more wood advice please

[mrs. sliver]

Among my latest 'wood scavenging' haul I have some Yew, beech and Hawthorn.

I have only tried yew as pre dried, and it normally is coloured inside. this is very plain inside :? is the colour to do with type or place of the tree or comes as it dries? and is it an easy splitter :?:
Also, I know hawthorn is supposed to hold detail well and make good finials? but I have a few larger pieces, so how does it behave when turned into a bowl or vase? :?
All advice gladly received.

 

[Bodrighy]

If the yew is old wood and very dark, it may well be just the heart wood with the sapwood rotted off. I have had some like this from a treee that had been down for years. It will be rock hard and probably won't split any more than it has already.

Pete

 

[John. B]

So far I've only turned pens in pipped hawthorn (Little black speckling in the wood) and it behaves well, so I can't comment on that.
Yew can split, but I have found it is more prone to cracking particularly if you get a little heavy handed in sanding.
you have to careful in sanding, because of heat buildup, but other than that I find it is a wonderful wood to turn bowls, or anything else.
Beech unless spalted is, IMO a little too bland for bowls, I use it for my segmented Salt & Pepper mills which it is ideal. generally a stable wood.

John. B

 

[penman]

Hi
Beech is a lovely wood for "domestic ware" I have made several platters and bowls which i have finished in foodsafe oil. We use the bowls for eating soup, stews etc., out of. I make the bowls about 8" round by 3" deep, the soup / stew stays wonderfully hot in them and you only have to give them a rinse out in warm water afterwards and then let them air dry for a few hours.
The plates we use regularly for sandwhiches and salads.

Malcolm

 

[John. B]

I stand corrected. #-o

John. B

 

[Bodrighy]

Although it looks much nicer, avoid using spalted beech for dometic ware as the mould that causes the spalting can be toxic and come out in hot liquids etc. Beech ihas been one of the main woods for most treen and domestic ware throughout the ages.

Pete

 

[mrs. sliver]

If the yew is old wood and very dark, it may well be just the heart wood with the sapwood rotted off. I have had some like this from a treee that had been down for years. It will be rock hard and probably won't split any more than it has already.

Pete

It is still very green, just off the tree a couple of weeks
The beech is only off the tree a few days, as is the hawthorn, which is very orange, but not speckled as far as I can see.
Thanks for the advice, I hope to get to have go at it some time next week.

 

[tekno.mage]

Hawthorn is an amazing wood for turning, dense and fine-grained and it finishes really well. I've had some success cutting threads in it. If you are lucky you may have pieces with amazing colours in as well. It can range from almost white, through cream, with pink and purple streaks.

Now for the downside. It's very, very difficult to dry without splitting (especially large pieces) and distorts quite a lot if green turned. I've had reasonable success with smaller blanks (for boxes, tool handles, etc) by splitting the logs through the pith, then bandsawing into blanks (avoiding any knots or defects) and sealing the ends well with PVA glue, then leaving the blanks to dry in a drafty old barn.

The other problem to watch for in hawthorn (which is often used for hedging) is hidden fencing staples buried in the wood.

tekno.mage

 

[Bodrighy]

I agree, hawthorn can be spectacular. If cut green I have found that it isn't too bad as long as you go reasonably thin. Haven't had much in the way of distortion apart from a goblet where the stem at 4mm ended up bent right over. The problem with nails and staples is very real DAMHIK. Found it in yew and sycamore too when they come out of hedges.

Pete