I made this desk set (pen/pencil holder and coaster, and later the letter opener) for my mother for use in her office. They are all Maple Burl with contrasting inserts, although the Walnut inserts are difficult to see on the coaster. Possibly an almost black wood like was used on the letter opener would have provided a better contrast in retrospect. I made the coaster before I had a lathe, so it was shaped by turning it on the drill press and using a Dremel with various abrasive bits in place of scrapers, gouges, etc. That worked OK, but it was "ergonomically challenging" since most of the work was done from the underside.
| Material: | Pen holder: | Maple burl with walnut inserts |
| Coaster: | Maple burl with walnut inserts |
| Letter Opener: | Maple burl with African Blackwood inserts |
| Finish: | Pen holder: | 5 coats Behr polyurethane varnish |
| Coaster: | 4 coats Behr polyurethane varnish |
| Letter Opener: | 3 coats Flecto clear 1000 semi-gloss polyurethane varnish |
| Size: | Pen holder: | 5.2" w x 2.25" h x 3" d |
| Coaster: | 3.5" dia x 0.375" total height |
| Letter Opener: | 3.6" l x 1.0" w x 0.6" thk |
| Done: | January 11, 1996 | |
