I turn a lot of pens as gifts for family and friends, and use a lot of nicely grained woods such as olive and zebraood. To me, it shows far better craftsmanship if the woodgrain matches on each pen piece. Before I cut the blank in half, I will always mark the center of the blank with a pair of numbers or letters, then cut right between the marks. That way, it’s easy to keep the two matched pieces of blanks together until they’re securely mounted on the lathe. After turning, the two halves will meet in the middle and match with a perfect grain pattern.
