Whats wrong with pine ?

[Grahamshed]

Lots of nice wood around and many of the exotics are very attractive but why is it exactly that people don't turn pine ?

 

[Woodmonkey]

very grainy and rippy, very difficult to get a smooth finish (but not impossible...)

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Absolutely nothing. It can be quite attractive. Unfortunately it is often full of knots and sap, which can be quite messy. Many of the woodturning books say that if you can get a decent finish on pine off the tools then you should be able to turn pretty much anything.
I went through piles of pine when I first started. Quite a lot of it was old scaffold boards, junk from skip diving, waste from the side of the road etc.
Every cut is a practice cut. I still have a couple of bowls and some candle holders from way back.

Pine is quite often a plain & boring wood, and can be so soft it is easily damaged. Less easily damaged hardwoods with much nicer grain patterns are preferred for these reasons

 

[Bodrighy]

Certain pines are full of sticky sap that gets everywhere. Old pine can be nice to turn but it is very hit and miss. Cheap pine is too soft and as said vbrainy but again it can be turned with sharp tools and a bit of heavy sanding. Certainly a good wood for new turners to practice with as long as they don't get too frustrated.

pete

 

[Paul.J]

Red Pine is nice to turn so long as its dry and your tools are sharp.
It does have a fair amount of resin in which does blunt the edge of the tool quicker and is a good cheapish wood to practice on.
White Pine is more stringy and tends to tear more but either will leave a lovely smell in the shop for a few days
Try and get some wit has few knots in.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Douglas Fir is nice - sharp tools are a must even to the point of polishing the bevel. Sorby do the Spindlemaster range of tools which are a cross between a skew and spindle gouge - I have the 3/4" version which 'does what it says on the box' but if I'm honest, I'd be struggling to justify ownership based on the amount of pine I turn.

Regards Mick

 

[cedarwood]

ok both these were turned from the same pine tree the first one is approx 20cm dia and 30cm tall the bowl is 30cm dia and 15cm high and as has been said very very wet to turn and some resin pockets. Tools also need to be very sharp especially on the final cuts and too much sanding results in hollows in the surface due to the softer parts of the rings.

 

[Grahamshed]

Just look at the figuring in those. Beautiful.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

That's very nice work Cedar. What's the finial out of interest?

 

[cedarwood]

The finial is purple heart

 

[Jethro]

Pine is a soft wood and soft wood is great for making jam chucks, better than a hard wood.
So there is one way you can use up your pine



Geoff ccasion5:

 

[Grahamshed]

Yep, Jam chucks are on my list, but what flavour ?

 

[cedarwood]

plum

 

[Grahamshed]

plum

So long as it is Victoria

 

[winemaker]

I like pine even though I am allergic to its sap, can look nice.

 

[petercharlesfagg]

Pine in its very basic form can be very rewarding. It can also, as others have pointed out, rip and tear and be more problems than it is worth.

Nevertheless give it a go, you never know you might just be lucky with your choice!

This piece I turned in 2009, it was a pig, but, I was happy with the results and it has sold so there cannot be much to complain about!

The cracks occurred after turning because I got it too hot with sanding!

(It is a piece of 10 inches diameter x 4 inches high)

Regards, Peter.

 

[Jacob]

Whats wrong with pine ? Nothing at all. Excellent stuff widely used for turning - particularly table legs and architectural joinery. Also good for strong decorative grain patterns as above. Cheap - good for practicing with and a good test of tool sharpness.

 

[Bodrighy]

The question is a bit like asking how log is a piece of string. Pine that is grown and harvested for the building industry is usually OK and can be turned with care but the stuff they sell in some of destroy yourself stores is often so soft you could turn it with a butter knife. Pitchpine can be lovely if you don't mind the mess, As Peter says, always worth a go and see what you can manage.

Pete

 

[Grahamshed]

Peter, that bowl is outstanding. There are very few woods ( OMHO ) which could humble the figuring on that.

 

[petercharlesfagg]

Peter, that bowl is outstanding. There are very few woods ( OMHO ) which could humble the figuring on that.

Thankyou but flattery will get you nowhere!

Regards, Peter.