need help finding wood

[new_guy90]

hi all im have just started to get into wood turning and after some lessons have found it very enjoyable. i just bought a cheap second hand lathe thats in very good condition for its age and it came with 9 turning chisels and a home made scraper, so with the gear all here i have hit a snag when it came to the wood. i need some 70 X 70 pine to practice on so i asked at the local saw mill and they didn't have any so i went to bunnings yep they had it but for $20 for 1.8 meters and 3 meters for $34. there used to be a renovating place with second hand timber that i could have gotten hard wood from but it closed down ages ago so now im stumped, i dont like bunnings to much is that price to much? and where can i go to get some cheap second hand hard wood for some good jobs?

any help with this would be much appreciated

[tea lady]

We just had "Weisey Boy's Pallet Challenge" where a number of us made stuff out off pallets. I laminated a couple of boards together and turned a platter, so that is one possibility for you. (Although you need a thicknesser or jointer to smooth the edges for joining.)

Off cuts from kitchen places is another possibility. But you drive round too much looking for free wood and $20 for pine starts to look alright. (You don't need it dressed for turning. Maybe wander to the Outdoor building supplies bit and see what they have there.

Then there is always the logs at the side of the road. The fire wood pile....:rolleyes:

You can also keep an eye on the for sale section here. There is a thriving black market in timber bits going on.:cool:.

[Manuka Jock]

hi all im have just started to get into wood turning and after some lessons have found it very enjoyable. i just bought a cheap second hand lathe thats in very good condition for its age and it came with 9 turning chisels and a home made scraper, so with the gear all here i have hit a snag when it came to the wood. i need some 70 X 70 pine to practice on so i asked at the local saw mill and they didn't have any so i went to bunnings yep they had it but for $20 for 1.8 meters and 3 meters for $34. there used to be a renovating place with second hand timber that i could have gotten hard wood from but it closed down ages ago so now im stumped, i dont like bunnings to much is that price to much? and where can i go to get some cheap second hand hard wood for some good jobs?

any help with this would be much appreciated


70 X 70 pine ? 70mm as in 3 inches ? or 70 cm as in 700mm as in 25 inches ?

[robyn2839]

i would like to see bunnies selling 25''x25''x3 metres long pine ??????????????????????? der

[Manuka Jock]

i would like to see bunnies selling 25''x25''x3 metres long pine ??????????????????????? der

Try that one again , in clear and concise English :rolleyes:

[Manuka Jock]

hi all im have just started to get into wood turning and after some lessons have found it very enjoyable. i just bought a cheap second hand lathe thats in very good condition for its age and it came with 9 turning chisels and a home made scraper, so with the gear all here i have hit a snag when it came to the wood. i need some 70 X 70 pine to practice on so i asked at the local saw mill and they didn't have any so i went to bunnings yep they had it but for $20 for 1.8 meters and 3 meters for $34. there used to be a renovating place with second hand timber that i could have gotten hard wood from but it closed down ages ago so now im stumped, i dont like bunnings to much is that price to much? and where can i go to get some cheap second hand hard wood for some good jobs?

any help with this would be much appreciated

NewGuy,
Why buy wood ? , especially stuff so small . Look around for off-cuts , check out the building sites etc .
Firewood , old post , branches , whatever
Save the cash for tools :)
Are you wanting it for faceplate or spindle turning ? , either way , use what you find , its more fun :D

[tea lady]

BTW New guy, What are you going to call yourself in a few months when you're one o' the old guys?:?:D

[Manuka Jock]

BTW New guy, What are you going to call yourself in a few months when you're one o' the old guys?:?:D

:U:U:U ya had to ask eh TL :D ya just had to mention it huh :rolleyes:

Welcome to the asylum NewGuy :)

[Ed Reiss]

Hi New Guy....

Are there no firewood piles in Queensland??:?

