We have a couple of the
letter openers I made back in the dying days of last century but they lead a more sedate life now given electronic communications, regular Canada Post strikes, etc. One of them can still be found in a pen cup on my desk but its geometry is ill-suited to storage in a
lightweight wooden cup. The combination of length and handle weight are always trying to tip the cup and it managed to do so the other day when I was pulling out a pen. This necessitated some spelunking through the dust-and-power-bar infested area under my desk to retrieve the contents.
This inspired me to make a letter opener with better balance that would be less awkward in a pen cup. As I'm not a big fan of metal working, I just bought a cheesy letter opener and harvested the blade. Mind you, that still needed some work to remove the uneven plating and rough stamped edges and when that was done I
made a simple handle out of one of my favourite woods - Roasted Curly Maple. The look of the new one is a bit more modern and the balance is far superior.
| Material: | Roasted Curly Maple, Dyed black Tulip veneer |
| Construction: | Glued |
| Finish: | 3 coats of Miniwax Wipe-On Poly, Clear Satin |
| Size: | Handle 4" x 0.75" x 0.35" |
| Done: | Oct 31, 2025 |
