Henk has been woodturning about a year now. After seeing the custom bodkins that Paul Little makes he decided that he wanted to learn to turn wood too. After acquiring first a micro lathe, then a mini lathe and finally a full size lathe, two, then five, now more than 10 different chisels and gouges, as well as enough wood to make a lifetime supply of small fly tying tools, and turning everything from bodkins to hair stackers to full size chisel handles (spindle turning only), he thinks that it is fair to state that he is no longer an absolute beginner. Some of his tools can be seen on his fly fishing pages. He decided that he wanted to try turning pens next. After scouring the internet for relevant information on pen turning (where he found that the best information can be found at penturners.org, the Yahoo penturners group, as well as assorted individual's pages), and acquiring still more tools (pen mandrels, bushings, drills, etc.) and wood, he ordered his first two pen kits from Bill Baumbeck's Arizona Silhouette and discovered that pen making isn't too hard. You can check for yourself whether you agree with that or not. Recently, he also turned his first reel seat insert, from holly oak (Quercus ilex).

By the way, he also discovered that pen turning is an almost completely US oriented activity, with no suppliers in Europe other than the few kits that Axminster or Craft Supplies UK carry.

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