Some of the neatest turnings come from wood that otherwise would have gone up in smoke!:doh:

Good luck.:2tsup:

[robutacion]

hi all im have just started to get into wood turning and after some lessons have found it very enjoyable. i just bought a cheap second hand lathe thats in very good condition for its age and it came with 9 turning chisels and a home made scraper, so with the gear all here i have hit a snag when it came to the wood. i need some 70 X 70 pine to practice on so i asked at the local saw mill and they didn't have any so i went to bunnings yep they had it but for $20 for 1.8 meters and 3 meters for $34. there used to be a renovating place with second hand timber that i could have gotten hard wood from but it closed down ages ago so now im stumped, i dont like bunnings to much is that price to much? and where can i go to get some cheap second hand hard wood for some good jobs?

any help with this would be much appreciated

Hi new_guy90

I understand how difficult it can be for someone just starting, to find timbers for turning at a reasonable price, preferentially, free. One thing is finding the timber, the other is processing that timber, mainly if it is in log form. A simple petrol chainsaw can do you wonders, to get the timber home then, and if possible, an electric chainsaw or a bandsaw to complete the process.
You will be surprised how much available timbers (trees, logs, etc.) is all around you, and the first place I would go would be the local "dump". Every rubbish dump has its greens section, and there is where you will find tree logs cut from the Council guys and private people. The second place would be the local "tree surgeon" they operate privately and remove most of the trees around their towns, a little cash or a carton of beer, can do the trick!. Ask around, neighbours, etc., some people would just be grateful to have their trees pruned or cut, at no cost to them.

Don't worry, in no time, you will be seeing timber everywhere, even in your sleep...!:D
Seriously, you have to "look" for timber as such, to see it, after that, you see nothing else, believe me, I know...! :o:doh::~.

Good luck
Cheers
RBTCO

[rsser]

As a beginner looking at spindle turning, straight dry timber is what you want - pref. fairly even grained. So that $20 for a piece that will keep you amused for a couple of hours ain't too bad.

Some other options:
- residential fencing contractors: if you notice one working on your area ask if they have any cypress post offcuts (used for fancy picket fences) or if they are demolishing an old fence, any redgum posts (but this is not the easiest timber to be starting with)
- specialist timber yard: ask if you can go through their offcut bin
- house restumper: may be pulling out old redgum stumps (but same problem and you also often need to let them sit for a few months to dry)
- house wrecking (but beware of nails)
- timber salvage/recycler: check out your Yellow Pages

[RETIRED]

Roof truss plants generally have off cuts of 90x45 or 70x35. Rip in half and you have lots to practise on.

[robyn2839]

where abouts are you in queensland, i may be able to help.bob

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

As has been suggested above, finding wood isn't really a problem.

What is a problem is when you start looking at your Grandma's heirloom blanket chest or your neighbour's fence posts and think "Hmmm... I reckon I could make an [insert object name here] or two out of that!" :-

[disperse]

I used to (and still do) wonder around building sites and ask for access to their dumpster.
Most were obliging...Pallets are good too. Some clamps and pva glue .... And you can soon create some good bowl blanks.

Regards
Troy

[Sawdust Maker]

Took a wrong turn today after dropping son off at a birthday party :doh:
as doing a u-ie in a cul-de-sac noticed a well stacked firewood pile - might have to visit later when everyone's asleep :D

[new_guy90]

wow thanks guys i didn't expect to get such a good response, thank you all :)

now since last night ......i have had a stroke of good luck :)

