What wood would I want?

[smartin]

I'm fairly new to turning still, having only turned small parts I've needed in the past, usually in a cheap softwood. I now find myself taking more interest in the actual craft of turning.

I have a good friend who owns a wood processing business, they provide free disposal/recycling of felled trees and process vast quantities of all species. He's offered to give me whatever type of wood I'd like but I didn't really know what to ask for. Is there any particular type of wood I should ask him for that would be a good experience for turning, or perhaps something not so easy to turn but produces something a bit special?

I'd love your feedback on this as I've struggled to get much in the way of useful information on the net. Lot's of mixed views. I understand that I'd need to season anything I get from him but I have the space and the time to do so and figured I'd be best building up a stockpile as early as possible.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[DaveyP]

Turns easy and can look special (its all in the sanding and the finish).... mahogany

 

[Woodmonkey]

Yew is nice to turn and can have beautiful colours and figuring.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Talk about a gift horse!!

Top of the list:
Walnut
Yew
Laburnum
Brown Oak
Anything spalted but not too far gone

Also on list:
Oak
Ash
Beech
Sycamore
Elm
Birch
All fruit woods
Thorn
Hazel
Holly
Hornbeam
Robinia
Maple

Good for practice, birch, Ash, pines once the sap isn't so sticky

 

[JimB]

Any fruitwood - apple, pear, plum, cherry. They all turn well and look good finished. Really though, you can't lose with any hardwood especially if it's free. At the worst it's good practice.

 

[Rhossydd]

I'd particularly ask for any burrs.
The fruit woods may not be the best choice to ask for. They are VERY prone to fast splitting when freshly cut, so unless you can get to them within 24hrs to end seal the grain, you might just be given a lot of split scrap.
Although almost anything can be turned, I'd suggest asking not to be given any Willow or Eucalyptus, I've found both to be horrible to work with.

One key thing is to ask for chunks to be no shorter than 12" along the grain if possible.
Some chain saw wielders can destroy the value of timber by cutting it into thin slices to make it easier to handle, ruining it for us.
eg: This lovely oak wasted; The thickest bit I could salvage was only 3" along the grain <sob>

Most just firewood now.

 

[RogerP]

eg: This lovely oak wasted; The thickest bit I could salvage was only 3" along the grain <sob>

I once saw a beautiful large table the top of which was made up from numerous slabs like those in your photo. It must have been a lot of work to cut them all into squares, thickness and join them into one large piece but the result was stunning.

 

[Rhossydd]

It must have been a lot of work to cut them all into squares, thickness and join them into one large piece but the result was stunning.

I did consider trying something like that, but as you say, it's an awful lot of effort.
You also need to get to it before it starts checking and ,sadly, I didn't get my hands on it until a week or so after it fell. There are numerous shallow cracks over the surfaces. A final thickness of maybe only an inch of end grain hardly constitutes 'butcher's block' style and strength.

I've end sealed and trimmed down the thicker ones into sizes that may be usable in a year or two, then I'll reassess it's usefulness. For now it's so wet it's almost dripping sap.

 

[smartin]

Thanks for all the advice folks. Some really good pointers in there too. I'm really pleased yew seems to be a fairly universal choice as my friend dropped off quite a bit the other day. He's been cutting them to about 3' lengths and I've sealed the ends with pva.

It's a great community here, I really appreciate the help.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Yew is quite probably the UK woodturners favourite choice for many projects. Doubtless personal taste will dictate final choice but it is in very widespread use across most wood turning communities and for good reason:

It's a very tight grained wood due to the slow growth so it finishes and retains details really well. Also, of course the stunning contrast between sap and heartwood is beautiful and then you can layer on top of that the vivid orange heartwood, frequently infused with purple splashes and the pippy effect the numerous branch/twig knots give.

Basically it has the looks and the brains...whats not to like

 

[Mal]

Basically it has the looks and the brains...whats not to like

Agreed, wonderful wood to turn, but splits, splits and splits some more. ( Well mine does)

 

[Rhossydd]

whats not to like

I'll bite.
Yes, it's a fine wood to turn and when the timber is carefully prepared it can deliver lovely turnings, BUT;
"the stunning contrast between sap and heartwood is beautiful and then you can layer on top of that the vivid orange heartwood, frequently infused with purple splashes and the pippy effect the numerous branch/twig knots give."
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've seen far too many gaudy pieces in Yew where the extreme figuring and colouring ruins any form or line in the piece.

 

[paulm]

whats not to like

I'll bite.
Yes, it's a fine wood to turn and when the timber is carefully prepared it can deliver lovely turnings, BUT;
"the stunning contrast between sap and heartwood is beautiful and then you can layer on top of that the vivid orange heartwood, frequently infused with purple splashes and the pippy effect the numerous branch/twig knots give."
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've seen far too many gaudy pieces in Yew where the extreme figuring and colouring ruins any form or line in the piece.

That's the fault of the turner not the wood !

As a general approach, the fancier, busier, more interesting the wood the simpler the turned form should be to show it to best advantage, and vice versa.

My approach anyway

 

[Castanea]

They're all different so get a bit of everything to learn what you like.and remember you can play with wood wet, turn bowls wet, turn blanks for boxes (which will dry much quicker then solid pieces) and if it's free you don't have to worry too much about loosing some to splitage and experience. The ideal situation is to have a good supply of wood, a lathe and a woodburner so that that whatever can't be turned can be burned. Alternatively a mate with a burner who will come round and clear out the stuff that's cracking and leave you with the bits which are sound.

The other thing is that people will tell you that wood dries an inch a year. It may be considered a useful rule of thumb but it's little practical use. Some woods dry surprisingly quickly, others, sweet chestnut in particular, hold onto their wetness for years and years so playing with different woods and learning how they all react is all useful experience.

Burs are lovely but can be quite a challenge to turn. A pile of sycamore is less likely to have wonderful grain and colour but is good stuff to practice on. I just enjoy the smell of turning cherry which is completely different from the smell of walnut. The only British wood more prized than yew is box - never turn down box - it is beautiful to turn.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I'll bite.

Rather thought you might!

 

[JimB]

Rhossydd, must admit you made me laugh with the comments about eucalyptus. Over here it's a bit like saying, 'be careful of that stuff that comes from trees'!
If you like box you might try hawthorn if you can get it large enough. Has many of the same characteristics, turns well and crisply and takes detail the same way. It also is tough.

 

[BearTricks]

I don't like the look of yew, but I've never turned it so maybe I'm missing something.

Far and away my favourite wood to turn is pear. Steamed or not steamed, it turns the same, but I love the colour of steamed pear. It can be a bit plain unless you get some with a nice grain pattern though.

I'm also a big fan of ash, more because the wood has a really rich history than anything.

 

[Bodrighy]

The only woods I say no to are willow, eucalyptus and cheap pine. Pretty much any other wood can be turned. Also a lotof wood can be turned green or at least part turned and then left to seaon..

Pete

 

[Dalboy]

Any wood is fair game in my workshop, If it has nice grain or burrs then I leave it natural if it is a plain wood no figure of interest it becomes fair game for texturing and colouring.

 

[Lons]

Lucky lad !

My advice is very simple. build a big drying shed and take as much as you can get in as many different species. As you gain experience, you'll weed out the stuff you are'nt so keen on, maybe sell it as firewood.

can NEVER have enough wood - grab it while you can get it.

Bob