Trying to turn some Allocasuarina torulosa (forest oak) from my land

[mick59wests]

Hello all,

on my 1 hectare block of land we have a lot of forest oak trees and there was much of it left on the wood pile. When I first split it (for burning) I thought 'jeez this looks good'. My investigation into turning this was that it was nice but 'a tad' prone to splitting. Perhaps 'a tad' is a slight understatement :D. Without doing a long story, my first attempt was a natural edge small bowl - the initial between centre turning being from a cut branch and initially having both live edges between centres - one becomes the bottom and the other the top. This was turned from a green piece and became a smiley tealight (hopefully the first photo). You can see how much this split.

I then started turning some other bowls but they were splitting all over the place. After some sulking (well more than just some), navel contemplation, research and then some resolve, I decided 'firetruck' it, I like the wood and with the coffee grinds mixed with CA or epoxy I was going to give this a go. Anyway, the black should make a nice contrast.

So I have attached some photos of some partially finished bowls with lots of glue and coffee grinds and finally the first properly finished bowl (very small) but such a nice grain that I think I will pursue this, although I may have to wait until SWMBO is away before cutting down some of the bigger forest oaks.

The finished bowl has a 50c piece next to it - it is around 11cm diameter and 5cm tall. The black coffee contrasts nicely (in my humble opinion).

As you may notice there is one bowl that took a lot of coffee and epoxy / CA so it will be interesting to see how this turns out.

I would be very interested in opinions - the turning itself (both design and quality) are ordinary at best but so far I am pleased. It is finished with EEE and glow from u-beaut.

cheers

Mick

[dai sensei]

I love Allocasuarina torulosa (I know it as Rose Sheoak up my way), very similar in colour and hardness etc to WA Sheoak (Casuarina fraserana), and just as popular with the termites :~. Takes a finish really well and I make most of my chisel handles from it. Cutting it 1/4 sawn as small as possible, but relative to the fans is the best way to keep it from cracking, but if it wants to go it will. I often cut it into blanks for one thing but end up using it for something else in the end due to cracking :-

[Mobyturns]

Same experience with the beach sheoaks up here too. You could send your forest oak up to us & we will take those nasty issues for you. :D

[tea lady]

Tis beautiful timber. Willing to put up with its whiley ways.

[Paul39]

Mick,

We have red oak on this side of the pond. Not nearly as pretty as what you have.

You might try the following:

If fresh cut, quickly rough out the bowl with wall thickness 10 - 15 % of diameter, and submerge it in 50% hand dish washing liquid and 50% water for about a week or two. Remove drain until surface dry and wrap in 7 layers of newspaper and let dry for 6 weeks to 3 months.

Another method is to rough as above and boil a couple of hours, I use a crock pot bought in a junk store and heat overnight. Wrap as above and let dry the same time.

The roughed bowl will have dried into an oval shape. I then put it back on the lathe and turn round and let it sit over night or a couple of days to see if it will move some more. If it is still moving I set it on a shelf in the shed for a week or two and than turn it round again.

If it hasn't moved too much overnight I finish it.

With all of the above, some crack and some don't. You might try roughing one and wrapping in newspaper without the boiling or dish washing liquid to see how that works.

Oak is a pain but the figure is worth the trouble, especially what you have.

For some fresh cut timbers, walnut especially I rough out, wrap in newspaper and microwave for 3 - 5 minutes, open the door and let sit for an hour or two, repeat when I think about it. This drys the timber faster than the "one year of drying time per inch of thickness".

If you have too much to rough out, cut the logs into pieces twice as long as the diameter and split them down the middle with a chain saw or drive a wedge into the biggest split which will show up overnight. That will relieve the tension as they dry.

Stacked in the shade round side up will give you a bit of time to work them before they split. Painting the ends with hot wax, old paint, or the sealer sold for the purpose helps. When you are ready to rough, cut off the ends and use the center.

[mick59wests]

I love Allocasuarina torulosa (I know it as Rose Sheoak up my way), very similar in colour and hardness etc to WA Sheoak (Casuarina fraserana), and just as popular with the termites :~. Takes a finish really well and I make most of my chisel handles from it. Cutting it 1/4 sawn as small as possible, but relative to the fans is the best way to keep it from cracking, but if it wants to go it will. I often cut it into blanks for one thing but end up using it for something else in the end due to cracking :-
Neil,
thanks for the idea of tool handles. I have some other pieces in the wood pile which are too far gone for bowls but I will now look at them again for tool handles.
cheers
Mick

[mick59wests]

Mick,

We have red oak on this side of the pond. Not nearly as pretty as what you have.

You might try the following:

If fresh cut, quickly rough out the bowl with wall thickness 10 - 15 % of diameter, and submerge it in 50% hand dish washing liquid and 50% water for about a week or two. Remove drain until surface dry and wrap in 7 layers of newspaper and let dry for 6 weeks to 3 months.

Another method is to rough as above and boil a couple of hours, I use a crock pot bought in a junk store and heat overnight. Wrap as above and let dry the same time.

The roughed bowl will have dried into an oval shape. I then put it back on the lathe and turn round and let it sit over night or a couple of days to see if it will move some more. If it is still moving I set it on a shelf in the shed for a week or two and than turn it round again.

If it hasn't moved too much overnight I finish it.

With all of the above, some crack and some don't. You might try roughing one and wrapping in newspaper without the boiling or dish washing liquid to see how that works.

Oak is a pain but the figure is worth the trouble, especially what you have.

For some fresh cut timbers, walnut especially I rough out, wrap in newspaper and microwave for 3 - 5 minutes, open the door and let sit for an hour or two, repeat when I think about it. This drys the timber faster than the "one year of drying time per inch of thickness".

