Kenilworth II — Poplar, Maple Burl & Padauk | Segmented

This is what happens when the lathe becomes a storyteller.

Most pens start with a single blank. This one is a conversation between three entirely different timbers, each with its own character and colour, brought together by hand into something that couldn't exist any other way. The segmented barrel is the whole point — and it's been done with real confidence.

At the lower end, a section of warm, straight-grained wood glows with that characteristic deep brick-red and amber that catches the light beautifully — rich, dense and smooth to the touch. Moving up the barrel, a pale and wonderfully figured maple burl takes over, its fine, gossamer grain almost luminous against the darker sections on either side, with little clouds of figuring drifting through it like smoke frozen in wood. And at the top, a section of deeper, more chocolatey burl anchors the whole composition, its swirling figure adding depth and warmth right where the pen meets the cap.

Separating each section, thin black spacer rings provide the sharpest possible contrast — clean dividing lines that let each timber breathe and define itself, preventing the whole thing from blurring into one muddled middle ground. It's a small detail that makes a significant difference.

Gold fittings throughout — the substantial finial, the wide centre band on the cap, and the bold clip — give the whole pen a warm, generous feel that ties in naturally with the amber and red tones of the wood. A genuinely considered combination.

A20