Pen & Pencil, Letter Opener (Still a Work in Progress)

This is my first Instructable, so please be patient as I finish uploading everything, thanks.

I am creating a gift for a friend. This gift will include a homemade wood Slim Line pen and Pencil set, with a homemade wood case, and a homemade letter opener. Any hard wood can be use. I chose to use a piece of Russian Olive. This is a tree in my area that is almost considered a weed. However it has real nice grain. All parts of the pen, pencil and opener will be hand turned on my lathe. The case will be cut on me CNC router, and engraved with my Laser cutter/engraver. Most of this Instructable will be videos of me doing the work. I apologize for some of the video being poor quality. I used my phone for the first little bit. Hope you enjoy.

Materials Used:
Many of the items I purchased online from various vendors. I order from where is the cheapest,

Some type of hardwood - I am using wood from a fallen tree (Russian Olive)
pen, pencil and letter opener kits. - I am using the SlimLine kits, decent quality and inexpensive
pen mandrel with bushings - I had this lying around for years, not even sure where I got it, but can easily be purchased online.
drill press
vise
blank holder - I made this with my 3D printer
lathe and tools
CA glue
barrel cleaner/end mill
7 mm drill bit - your pen kits, mandrel, bushing, barrel cleaner all must be the same size. Mine are 7 mm
various sand paper
some type of finish - I use a homemade mixture listed later on
CNC machine for the case
flocking for box compartments - this is the velvet like lining
hinges and magnets for the case
laser engraver - I have a K40 laser from ebay

Step 1: Collecting the Wood.

This piece of wood was salvaged from our local University. The tree was blown over from the wind, so a friend of mine called me, and I loaded up my truck with pieces. I then had to slice it up into workable planks. The pen blanks ended up being about 3/4" x 3/4" and length cut according to the pen kit you buy. The rest of the wood I cut into about 1" think planks. This will be used for the case and the letter opener handle. I may have to thin out the planks for the case, to give a thinner profile.

Sorry for the bad picture quality, I had to capture these from a video.First pic shows what I started with, then cutting on my homemade mill, finally got it cut in half and squared a corner. Then made the planks and then pen blanks.

Step 2: Creating the Pen and Pencil Blanks (And Opener)

At this point, I need to create the pen and pencil blanks, this involves cutting blanks slightly longer than the brass tube,drill a 7 mm hole vertically, you will now glue in the brass tube using CA glue. You should really rough up the tube with sandpaper so the clear adheres better. After glue dries, then trim the block until the brass tube is flush. You can sand them or use a special bit. I used the bit, now you are ready to turn the items. The pieces need to be put on the mandrel in a certain way. Creating the handle for the letter opener is done basically the same way, except only 1 piece. Once turned , I sand using a various of grits from 120 up to 1500. Please see the video.

Step 3: Now to Engrave and Add a Finish.

Here I need to get the engraving ready. I have a K40 laser, and I use the included software.(LaserDrw) This will be a trial and error until I get things line up. Once engraved, I will need to add a finish. I apply a couple coats of a wood sealer, then I have a wax/oil/shellac mixture that I made. I used 1 part wax, 1 part mineral oil and 2 parts mixed shellac. Shake real well, as the wax will sort of melt. I also found a commercial product very similar. I usually use maybe 4 or 5 coats letting dry only a few minutes between. It is a friction finish, so I spin it on the lathe so it heats up and melts the wax and buff it.

Step 4: Putting All the Pieces Together.

Now that all the turning work is done for the pen, pencil and letter opener handle, I need to assemble the parts.Most of these parts are pressed together. They make a pen press, however I don't have one, so there are other ways to do this. You can use a vise or clamp. Just be careful not to press the parts together crooked, as this can cause the wood to split. Or be careful not to press the parts too deep. You will not be able to pull apart.