About Us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Dolifka Elder Pens

David’s first memory of woodworking dates back to when he was only five years old, helping grandpa hot-glue cedar shingles to the roof of a bird house. In the many years following, weekends were highlighted by trips to grandpa’s woodshop, where they built everything from toy cars, to bow-and-arrows, to chess sets.

This passion for woodworking reached new heights as David studied the art of luthierie (handcrafting guitars), while supposedly studying economics at college. In one particularly memorable and heretofore undisclosed incident, David spilled an entire bucket of varnish – used for sealing guitars – in his college dorm room. Rather than admitting to this mistake (using a dorm as a woodshop…), he “fixed” the varnish-stained floorboards by resurfacing and resealing the entire floor.

Beyond his work on musical instruments, David is a seasoned carpenter and furniture builder. Since 2016, he has handcrafted over ten thousand writing instruments, as Elder Pens has quickly become one of the leading brands in handcrafted wooden pens.

to drop us a line: sales@elderpens.com or @ElderPens

David Dolifka Elder Pens

Favorite Wood to Carve: #1 Cocobolo, #2 Bocote
Official Woodturning Music: Mandolin Orange
Official Woodturning TV (audio, not video; safety first!): The Office
Penturning Specialty: Transforming local woods (Box Elder, Willow, Walnut...)
Woodworking Strength(s): Ability to stay up all night; high tolerance for boredom and repetition; few social distractions; good with tweezers. 
Woodworking Weakness(es): Wood hoarder; untrained in the art of "cleaning up"; misplacing screwdrivers.
Outside of making pens: Thinking about thinking; probably drinking coffee.