Woodcraft Hosting Fifth Annual Veterans Day Turn for Troops

For a fifth year, Woodcraft stores nationwide will conduct the Turn for Troops handmade pen turn-a-thon program during Veterans Day Weekend this Saturday, with the goal of making and then sending thousands of handcrafted pens to American service personnel actively deployed overseas. The public is encouraged to participate and can identify a store near them by visiting www.woodcraft.com.

“With the help of our customers and local communities, we were able to create more than 34,000 pens during our 2004-2007 turn-a-thon events,” said Jeff Forbes, president of Woodcraft Supply LLC. “Our soldiers truly appreciate these efforts. We recently received a letter from a soldier stationed in Iraq stating, ‘…your pens went all over northern Iraq…every convoy that came into supply went out with pens…absolutely a wonderful gift, a reminder of home and an incentive to write home!”

Forbes added, “We hope to beat last year’s number so that even more soldiers can receive pens as a constant reminder that people back home remember and appreciate their efforts.”

Pen turning is one of the fastest and easiest woodworking skills to learn and enjoy. It requires few supplies, a small amount of workspace and produces relatively fast results. A first pen project takes about 30 to 45 minutes, but after creating a few pens this time can drop down to just 15 minutes each. “Using basic lathe skills,” Forbes said, “anyone can produce a good quality pen for our troops quickly.”

Peter Parker, Woodcraft’s administrator for the Turn for Troops program said, “We’ve received amazing participation from both woodworkers and non-woodworkers and I would encourage the public to join in this effort. Not only does this remind our servicemen and women that we care deeply about them, but it is also a great activity for parents to share with their children.”

Most of the more than 80 Woodcraft stores and Woodworkers Clubs nationwide are expected to participate in the Veterans Day Weekend turn-a-thon. Berea Hardwoods, the pen kit supplier, has agreed to donate 1,000 pen kits to help jumpstart the event.