Oh, and I almost forgot, I got a huge counter top from an old house, looks like a butchers block, I think it is mahogany, got it for free.
the slab size in that are just perfect for pen turning, and there are so many variations in the wood from light to really dark.
And I also got a lot of teak from the same place, cut teak diagonally and you get a really nice pattern that shines like a diamond (well, almost), but it really changes color when you look at the pen from different angles.