A chunk of a pecan tree that was removed to make way for some construction in Baxter county. While much of the tree was cut into firewood, some of the more interesting parts were saved for the shop.
Some pen blanks were cut from the chunk of wood on the bandsaw, then cut to length for the upper and lower portions of the pen.
Each blank was mounted in the lathe, and drilled through the center lengthwise. Scraps of brass seen in the image are from drilling out .308 shells for other pens.
Two part epoxy is mixed and spread onto a brass tube which has been sanded to roughen up the surface. This helps the glue to stick to the brass.
The brass tube with the epoxy is inserted into the cut and drilled blank. The tube is twisted back and forth as it is inserted to spread the epoxy evenly across the brass tube as it is inserted.
The brass tube is fully inserted into the wood blank. The tube is slightly shorter than the wood blank, so the tube is inserted just past the end of the blank. This piece is now set aside while the next piece is glued. While the epoxy is a 10 minute variety, I normally let the expoxy set over night.
continue to Making a Dragon Pen – Part 2
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