Not sure which wood. Bracelet helper.  You hold clip down in one hand with one of the bracelet in the clip and then can use your free hand to fasten the bracelet clasp to the end which is in the clip. 

My fav style of pen as you can see by all the examples. I don't recall the pattern name from the gentleman's photo I saw on Penturners.org and attempted to duplicate.

This is Maple, redblood and aluminum with Majestic Squire Hardware.

Not one of my finest. Looked better in my head.  Maple, with maple, redheart and walnut inserts and Designer NT hardware

Maple and redheart with Majestic Squire Hardware.

second view 

Walnut, brass, maple and redheart with Majestic Squire Hardware.

I think it's a form of cocobolo with slimline hardware

Another walnut from the yard with Majestic Squire Hardware.

More olivewood with Duraclick EDC hardware

Celtic knot with Maple and Purple heart with Majestic Squire Hardware.

More bracelet helpers for a lady who requested them after getting one at a craft show.  Random woods. Me thinks she might not be using them as bracelet helpers.  :-)

Marble wood with Duraclick EDC hardware. 

Maple, walnut and redheart with with Majestic Squire Hardware. 

Maple, Padauk, and Walnut with Duraclick EDC hardware

An experiment. Maple, Walnut and Redheart with Duraclick EDC hardware.

Made by cutting a "wave" thru a maple blank and then gluing a piece of thin walnut, then rotate 90 degrees and repeat with the other wood.

I need to work more on this type work. It has to be freehand on the bandsaw and I'm not up to par on doing that yet.

Ebony with maple and copper insets and Majestic Squire hardware 

My first attempt at Shou Sugi Ban (sort of).

Plain ole Pine or Fir wood from the big box store, turned to a pen shape, then burned with a torch, wire brushed, and then finished with CA finish. 

Slimline hardware 

Another ebony, maple and copper with Majestic Squire hardware. 

Maple, purple heart and aluminum with with Majestic Squire hardware.  

A slightly different Ebony, Maple and copper with Majestic Squire hardware.  

My second attempt at Shou Sugi Ban. Gatsby hardware. 

Another view 

Another celtic knot with Maple and Purple heart with Majestic Squire hardware.  

Another version of Maple, Purple heart, Aluminum with Majestic Squire hardware.  

Different view 

Hmmm. Don't remember the main wood. Maple for the diamonds, aluminum with Majestic Squire hardware.  

Another view 

Another version of another Padauk, maple and another dark wood, can't recall which. Duraclick EDC hardware

I love this wood. It's Thuya Burl with Executive hardware. 

I think this was redblood with maple and copper, Designer NT hardware 

Might be Cocobolo heartwood, with maple and brass with Majestic Squire hardware.  

Letter opener made from Tamarind and Majestic Squire 22kt Gold and Rhodium hardware 

Another experiment. Maple with Black and Red ID card (plastic). Gatsby hardware 

Bolivian Rosewood with Designer NT 24kt gold hardware 

Don't recall the wood. Executive hardware 

Tried to duplicate someone's I saw online. Maple, purple heart, redheart with Majestic Squire hardware.  This was my 2nd try and still not perfect cause the hole for the tube wasn't perfectly centered so the design on the sides is just a tad strange but still pretty. 

Ebony, maple, Executive hardware 

A little keychain, pen and stylus with my favorite Thuya burl wood.

Cap off to show the pen. 

Another stylus with Padauk, maple, and ?? for the dark wood. The little plastic piece fits in the headphone jack of the phone to keep it with the phone.  Of course, ton's of phones these days no longer have headphone jacks.  :-(  (I've had the hardware a while) 

Maple, walnut, ebony and granadillo with Gatsby hardware

Lyptus wood (leftover flooring from our house) with Executive hardware

Cedar wood turned and then burnt with a torch with Designer hardware