i live in Ipswich and have been taking classes with the local club (so some of you may already know me as i know there are members who brows this forum ..........ill let you guys guess) i had only recently bought the wood lathe its cheap (its not the Vicmarc i want but its good) and it came with some great chisels that made it well worth it and on top of all that the old man who gave it to me (he literally did) gave me a whole pile of "the Australian wood worker" mags, a wood turning book and a home made doweling machine!. today i went to the wood turning class and started to make a bowl of Camphaloral, i only got the outside done but man its cool im really proud i could make it :). after the class i had to go back the the old man Harvey who i got the lathe from to get the doweling machine (it wouldn't fit before and nearly didn't today). well when i got there he gave me HEAPS of good quality wood! everything under the sun and more he had! a huge slab of hoop pine, Camphaloral and much MUCH more. so after getting loaded up again i now have a lots of good timber for good projects and really crap pine to practice on so i wont need to go to bunnings so soon :). now Harvey still has lots of wood left that he doesnt want to chuck out but he wont use (because hes found hes getting to old for it) that needs good homes particularly a whole box of northern Queensland timber veneers, Harvey said was his fathers and from the 1960's and 70's. if anyone can give these veneers good homes and be put to good use then PM me and ill give you his phone No.

thank you all again for your help here its sort of gone off subject a bit but thats ok. im a little nervous using such good wood so ill keep it in the rack and think very hard what im going to make with it. im still going to look for crap timber to work so ill try finding some pallets and that but its unfortunate that the dump doesn't recycle the timber that goes in there (ill have to check for the green waste) or that the second hand renovation place that had so much good timber is no longer there. i do know a few spots where green waste is illegally dumped so ill look for some good sized logs that can have another life, its just getting them out thats the problem oh and the problem of "is this good or not" ill have to look more into that.

thank you all for helping i might post some pic's when i have some :)

[robutacion]

Lucky you, new_guy90,

Good to know that you manage to get enough for a while so, you've got no excuses now,:o time to start doing some serious "shavings":doh::D.
I'm pretty sure, someone will grab those veneers, lots of people out there, are looking for them...!

Yeah, don't forget plenty of those pics, maybe the administration "doesn't like them that much":B, but we all like to see them, huh? :AO:

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[weisyboy]

the local furniture maker should have a skip bin full.

[RETIRED]

Lucky you, new_guy90,

Good to know that you manage to get enough for a while so, you've got no excuses now,:o time to start doing some serious "shavings":doh::D.
I'm pretty sure, someone will grab those veneers, lots of people out there, are looking for them...!

Yeah, don't forget plenty of those pics, maybe the administration "doesn't like them that much":B, but we all like to see them, huh? :AO:

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCOPosting too many pictures slows the thread and sometimes the whole board down. That is why we "don't like them that much".

If you are on dialup it must be murder sometimes.

[Ed Reiss]

Posting too many pictures slows the thread and sometimes the whole board down. That is why we "don't like them that much".



Aha! .....knew there was a reason why I forgot to post those WIP's!:o

[weisyboy]

hey mate if ya ever need any bits and peices i have a buch of hardwood fencepost offcuts and mil waste you can have. more then i can use for firewood. you might even find come mahogany and shee oak in teh ofcuts pile.

[rsser]

Aha! .....knew there was a reason why I forgot to post those WIP's!:o

Ed, water-colour sketches would be fine :p

[new_guy90]

thanks for the offer weisyboy ill have a think about that. did a few things today bolted the lathe to the bench after a bit of bad language about drilling the holes bolting part of it down trying to do the next part and having to undo all i had just done to drill the holes one of the bolts was very hard to get to i had to take the motor off to do it up. but all thats done now and its just great :) it runs nicely, at a good center hight and im happy how the centers are lined up so it runs true :U the bench is big enough to have the lathe on one side, tools in the 2 draws, bench grinder on the other side and still enough room for a vice and bench space for marking out and general work. its all going well ill make a separate thread latter to show you all pic's oh and my Camphaloral bowl :U

[tea lady]

Well you're all set then. Glad we could be of help.:rolleyes::wink: Yes keep us posted.:cool:

[robutacion]

Posting too many pictures slows the thread and sometimes the whole board down. That is why we "don't like them that much".

If you are on dialup it must be murder sometimes.

