Pen #14 and my second segmented blank

I am easing my way into segmenting and since I have already made a simple segment (90 degree veneers, etc) I thought that I would give a basic scalloping design a try.

I was happy with the way it came out but once I got it on the pen I am not thrilled with the overall shape. In retrospect I would have gone with a much more gradual rise from the tip to better match the overall shape of the pen. Something that I will correct in future designs.

Bocote with aluminum and white marble acrylic on a Woodcraft Wall Street II

Well done. Love the segment.

You must be a penturner commenting on your own pen... Much too critical! I see a wonderful pen with no issue of metal contamination into the Bocote or acrylic!

Well done.

Great work.

Michael, I agree with Mark here, this looks very elegant and well made. Your segmenting is spot on, and the material choice is excellent. And getting such a clean line with that much aluminum is often times very difficult, but you nailed it. This is an instrument to be proud of.

Looks good. May choose a different combo but that is in the eye of the beholder as they say. I am going to ask and believe I know this answer but is this a 2 sided scallop?

Love the combination myself! The bocote and white marble, with all the black and silver accents, go really well together.

That's a nice-looking pen ! !

Nicely done!

Very nice.

Great work! That work is going to carry you far. I think you are farther along in pen making than you are giving yourself credit. You may not like the oval shape, but that can be corrected. The metal fittings preciseness and wood matching show considerable patience and experience, and is generally more difficult to achieve.

There are too many responses to address each one individually but I would like to thank you all for your feedback and encouragement!

It took a bit to get this right. I had one botched attempt where the scallops weren't lined up. Being new to woodworking in general it never occurred to be to check the bandsaw table alignment...it was off by nearly 8 degrees. I had no idea that it was even adjustable . A few tweaks and the second attempt came out great. I am just glad that it survived drilling and turning.

It was also a learning process as I did initially sand the blank and had aluminum contamination which I corrected with a few light passes with my skew. The final finish is not quite as nice as I would have liked in that area as I still have some learning to do with my skew to get a better finish.

This really highlighted how skilled many of you are here who make far more intricately designed segmented pens. Essentially your tool work needs to be good enough that no sanding is required. My hat is off to those of you who have mastered this technique!

jttheclockman said:

Looks good. May choose a different combo but that is in the eye of the beholder as they say. I am going to ask and believe I know this answer but is this a 2 sided scallop?

Click to expand...

Assuming that I understand the term (sorry, very new), yes. I made a V shaped segment then turned the blank 90 degrees and made another V shaped segment.