turning native woods from north coast nsw

[mick59wests]

Hi all,
I have recently moved to a 1 hectare wooded block 20km south of Port Macquarie (in a beautiful place called Bonny Hills) and have just got a local arborist around to identify the trees. I know they are native (mostly because they are across the road in the nature reserve) and I am looking at doing some turning on them. I have seen some references in posts (but not many) so am wondering what other peoples experience has been with
- bloodwood (I know it burns very hot so will be careful on the wood heater in winter)
- ironbark - I understand it is very hard so takes a toll on the tools but what does it look like turned? Also, if I do as much as I can while green will this help?
- tallowood - I know this is primarily used in joinery, but what about turning it?
- red mahogany (or mahoganies in general)
- forest oak - I have had conflicting views on this one
- turpentine
- cheese tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) - I had never even heard of this one!

cheers

Mick

[TTIT]

..................... I have seen some references in posts (but not many) so am wondering what other peoples experience has been with
........................................
- cheese tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) - I had never even heard of this one!

With conditions down there quite different to these parts it may grow/work a little differently but there are better timbers around :shrug: .... http://www.ttit.id.au/treepages/cheesetree.htm
(http://www.ttit.id.au/treepages/cheesetree.htm)

[mick59wests]

With conditions down there quite different to these parts it may grow/work a little differently but there are better timbers around :shrug: .... http://www.ttit.id.au/treepages/cheesetree.htm
(http://www.ttit.id.au/treepages/cheesetree.htm)

Thanks for the link. If I can make a bowl that nice without sanding I would be more than happy!

Also, I forgot that I also have

- blackbutt

Mick

[pommyphil]

Hi Mick The Forest Oak is the prettiest ( see Tea Ladies " Easter eggs" ) but the hardest to season, it's very prone to splitting. Quarter it, paint the ends and hope for the best. Red Mahogany and Tallowwood are the pick of your Eucalypts. White Mahogany is often very ringy. Enjoy Phil

[orraloon]

Ironbark while very hard is worth a go. Sharp tools get the job done. It scrubs up very well.
Regards
John
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75481&d=1213490578

[mick59wests]

thanks for the replies. I'll probably give them all a go at some point when they 'accidently' fall down. Actually there are a few half and fully dead ones that I should get to sooner rather than later before other insects attack them.

Also, I do have a fire for winter so any that split (or are destroyed by my turning) won't get wasted.

cheers

Mick

[jimbur]

If your local ironbark is anything like the Vic goldfields ironbark you're on a winner. As John says, sharp is way.

[mick59wests]

pommyphil,
just checking what you mean by 'Quarter it'. If I cut into quarters (length wise) I am not sure how useful it will be for turning so I am guessing I have missed the meaning for this. Splitting down the middle and even getting rid of the pith I can understand.
thanks
Mick



Hi Mick The Forest Oak is the prettiest ( see Tea Ladies " Easter eggs" ) but the hardest to season, it's very prone to splitting. Quarter it, paint the ends and hope for the best. Red Mahogany and Tallowwood are the pick of your Eucalypts. White Mahogany is often very ringy. Enjoy Phil

[pommyphil]

Hi Mick Quarter as in quarter, so you finish up with four quadrants. In my experience if you want to turn bowls out of it you'll get a very high wastage rate,
I roughed out a heap, sealed and stored very carefully and still lost 80% :oo: I mainly use it for spindle work,handles, pepper grinders and small boxes.
Just my experience in this area, up there it could be different. It use to be called Bakers Oak around here, preferred by bakers for their ovens, burns very hot, so even wastage isn't. :) Phil

[Tony Morton]

Hi Mick
The timbers you have mentioned can be turned but mostly pretty hard and need careful seasoning there are a lot of other local timbers available especially if you have contact with a tree lopper get him to cut the logs 5-6 foot lengths seal ends to stop cracking.. If you contact the Hastings Woodworkers based at Timbertown in Wauchope we have web site Hastings Woodworkers Inc plenty of advice fellowship and resources.
Cheers Tony

[mick59wests]

Tony,

thanks for that. I had a quick look and it looks very well run (I also saw a nice turning of yours). Once I am sorted out in my workshop I'll take a closer look.

cheers

Mick


Hi Mick
The timbers you have mentioned can be turned but mostly pretty hard and need careful seasoning there are a lot of other local timbers available especially if you have contact with a tree lopper get him to cut the logs 5-6 foot lengths seal ends to stop cracking.. If you contact the Hastings Woodworkers based at Timbertown in Wauchope we have web site Hastings Woodworkers Inc plenty of advice fellowship and resources.
Cheers Tony

[mick59wests]

Phil,
that is what I thought but I am sure I will give the bowls a go anyway :D but I have been warned!!
cheers
Mick

Hi Mick Quarter as in quarter, so you finish up with four quadrants. In my experience if you want to turn bowls out of it you'll get a very high wastage rate,
I roughed out a heap, sealed and stored very carefully and still lost 80% :oo: I mainly use it for spindle work,handles, pepper grinders and small boxes.
Just my experience in this area, up there it could be different. It use to be called Bakers Oak around here, preferred by bakers for their ovens, burns very hot, so even wastage isn't. :) Phil

[Paul39]

mick59wests,

Do a Google search for rough turning bowl from wet timber, boiling rough turned bowls, and soaking rough turned bowls in dish washing liquid.

If logs are halved and ends sealed, they are less likely to split. When cutting up trees for bowls I make the pieces a bit longer than twice the diameter and split them through the pith. When I am ready to make a bowl I cut off the ends to make the blank as long as it is wide. This usually removes any checking or splitting.
At the moment my preferred system for fresh wood is to quickly make a blank, rough turn, put in a slow cooker full of water on high overnight, remove and let dry enough to get the surface water gone, wrap in 6 layers of newspaper, and let dry. I will occasionally stick the whole package in the microwave and give it about 3 minutes, turn over and 3 minutes, take out and let sit for several hours or a day or two, then repeat.

Rule of thumb for air drying timber is one year per inch of thickness. When roughing out a bowl from green timber a wall thickness of 10% of the diameter is about right. It will dry oval. When put on the lathe for finishing it is brought round. A big roughed out bowl with a 30 mm wall thickness will dry much faster than a 150 mm slab.

With all of the above, some crack & some don't. I just roughed a piece of ambrosia maple that was air dried at a saw mill. I have had it all winter in the shed. When I made the bowl, the rim cracked in two places. I will let it sit a week or so and then fill the crack with epoxy and brown pigment and continue finishing.