This article has been reproduced with the permission of The Herald News and may not be reproduced without the permission of The Herald

This article has been reproduced with the permission of The Herald News and may not be reproduced without the permission of The Herald News.

Middle School kids ‘turning’ pens out of wood for troops in Iraq

MARCIA POBZEZNIK , Special to The Herald News

04/08/2004

TIVERTON -- Angelo Iafrate is always staring down trees on the sides of the roads looking for the bulbous outgrowths of knotted wood called burls that when "turned" on a lathe make handsome wooden pens.

"I brake for burls," Iafrate says with a chuckle, as students gathered around him holding small pieces of wood that they would transform into writing instruments for troops in Iraq.

It is not unusual for Iafrate to knock on the door of a homeowner asking if he can have the burl cut off a tree on their property, or stop his car to inspect what he calls "road kill," which in his world is a downed tree.

The master wood turner from Johnston whose articles have appeared in leading woodworking magazines and elicited responses from as far away as Japan, gave Middle School students here a lesson this week on turning pieces of wood into pens by using lathes in the school’s woodworking shop.

The pens the students make will be sent to troops in Iraq.

Called ‘Freedom Pens," the pens will be part of a project spearheaded by members of the Saw Mill Creek Woodworkers Forums, an on-line web site where woodworkers share ideas.

"Every Freedom Pen that is delivered will serve as a constant reminder to our troops that they are not alone and will have our continued support until every one of them returns home," according to Saw Mill Creek.

Middle School Industrial Arts teacher Wayne Collins asked Iafrate to demonstrate his craft to a small group of students who spend after-school hours once a week in the woodworking shop turning out things like miniature baseball bats, bowls, plates and candlestick holders. Collins was able to offer the after-school program with the help of an $850 grant from the American Association of Wood turners.

The Freedom Pens project will be incorporated into his program. Each of the 12 students will make three pens that they hope will make it into the hands of military personnel from Rhode Island.

As Iafrate demonstrated the proper way to turn the wood, Middle School Assistant Principal Cynthia DeCosta scanned the small crowd, remarking that she was pleasantly surprised to see some of the faces of students there who she regularly sees in her office.

"Some of these kids, I never thought they’d be interested," said DeCosta. "It’s great. It gives them focus."

The youngest student in the group was Steve Perry Jr., a fifth grader. His father, Steve Perry Sr. sat on a stool thumbing though the woodworking magazines that showcased Iafrate’s work.

"I’m working on getting him a lathe," Perry Sr. said of his son who makes all kinds of things out of wood at home. He said his son was "very proud" of the fact that his handiwork will be sent to troops in Iraq.

Seventh grader Greg Marshall said he likes to spend his spare time in his Dad’s woodworking shop at home. He said he hopes that his newly-acquired skill for turning pens will give him a way to make some money for college.

Iafrate started turning pens in 1991 after he was laid off from his architectural job in New York City.

While he has tried other woodworking techniques, turning pens is "instant gratification," said Iafrate. He can make one in about two hours and they sell for between $45 and $300. The most expensive in the collection that he carries around in a velvet case has a scrimshaw top.

He’s made pens out of deer antlers, corn cobs, and expensive wood from Cambodia called Afzelia Xlay that looks like lizard skin. Still, some of the best pieces of wood have been what he calls ‘road kill."