,
Point taken!
I can understand why pics slow down the system, is very much a "damn if you do, damn if you not" situation, while pics are constantly required, as part of the common need to "validate" what one says and/or exemplification(s). There is no doubt in my mind, of how important pics can be, in this type of forum, and everyone seems to appreciate them, the other aspect of this is that, unfortunately it seems to have a negative result with space and speed on the forum's system.
I don't know if there is an answer, for people like me, who likes to use pics to communicate with others, and to provide true evidence of events, instead of well orchestrated stories :wink:. (exceptions to the rule do apply!):D.
I have on a previous "reminder" from the administration on this some issue, requested some advice on possible ways to address this speed and space problem with the forum's server, appart from the option of not posting pics. From one extreme to the other, there should be an acceptable "medium", which I've been trying to find.

I know, how easy is for me to be carried away with posting pics (reach the limit per post, many of times), and for that I apologise, mainly for those with slow (dial-up) Internet connections but, what would be the most effective and trouble free way to post a significant number of pics, within a thread?
I got accustom to take lots of pics of almost anything, as part of "jobs" I was involved with, the digital technology has most certainly been a big help, "devil"!:oo:

Running the risk of having someone responding saying, "that has been already discussed", and if that is the case, could someone remind me, please? Thanks.

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[RETIRED]

I think back to when drawings were the norm. You only need a top, side and end view of most things unless photographing a series of steps involved in a process like here.http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=12680&highlight=tool+post+centre

It is also better to use the attachment feature when posting than an offsite host.

[new_guy90]

just give a link to your Photo bucket that way people who want to can go and see all your pic's at there own discretion and you want lag the server

[RETIRED]

The problem with that is that if you close it down. the pictures are lost and the thread sometimes makes no sense.

[Ed Reiss]

Ed, water-colour sketches would be fine :p

Water color sketches might be too high-brow....could maybe do some finger paints:2tsup:

[robutacion]

The problem with that is that if you close it down. the pictures are lost and the thread sometimes makes no sense.

Yeah, you're right , that is the risk of using links, which I try not to do, just for that same reason. What I'm confused about is the relationship between the number of pics allowed per post and the actual final size of those pics when shown. What I mean is, does reducing the pic size to a minimum, thats say, 10 to 15 KB or even less per pic, does work? would it not be the same (server wise & speed compromise) to have one pic added to the post at 100KB, or 10 pics at 10 KB each?
I am already reducing my pics considerably, trying to keep them at least half of the allowed size but I would happy to reduce them even more (unless rare exception- detail), if that does work for the forum system. I could even try to add a number of pics in within one frame pic, I have the software to do it, wait, wait... but, can I do it?:?
I still think that the limit should be kept as is for those that rarely post pics but for members like me, a compromise in the size of the pics, would be no problem, if that solves the problem.
Reply, please!:D

Cheers:2tsup:
RBTCO

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I'd imagine that the sizing of the pix is more due to limited drive space to store them on the server and less to do with server speed.

After all, if pix are added as attachments - rather than embedded - then the server generates thumbnails and when the post is displayed shows these thumbnails instead. Thus only slowing the thread loading time minimally and being kinder to those of us on dial-up.

Regardless of final size of the pic, they're only taking up serious bandwidth when someone clicks on the thumbnail.

It's when pix are embedded that things get ugly... as everyone who reads the thread is downloading the pic whether they want to or not. (Unless the pic has been deleted from the host site, in which case it leaves dead links which the server possibly wastes more time trying to follow. :rolleyes:)

[RETIRED]

What Skew said.

[bowl-basher]

A great place to look is in BUNNIES waste dumpster got some broken cyprus fence pickets that when glued in to a block made a few nice po-pourie bowls
and they throw out the dunnage used to pack the bundels of timber:D:D:D
Have fun and welcome to our mad world
Bowl Basher

[weisyboy]

A great place to look is in BUNNIES waste dumpster got some broken cyprus fence pickets that when glued in to a block made a few nice po-pourie bowls
and they throw out the dunnage used to pack the bundels of timber:D:D:D
Have fun and welcome to our mad world
Bowl Basher

just remember they have been treated with CCA (coper, chrome and arsenic). it doing a lot of sanding it might not be to good for you.