What's your favorite wood for turning, and why.......

[sunshine]

I am wondering what woods you-all prefer for turning, both green and dry.

Are there advantages to some woods over others, for example, stability in green wood;
ease of turning; not to mention beauty..... http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif:

Do you enhance your turnings with carving, inlay, etc.?

Thanks, Phyllis

[Zsteve]

Phyllis,

The wood i have enjoyed most to turn was a Eucalypt, E. Cosmophila. (Cup Gum) Shavings came off like big ribbons beautiful orange colour with black through any slight 'defect' and subtle grain.

The timber we used was dead stuff we had on the Farm, not a common tree, sorry- probably impossible to buy.

Stephen.

[Sir Chiz]

Hi Phyllis.

I've turned about 40 different woods (species) and I guess the one I go back to most is Ambrosia Maple,I like the randomness of the streaking.
Ziricote is very unique,but cracking is common.Same with Bocote.
I've had good luck with White Ash,turned thin,sanded and finished while still green and had no cracking.
For lidded boxes I like Mahogony and Cherry because they're fairly stable.
I've been doing a little inlay and finials with different woods but nothing too fancy.No Carving,doesn't float my boat yet.
A few weeks ago I did my first "off-center" turning on a box lid,that was purdy neat. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

Last month I had the pleasure of attending a seminar with Richard Raffan, http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif it was amazing just to watch him.

Why don't Ya stop in at Woodnet and say "Hello"?

Phil.-aka Chizler http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

Sir Chiz.

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I Love The Smell Of Sawdust In The Morning,
It Smells Like....Victory!

[Dave Peebles]

Hi Phyllis,

My recent favorite is Big Leaf Maple burl. The wood that I buy is from the state of Oregon in the U.S. Here is a link to a pic of a set of nested bowls that I recently turned.
http://www.bowlturner.com/Nested_burl.JPG

Best,
Dave

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http://www.bowlturner.com

[ubeaut]

Green: Peppercorn, apple, musk - all brilliant and great fun to turn paper thin. Then almost anything else I can get my hands on. I love most fruit trees - especially citrus (lemon & orange).

Dry: Almost anything Australian.

Favourite

For bowls: Osage Orange (a pet hate of many turners) - Eye-candy.

For miniatures: English box - Brilliant.

Goblets and lidded boxes: Irish Yew - Yum.

Spindle and furniture: Australian Cedar, Blackwood, Mahogany, Oak, Walnut, Maple and Cherry.

Fragrance: Sandalwood - Nothing else comes close.

Most obnoxious: Silvertop Ash burl - Instant nose blead, headache, watering eyes and feeling of nausia and heavy pressure on chest for a week after and I was wearing the Racal. (The finished item was however worth the problems, but never again)

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[sunshine]

Stephen: Swell! Just make me jealous.... http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

Phil: I was looking at some ambrosia maple, now I think I will get it. I also read Woodnet often and post occasionally. See your name there a lot... how do you have time to woodwork?? http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

Dave: If I could get some burl, I would be turning with you...... you bowls are beautiful!

Neil: What great suggestions... when I didn't know what I was doing a couple of years ago http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/confused.gif, I had some "American" boxwood, very old, dry and cracked and managed to turn three mallets that I just love the texture, smoothness and tight grain. Wish I could find some more. Have heard many good things about yew. Don't know a source here yet....

[poley]

I am turning on a sub antarctic island, I brought enough Huon pine to make a table,with turned legs & and have some over for other turning, Huon is my favourite, for smell (dacrydium oil), grain, and ease of turn. I also have the fun of pieces old ships, over 100 years old, oak, spruce, washed up on the shore after a gale, to turn. They have wonderful stains, from the steel bolts, and holes from hull fastenings. There are such riches, on the foreshore, I never cease to be thrilled with my finds. The oak is totally black, spruce, and other unidentified timbers, have astonishing stains, from 100 years under the ocean;.A rare privelidge, and there are no other wood workers here to use the lathe... bliss.

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Huon in my nostrils
ahhh.