About Us
A LOOK AT WOODTURNINGZ from owner, Ryan Polokoff:
If you know us at WoodTurningz, you’ll know that each of us has a passion for pen turning and woodworking. Most of us are pen turning hobbyists who took our pen turning to a whole new level—employment!
OUR START: Many stories have been written about successful businesses starting in a home’s basement or garage, and that’s where WoodTurningz began—in my house! Learning woodturning as an adolescent opened a door for me to use my creative juices. While volunteering at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis from ages 11-13, I learned the art of pen turning and bowl making.
As a young adult, my knowledge in the computer industry led me to employment in the tech world and later a consulting job where I was able to work from home. In August 2002, I started WoodTurningz in my house, and what began as my hobby rapidly turned into a business. My passion for pen turning products and my strong instinct for providing superior customer service were key for quickly growing WoodTurningz.
OUR GROWTH: With our rapid growth, a part-time person was needed in just months with a full-time employee starting about a year later. In 2006, WoodTurningz moved to an industrial facility with our 3,800 square foot warehouse and office housed just north of Indianapolis. By 2013, with ever-changing and expanding product lines, we found that we had outgrown that space as well. We relocated to Noblesville, Indiana (which is just northeast of Indianapolis). Our customers range from hobbyists to small businesses and large retail dealers. Our staff continues to grow and serves as a great team of creative, dedicated employees. We pride ourselves on the fact that all of our employees are pen turning enthusiasts and have an understanding of our customers’ needs and mutual desire to create unique, beautiful pens and gifts.
BUSINESS TODAY: Over the years, our product lines have expanded to include unique pen styles we design and a host of beautiful pen blanks—in exotic woods from around the world and brilliant, colorful acrylics. We also exclusively manufacture Inlace Acrylester, a type of polyester pen blank material that polishes to a lustrous shine. We create our own color schemes and offer unusual textures, such as our Genesis blanks made with an organic mesh, our shredded U.S. currency money blanks, or our Diamond Series which sparkle brightly since we use a holographic flake.
WoodTurningz’ products also include all the accessories you will need as a pen turner—from lathes to mandrels, tools, sanding and finishing products, leather pen binders, and pen displays. Our goal is to continue being innovative with our pen kit designs and offer our customers cutting-edge, new-to-market products so you can succeed and enjoy pen turning as much as we do!
Check out our video below to see how efficiently WoodTurningz' orders
are picked and shipped!
