Each pen made by Roots & Jones tells a unique story
with multiple layers. I originally penned this article
with a writing instrument I handcrafted from
bamboo. You might think that's cool, but there's more
to the story. The bamboo came from material leftover
when we laid flooring in our family lake house. The
wood was simply cutoff scrap, fuel for some future
bonfire. Instead, I got an opportunity to make
something new and functional out of it, so every time I
use that pen I remember the satisfaction of laying
new floors and spending time with my family.
One of our greatest pleasures in the whole pen
making process comes when we turn what others
consider scrap into upcycled functional objects of
beauty. To make a pen all you need is a small block of
wood no bigger than three quarters of an inch wide
and 5 inches long. Essentially, your wooden kitchen
table could make about 500 of these pen blanks. We
source blanks from various industries such as furniture
makers and hardwood flooring manufacturers.
Some of our more unusual pens come from leftover
charred white oak bourbon barrel staves. A bourbon
barrel does more than just serve as a liquid container
for up to 12 years. The charred oak gives bourbon both
color and flavor. We live and work right on the historic
Bourbon Trail, where the limestone branch water
flows and multi-billion dollar companies distill some
of the world's most sought-after whiskey. In Kentucky,
there are more barrels aging in warehouses than there
are people. We'll do our best to take care of the barrel
surplus. But since one barrel can yield as many as 700
pens, we could make everyone in the world a bourbon
barrel pen and never put a dent in the leftover barrels
they keep rolling out.
The most beautiful pens we make come from exotic
woods. No disrespect to the forests of the US, but if
you look deep into the woods of Asia, Africa, and
Central/South America, you will see unique hardwood
color, grain and depth of astonishing beauty. One of
my personal favorite experiences has been traveling to
some of these places to find wood to bring it back -
specifically from Brazil. My wife is from Brazil and
thanks to her we have discovered a local lumber yard
where we can pick up their scrap. The workers there
must think this American is out of his mind, sifting
through their trash. Most of what I find they give
me for free. Obrigado!
We could write a book about all of the wood
varieties we use and the stories behind each one.
We'll save that for another time. Meanwhile, just
remember, every Roots & Jones pen comes to you
as an upcycled individual creation - each with its
own story - and worthy of the best stories you can
write..
Ryan Jones
Roots & Jones Co-founder