Wooden Letter Opener - Toucan Shape

Toucan Letter Opener Goncalo Alves

by Jorgensen Woodworking

This handmade, wooden, Toucan-shaped Letter Opener is made from Goncalo Alves. The beak fits nicely in your hand and makes paper cuts from opening letters a thing of the past.

The color of goncalo alves is a light reddish-brown with blackish-brown streaks of variable spacing. Sometimes the wood has a mottled figure resembling some rosewoods in the genus Dalbergia.

Measures ~9"L x 2.5"W (at the beak) and 1 (at the tail)

Erik Jorgensen lives on the coast of Virginia with his wife and two sons. Woodworking started out as a way to relax after a hard day at the office. It has now turned into a full time career. Most of the wood is purchased from local vendors. Endangered species are not used. Some of the wood is recycled from tree surgeons who remove it for natural or safety reasons. Some of the wood is one of a kind, therefore, will not be found anywhere else in the USA.

Selecting woods that are not only unusual but are spectacular in grain figure is one aspect of creating one of a kind pieces. Many of the batches of wood purchased contain both the heart and sap wood from the tree. The sap wood in most exotic trees has a major color contrast to the center part of the tree. This color is typically white and adds great character to the gift items.

"Woodworking at home is a way of life I very much enjoy and I now spend more precious time with my family than I have ever been able to before." - Erik Jorgensen