Southpaw Works

10/11/2026

A little playing around today with a piece of laminated maple 4x4 I acquired. I will call it Soithpaw Works and the goblet of maple. ;)

09/27/2026

One build today. This rosewood* and maple ice cream scoop. The maple rings are SLIGHTLY off kilter so I've put this one at a $10 discount. :-)

https://southpawworks.com/product/ice-cream-scoop-rosewood-maple/

*I am 90% sure this is rosewood...if not then it's bubinga. I ordered a piece of each and they came in unmarked and they are similar in look, grain and hardness...but I'm pretty sure this is the rosewood.

This maple and rosewood scoop is friction finished for a more natural look and feel that really brings out the grain in the wood. I’ve priced this slightly lower than my other scoops because the maple…

09/26/2026

Latest Build, Tiger Oak Naturally Finished Pen.

Trying something new by actually putting it on my website for sale. I've yet to make a sale on the site so if you try and something goes wrong, let me know. You should be able to ship in the US 48 or pick up locally.

This is a naturally finished tiger oak click pen, featuring a German click mechanism. This pen is finished with a natural friction polish (Odie’s Oil). While friction finishes aren’t as durable or as…

09/21/2026

In finally threw a couple of things up on my website for sale. If you go to the SHOP page you'll see two of my latest ice cream scoops for sale. One is cherry and maple, the other is osage orange and maple. They can be purchased for local pickup or shipping.

I will have probably 2 more available soon, out of different woods.

I will also try to put a few pens on there as well as some art. Maybe this weekend (but no promises) :-)

https://southpawworks.com/shop/

Thanks!

09/06/2026

Running low on turning supplies, money is a bit tight, and no one wants to buy, so I haven’t been turning much lately.

But the itch was too great and I had to get out there and do “something”. 🙂.

A while back while in TJ Maxx or HomeGoods, I forget which with my wife, I spotted an olive wood, cutting board and in my mind I said "I could cut that up and make pins out of it."

And that’s where this pin came from...out of an Olive wood cutting board. Came out pretty nice if I do say so myself.

08/29/2026

Two builds today.

Pen is maple and epoxy hybrid. Digging the colors!

The scoop is bloodwood and tauari. It has a slight blemish on it where my glove stuck to the glue as I assembled. 😞 ah well. Lesson learned. Will be making more of these as I enjoyed it and it goes a bit faster than pens.

08/25/2026

My latest build was for me. :) A low/longer red oak bookshelf to fill this corner.

My notes and thoughts:
It probably cost 5x the price to build this vs. what I could have bought. But I built it and judging by the pine CD rack and bookshelf I built in the early 90s that are still solid as a rock, this red oak shelf will outlast everyone alive today.

There are like 4349834 ways to build a shelf. This was one of them. Probably not the best way but it is beyond solid. Completely red oak ply, veneer and boards (except for 2 hidden pine boards in the base.

Wood is INSANELY expensive. I mean crazy expensive! Especially anything beyond pine/poplar (even those are stupid).

It is so far from perfect. There are at least 3 major things and 20 minor things wrong with it...and as the builder, every one of them screams at me!

Lesson Learned. I am not good at staining. This is my second fail in that department, although this one wasn't entirely my fault. I started to just leave this natural and add a coat of poly. I 100% should have done that!

I tried Minwax one step special walnut because i wanted a darker color and it pretty much ruined the finish despite multiple tries with it. Streaks, dark spots and drips.

Part of it is on me as I wasn't thinking and stained it in the driveway in the direct sun which I shouldn't have done. I ended up having to go with a "shabby chic" worn look where I just left it partially sanded. It's not terrible but not what I was going for at all. The top is mostly okay and I didn't sand it back but it has definite imperfections as well.

Despite the cost, frustrations and vast imperfections, I'm happy with it. :-) I built it to my own specs, I successfully pivoted as much as I could when things went sideways, and I got it into the house without it falling apart (actually I think an elephant could jump on it and it'd be fine).

Not perfect but I'm happy with it!

08/08/2026

A pair of pens made of box elder burl with the Matthew 17 mustard seed verse on them. That verse is probably very appropriate for these two. Box elder burl is notoriously brittle and about half the time it breaks before I get the pen built. It’s probably a miracle both of them survived without cracking. 🙂 One in Gold and one in pewter. Gifts for dear friends.

08/05/2026

Fun little proof of concept bottle I made out of a scrap of 2x4. It’s a little off kilter but I really just wanted to see if I could freestyle one out. :)