If you have too much to rough out, cut the logs into pieces twice as long as the diameter and split them down the middle with a chain saw or drive a wedge into the biggest split which will show up overnight. That will relieve the tension as they dry.

Stacked in the shade round side up will give you a bit of time to work them before they split. Painting the ends with hot wax, old paint, or the sealer sold for the purpose helps. When you are ready to rough, cut off the ends and use the center.

Paul,

thanks for the suggestions. For the bigger pieces I have saved I have been splitting and also removing around an inch from the middle (ie: the pith) and coat the ends with an end-grain sealer. This certainly helps stabilise them (I don't know when they were originally cut) but as soon as I start turning, almost anything that looks like a crack starts to open up.

When I cut a reasonable size tree, I'll try a number of methods as quickly as I can. Hopefully after cutting, splitting, removing the pith and applying end-grain sealer my body will be able to handle green turning at least one bowl!

BTW, why round side up for stacking? I don't remember seeing this anywhere before.

thanks

Mick

[turnerted]

Sheoak's nice timber if you can handle the cracks.Just as well you're a big coffee drinker.
Ted

[mick59wests]

we actually picked up 2 buckets of coffee grinds from a local cafe for the compost / garden. I had to go and rescue some! Having said that, we do drink enough for the amount I am hoping to need.
cheers
Mick

Thanks all for the encouragement. It is such a nice timber and I will persist. I have learnt one thing and that is NOT to use the chuck in expansion mode as this just makes the problem worse. I also split two pieces with a screw chuck - I have to go a mm bigger with the drill bit I use.

cheers

Mick

[tea lady]

I also split two pieces with a screw chuck - I have to go a mm bigger with the drill bit I use.

cheers

MickIts a very hard timber when it is seasoned so you have to make sure the hole for the screw chuck isn't to small cos you will twist off the screw.

[mick59wests]

Its a very hard timber when it is seasoned so you have to make sure the hole for the screw chuck isn't to small cos you will twist off the screw.
thanks TL. I did not realise it was so hard, as compared to the bloodwood I have around (but have not tried to turn any) it is much lighter. Having said that I am also using 0.5mm larger drill bit for the faceplate or else it was too hard to get the screw in and I expect it would have split the wood further

cheers

Mick

[smiife]

Hi mick,
Nice little bowl mate, you have done well to keep
it together, Is it the same as hairy oak?
I have some hairy oak and made a nice little box
turned and sanded very nice , when i polished it
cracked in half:o ,, looks similar grain to yours
be patient and good luck with it.......

[mick59wests]

Hi mick,
Nice little bowl mate, you have done well to keep
it together, Is it the same as hairy oak?
I have some hairy oak and made a nice little box
turned and sanded very nice , when i polished it
cracked in half:o ,, looks similar grain to yours
be patient and good luck with it.......

Smife,
thanks for above. I am happy with the bowl.

From what I can work out it is different to hairy oak. Hairy oak is also an allocasuarina but is inophloia as opposed to torulosa, although in reality I have no idea what the differences are!

cheers

Mick

[Old Croc]

Mick,

We have red oak on this side of the pond. Not nearly as pretty as what you have.

You might try the following:

If fresh cut, quickly rough out the bowl with wall thickness 10 - 15 % of diameter, and submerge it in 50% hand dish washing liquid and 50% water for about a week or two. Remove drain until surface dry and wrap in 7 layers of newspaper and let dry for 6 weeks to 3 months.

Another method is to rough as above and boil a couple of hours, I use a crock pot bought in a junk store and heat overnight. Wrap as above and let dry the same time.

The roughed bowl will have dried into an oval shape. I then put it back on the lathe and turn round and let it sit over night or a couple of days to see if it will move some more. If it is still moving I set it on a shelf in the shed for a week or two and than turn it round again.

If it hasn't moved too much overnight I finish it.

With all of the above, some crack and some don't. You might try roughing one and wrapping in newspaper without the boiling or dish washing liquid to see how that works.

Oak is a pain but the figure is worth the trouble, especially what you have.

For some fresh cut timbers, walnut especially I rough out, wrap in newspaper and microwave for 3 - 5 minutes, open the door and let sit for an hour or two, repeat when I think about it. This drys the timber faster than the "one year of drying time per inch of thickness".

If you have too much to rough out, cut the logs into pieces twice as long as the diameter and split them down the middle with a chain saw or drive a wedge into the biggest split which will show up overnight. That will relieve the tension as they dry.

Stacked in the shade round side up will give you a bit of time to work them before they split. Painting the ends with hot wax, old paint, or the sealer sold for the purpose helps. When you are ready to rough, cut off the ends and use the center.
Paul this is nothing like your real "Oaks" it is the most difficult timber to dry of all. I have perfected drying to 100 mm square, 4X4 for you, but nothing seems to prevent bowl blanks splitting.
BTW how is the shed cleanup going, I will be on your doorstep in 8 months to have a go on your Woodfast,:D
Rgds,
Crocy.

[dai sensei]

S..From what I can work out it is different to hairy oak. Hairy oak is also an allocasuarina but is inophloia as opposed to torulosa, although in reality I have no idea what the differences are!

Forest/Rose Sheoak is similar Hairy Oak but the rays are more red brown and timber is also more red, the Hairy Oak's rays are dark bown almost black sometimes.

The tool handle below is Rose Sheoak (from my yard :U) and the potpourri Hairy Oak

321485

321486

[Paul39]

Mick,


BTW, why round side up for stacking? I don't remember seeing this anywhere before.

If outside, it sheds the rain better.

I wonder if PEG would help your timber. I have not tried this yet. See:

https://www.google.com/#q=treating+turnings+with+PEG