Dinuba man crafting pens out of Central Valley trees
DINUBA, Calif. (KFSN) -- It takes time and razor-sharp focus for Isaiah Islas to make the perfect handcrafted pen. He owns Isaiah Islas Woodworking in Dinuba, it is based out of his garage. He spends hours here every day whittling down pieces of wood into something magical.
"I get this dumb grin on my face and I'm standing here by myself in the garage and I'm just smiling to myself, because of what is happening and it is beautiful, it really is," he said.
He is the artist and the wood is his muse.
"You take a piece of wood and you are not really sure what you are going to get out of it and as you start turning it, the grain reveals itself, it's really neat, it is really beautiful," said Islas.
His interest in woodworking started in high school, but it was not until eight years ago that he turned it into a business. No two pens are the same. He uses different types of wood to craft them, some that have even been discarded.
"Something that would have been thrown into a burn pile somewhere or ground up and turned into mulch and I think I'm doing something better with it," he said.
The time he spends on his pens can vary on the size an type of wood he uses. First, he cuts blocks down to about one to three inches of a quarter thick. Then he shaves it down. In some cases heating it up to reveal a richer, deeper color. Then he uses sandpaper to make it smooth and a little bit of oil makes it shine. His pens start at about $30. You can purchase them by contacting him through Instagram at @Isaiahislaswoodworking, Weebly at https://isaiahislaswoodworking.weebly.com/ or at Vivily in Fresno off Echo and Weldon.
