Using "Plain" Wood

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Drewboy22

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Joined
Aug 21, 2015
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727
Location
San Antonio, Tx
I just picked up my lathe this weekend. I found an old 12 X 36 sears lathe :). I also picked up some wood from the area, some dry some not. I picked up several straight pieces of Peach wood, some cedar, and even an old 4x4 I had laying around. I always hear about stabilizing wood and what-not, but does it have to be done? I just want stuff to practice on and may end up with some chain pulls or, who knows, maybe even a pen:eek:. I guess my question is this - What "needs" to be done to wood before you make something out of it? What wood should you stay away from? If I make a pull and the wood is not dry is it going to split and break?

Anything else I missed and you can think of answering I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks again,

Drew
 
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Welcome to wood turning -- I used to have one of those sears lathes. Good spindle lathe (and that means good for penturning when rigged up).

It was not a bowl lathe or much for anything but spindles.

Construction lumber, free wood, packing crate (without nails) and just about any other thing that holds together is good practice and learning wood.

Mesquite -- readily available where you live - is great wood to turn (wears edges pretty fast though).

Get with a wood turning club and get some coaching and it will get easier and more successful faster.
 
Welcome !! Most important part of wood turning !!! Use sharp tools ! Learn how to sharpen your own tools or find someone who will. Dry wood will turn fine, wet wood may split or distort as it drys. Look in the library on this site on how to set up and true your lathe and sharpen your tools. Ask questions. Jim S
 
Green wood is "usually " not desirable and definitely green pine. Stabilizing is done to wood to strengthen it in cases such as burls that tend to shatter or in punky wood that would come off in chunks. That usually includes spalted wood which is a stage of the rotting process where little nastys get in there and cause black streaks to run through the wood. You can turn almost any wood but some may cause allergic reactions or even be toxic so look up anything you don't know about first hand. If there is a turning club near by go pick their brains. Most turners love to share their knowledge.
 
Stay away from pressure treated wood. It is not good to breathe in any sanding dust but pressure treated is very bad.

Other than that, turn anything you have that is free of foreign objects such as nails. Since you are new you may want to avoid anything with voids until you get some practice.
 
Thanks for the comments and info :)

KenV said:
Welcome to wood turning -- I used to have one of those sears lathes. Good spindle lathe (and that means good for penturning when rigged up).

It was not a bowl lathe or much for anything but spindles.

Construction lumber, free wood, packing crate (without nails) and just about any other thing that holds together is good practice and learning wood.

Mesquite -- readily available where you live - is great wood to turn (wears edges pretty fast though).

Get with a wood turning club and get some coaching and it will get easier and more successful faster.
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I was originally looking at a 10x18 at Harbor Freight but then this one came along. I want to make pens but now I can venture into something bigger if needed. I have been looking into the Alamo Turners Association and plan on visiting and checking it out.

Thanks for the info on Mesquite. I love it but all the mesquite I find is all cracked in the center. I will keep my eyes open.

plantman said:
Welcome !! Most important part of wood turning !!! Use sharp tools ! Learn how to sharpen your own tools or find someone who will. Dry wood will turn fine, wet wood may split or distort as it drys. Look in the library on this site on how to set up and true your lathe and sharpen your tools. Ask questions. Jim S
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How dry does it have to be? Is there a rule of thumb? I found the library a couple days ago and... I have A LOT of reading to do :eek:

Sabaharr said:
Green wood is "usually " not desirable and definitely green pine. Stabilizing is done to wood to strengthen it in cases such as burls that tend to shatter or in punky wood that would come off in chunks. That usually includes spalted wood which is a stage of the rotting process where little nastys get in there and cause black streaks to run through the wood. You can turn almost any wood but some may cause allergic reactions or even be toxic so look up anything you don't know about first hand. If there is a turning club near by go pick their brains. Most turners love to share their knowledge.
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Learn something new everyday :) - Great Info to have, Thanks

JimB said:
Stay away from pressure treated wood. It is not good to breathe in any sanding dust but pressure treated is very bad.

Other than that, turn anything you have that is free of foreign objects such as nails. Since you are new you may want to avoid anything with voids until you get some practice.
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I do have a "Make-Shift" dust collector and a mask I plan on using, but I will do my best to avoid these anyway.
 
Generally speaking, a moisture content under 15% should be fine ...

You can pick up a cheap digital moisture content reader at Harbor Freight Tools for under 15 bucks.


Definitely stay away from toxic/poisonous woods .... I hear hemlock looks pretty, but that's definitely poisonous. :p Pressure treated lumber may be just as bad.


Peach and cedar are both gorgeous woods ... especially the aromatic cedar (eastern redwood cedar). It's quite knotty, sometimes, but that also makes it quite beautiful. It's not the hardest of woods, and in fact it's a softwood variety, so it may not be as durable as most other choices, but it's still gorgeous when finished up right.


Don't forget to check out the "penturning" forum for a LOT of great reading concerning a variety of materials, and check out the "finishing" forum as well for making that pen gleam like a million bucks! (ok, maybe not that much, maybe more like a hundred bucks...)
 
The good thing about pen turning is the blanks are so small you can dry them in a toaster oven, kilns aren't necessary. I started with totally wet (45%) red oak and had dry blanks in about 90 minutes. I start at 140 degrees for half that time then up it to 160 for the rest. I leave the door with a 1/4" gap so the vapor can exit. Not sure if I need to do that or not.
I have the advantage of having a good moisture meter, which I think is as essential as the first saw you put to the wood.
I agree with the gentleman about the mesquite. Cut it green and save the sawdust for BBQ. A caution though, many farmers in Texas kill their mesquite gy spraying it with poison, you don't want to use any of that. Make sure of the wood you're using.
 
Brian G said:
Drew, send me a private message with your address and I'll send you a SFRB of a variety of pen blanks for practice and for making into pens.
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Thank you Brian,

I look forward to working with this wood. There is some real nice stuff in here :)


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When turning that Purpleheart .....

Once you get down close to your finished diameter ... in fact, right after you finish sanding with your first grit of sandpaper ... and you're happy with the dimensions ...

Get out a blowtorch, and with the lathe spinning at the SLOWEST speed, lightly torch the wood to darken it and bring out that purple color. It shows best when oxidized... After the torching, finish up your sanding to get a nicely even tone.

Keep in mind that your method of finish may also affect the colors displayed. If you torch your purpleheart and then apply a stain to give it a "wet" finished look, like Minwax stain and seal (even the "natural" color that I use), it will darken the look somewhat.

I also apply a CA finish over the top to seal and protect the wood from moisture.


When my purpleheart is finished, it generally looks almost BLACK inside and in dim light .... but when you look at it in bright light or direct sunlight, be ready to take someone's breath away!
 
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