Can wood be too dry to bowl turn

[Lyle]

I have some Jacaranda cut in 2015. I have cut it into blanks approx 200mm dia by 100mm thick. It is light as Balsa weight wise. And I believe it is really dry.
My problem is I cannot turn it. It keeps pulling out on the end grain. I'll post photos if I can from the phone.
I have tried every trick and tool. I get nice curly shavings as well as the crumbs. Lihgt cuts etc to try and creep up on a good finish.
Maybe an 80 grit chisel will have to do. 😂
I want to try the Nick Agar bowls. I have the dyes paints and silver finish.
Any suggestions?

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[Big A]

Lyle,

I have had the same problem with tearout with Jaca, but have only turned a couple of pieces, maybe three - it just seems to be brittle when it is dry. Drives you mad, because it is so nice when it is finished.

I see you have a smooth finish on the side grain, but the end grain - whoohoo! I can't recall how I ended up tackling the problem, but it probably was mostly light scrapes with a skew, with frequent touch ups with a diamond hone.

On other timbers, I have tried stabilising with poly, used a 4 inch Makita chisel and tried the 80 grit chisel. No matter how careful I have been with a bowl gouge, I don't hold my mouth right and end up with tear out. Just have not got the "touch" yet, as I have had a bad teacher - Mr Experience. Even with 80 grit, it takes a long time to get to the bottom of a 1mm tearout, let alone deeper ones and the 80 grit takes a bit to get out as well.

Now, I hope a real turner chips (ha ha) in with some pearls of wisdom.

Alister.

[powderpost]

No, timber can never be too dry. It will always absorb and reject moisture depending on the environs at the time. If jacaranda is as light as balsa it has decayed to the point of no return.

Jim

[Lyle]

Thanks for the replies.
I believe you are right Jim. I tried soaking the end grain with diluted WOP, also tried thin CA. Both worked to a very limited degree, but failed overall. Just didn't penetrate deep enough to be practical.
I now have a couple a round blanks for firewood.
OH well, learning curve.

Thanks
Lyle.

[dai sensei]

Thin CA should have worked. Makes me wonder, how sharp is your tool, what speed are you turning and how good is your technique. Tear out should be approached with razor sharp chisel shear scraping.

[Lyle]

Tools sharp of the Tormek T7. Technique???
Shear scraping is a last step before finish isn't it?
I need to get the blank turned to shape. The tearout is severe no matter how I approach it with a tool.
I gave up on it.
I have turned other timber with end grain tearout but nothing to this degree.

[dai sensei]

Tools sharp of the Tormek T7. Technique???

Should be ok, provided straight off the Tormek and not a month ago :rolleyes:



Shear scraping is a last step before finish isn't it?.

Yes but you wanted to see if you could get a decent finish



I need to get the blank turned to shape. The tearout is severe no matter how I approach it with a tool.
I gave up on it.
I have turned other timber with end grain tearout but nothing to this degree.

I tend not to worry too much whilst shaping, but leaving enough meat to ensure I can get any tearout out, and provided I can get a finish in the end.

[Lyle]

I have 4 blanks from the same plank.
I might farm them out to see how others cope.
Ever keen to learn.
Thanks for your interest and comments.
Lyle

[woodPixel]

Ooooh yeah. End grain on bowls.

When this happens it's 80 grit on the hand rotary tool then CA.

I had some beautiful Jaca, but it took an obscene amount of work to get it work. Once done though, it was marvellous.

[Big A]

woodPixel,

So your Jaca is like that too? Don't you just love the sound the gouge makes - sssssssssssssssssssssssssdinksssssssssssss? Oh well, another 2mm to try to get off without doing it again. You look at the nice shiny sidegrain and reach into the expletives bag for the appropriate word/phrase starting with "f".

Alister.

[pommyphil]

Lyle, if it's sound wood it should respond to sharp tools. If punky/rotten it wont cut. Phil.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

I recently had this problem with some punky Australian cedar. I saturated it with a two-part epoxy wood rot/hardener treatment (stinky stuff). Then let it dry for a week - then it turned beautifully.