Name	Scientific name	Origin
African blackwood	Dalbergia melanoxylon	E. Africa
Amboyna burl	Pterocarpus indicus	S.E. Asia
Bocote	Cordia elaeagnoides	Mexico
Boire	Detarium senegalense	W. Africa
Bloodwood	Brosimum paraense	Brazil
Curly maple	Acer rubrum & Acer macrophyllum	USA
Cocobolo	Dalbergia retusa	Mexico & C. America
Coolibah burl	Eucalyptus microtheca	Australia
Gabon ebony	Diospyros mespiliformis & Diospyros crassiflora	W. Africa
Goldfield burl	Eucalytpus sp.	Australia
Indian rosewood	Dalbergia latifolia	India
Ironwood	Olneya tesota	S.W. USA & Mexico
Jarrah	Eucalyptus marginata	Australia
Katalox	Swartzia cubensis	Mexico
Kingwood	Dalbergia congestiflora	Mexico
Koa	Acacia koa	Hawaii
Lacewood	Roupala brasiliensis	Brazil
Lignum vitae	Guaiacum officinale	Mexico
Maple, hard	Acer saccharinum	N.E. USA
Maple, soft	Acer rubrum & Acer macrophyllum	USA
Macassar ebony	Diospyros celebica	Celebes Islands
Mesquite, Honey	Prosopis glandulosa	S.W. USA & Mexico
Olive	Olea europa	Mediterranean
Pernambuco	Guilandina echinata	Brazil
Purpleheart	Peltogyne paniculata	C. & S. America
Pink ivory	Berchemia zeyheri	S. Africa
Pink myrtle	Nothofagus cunninghamii	Tasmania
Rosewood, Brazilian	Dalbergia nigra	Brazil
Rosewood, Laos	Dalbergia cultrata	Myanmar
Snakewood	Piratinera guianensis	Guyana & Suriname
Tasmanian blackwood	Acacia melanoxylon	Tasmania
Tiger myrtle	Nothofagus cunninghamii	Tasmania
Tulipwood	Dalbergia decipularis	Brazil
Thuya	Tetraclinis articulata	N. Africa
Walnut, Claro	Juglans hindsii	California & S. Oregon
Yellowheart	Euxylophora paraensis	Brazil
Ziricote	Cordia dodecandra	Mexico

Commission Work I am happy to do work on commission. Custom work generally does not cost more. Contact me with your ideas.

Here is where you will find me most of the time.

About my work.

A few words about my work and how you can use it.

I sign each piece I make in the form of my logo that you see on the top of the page.

Writing instruments. Writing instruments come in a variety of of forms: mechanical pencils, ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, fountain pens. Each form has its own application. I know that there a lot people making handmade pens these days. I take the time to make my pens unique in some way. That is why many of my pens are faceted. Creating the facets takes extra time, but the final product makes it worthwhile. The result is a pen that is like no other. The writing instruments I make use standard refills you find at your local stationery store.

Wine accessories. You open a bottle of wine, but you did not drink it all. Put one of my stoppers in it and keep it on your counter. Enjoy the beauty. New Product! This year I have launched a line of wine glasses. These have hand-blown glass bowls to which I add a stem and a base.

Bowls. Most of the bowls I make are intended to hold food items. These are finished with a food safe finish. Use them for snacks or a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Occasionally I make bowls that are for show. These will have a glossy finish. While all the finishes I use are food-safe, I will note this in the description

Lidded boxes. Lidded boxes comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and materials. You can use these holds stamps or paper clips, or jewelry. The finish I use varies.

Desk Accessories. These include paper clip caddies and business card holders.

About the Materials I Use

I am sensitive to origins of the materials I use. The woods come from certified sources, so I do not contribute to deforestation. The materials from animal sources (skins, ivory, antlers) are by-products from humanely harvested animals. When I use ivory I ensure it is from legal sources. It may be mastodon ivory or reclaimed ivory from a piano keyboard.

Desert ironwood. I live in the desert so I am especially fond of using local materials. That is why frequently I use desert ironwood (Tesota Olneya). Not only is this wood is extremely hard and heavy (It will not float.), it occurs in a most pleasing array of oranges, yellows, browns and black.

Here is a list of the woods that I typically have in stock:

Who I am

I consider myself a functional artist. My work is intended to be used rather than hung on a wall. Thus, the overall design of my work is dictated by its intended use. But the individual elements of the design are inspired by natural forms. I like to let the materials speak for themselves.

My work takes the form of writing instruments: mechanical pencils, all types of pens and desk accessories. For oenophiles, I offer wine stoppers, wine glasses and bottle openers. I make bowls for popcorn, and lidded boxes if you have something to hide.

The main materials I use are wood, metal, and stone. Occasionally I venture into materials even more exotic, like antler, ivory, nuts and skins. These are primal and they carry with them a basic expression of earthiness. They age with dignity by forming patinas that reflect their use.

All the photographs of this site are the exclusive property of Richard Altenhofen LLC.
All reproductions are strictly prohibited without the consent of the author © Richard Altenhofen 2006.
This site was conceived and realized by Richard Altenhofen, woodturning artisan.

12/4/2008. Holiday season is here! For your convenience, I have established a new means to purchase from my site! Click on My Gallery for details.
10/29/2008. Fall season is now in full swing. Here’s hoping that economy can support a good season for me. So far the shows have been good, with one exception. The remaining shows are high caliber so I expect to finish off the year on a high note.
08/02/2008. In spite of having no shows, this summer has been a busy one. I am now showing in four Galleries. Check out the new Galleries Page or the details. I have collected two new woods: palo brea and olive. And, I bought a bigger, more powerful lathe!

Please join my mailing list to stay current on my shows.

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