About our Woodturning

All of our pens and pencils are made from domestic and exotic timber blanks.  These are sourced from the UK and across the world and vary in colour and texture.  The blanks are all kiln dried to try to ensure they do not split.

 (Ebony, African Blackwood, English Pear, Zebrano, African Padauk, Lacewood,

Purpleheart, American Oak, Ash, Bubinga)

Each rough pen blank is hand selected to ensure quality and the best possible grain.  It is then cut to length and precision drilled to enable a brass tube to be inserted in order to turn it on the lathe.  Each piece is hand-turned to the relevant shape and pattern and is then sanded from 120 grit (which is the type of sandpaper available in DIY stores for home use) to 15,000 grit (which is about as smooth as a sheet of paper!)  This produces a superbly fine finish.  The pen is inspected for defects between each sanding.  After sanding several coats of high quality wax are applied prior to the installation of the components.  The pen is then hand polished and tested before being packaged.

By special order, usually from family, we also make pens from acrylic,Dymondwood and Crushed velvet. 

On average we are only  making 10-20 pens each week.

Due to the unique nature of our products we carry a small number of pens in stock.  If the pen you require is in stock this can be despatched in 24-48 hours.  However if the pen is not in stock we will contact you to advise the estimated delivery date while we make the pen to your requirements.  We would expect this to be approximately 7 days. 

About Us 

I have worked in the timber industry for most of my life.  My love of wood has stemmed from this and I have regular ‘name the species competitions’ with my dad to name any samples of wood we come across.   

Once I had bought my first house I started using wood in DIY mode – firstly there was the deck, followed by building hardwood doors to enclose a porch at the back of the garage.  From there I moved on to bedroom furniture – making wardrobes, drawer units and beds for the house.  I then became interested in wood turning.

I first learnt how to turn wood whilst at school.  I was taught using a Union Graduate lathe.  As with most teenagers, on leaving school these skills went by the wayside until recently when I have started to turn wood again.  Luckily it was like riding a bike and I seemed to be able to pick it up again quite quickly.  That isn’t to say however, that I haven’t made mistakes!  I have read various books and websites and carried out much research to improve my knowledge and skills.

We are based in the north east of England and I have lived in this area all my life.  My wife, Julie moved up here from the north west and says she ‘gave up everything’ for me.  Her background is administration and IT and she manages to keep me organised and on the straight and narrow.  Finally, there is Chewie (our tabby cat) who enjoys eating, attacking toes and, of course, ‘helping’ me whilst I am turning (roughly translated to getting in my way!). 

I now have a fully equipped workshop including equipment like lathes, table saw, drill stand, compressed air tools and an extensive collection of both new and vintage hand tools.  All my pens and pencils are hand turned and are made from high quality domestic and exotic hardwoods. 

To see pictures of my furniture and the cat click here.