Thread: New Woodturner in Murwillumbah

Bailey welcome to the forum

the timbers are like concrete (Ironbark) and cheese (Cypress) you have some nice timbers in your area check out Stan The Billinudgel Wood Working Company

I was just concerned that cypress would not be a good quality timber for bowls because its pine.

Welcome Bailey. Cyprus isn't probably as revered amongst woodturning circles however it's easy to turn and great for practice. Don't let that put you off though, I'm sure you could shape some cyprus into some great gifts or heirlooms. As Wheelin said, Ironbark is hard as nails. It does come up a treat though when a good finish is applied. You'll probably find that you'll have to sharpen your tools often when turning Ironbark.

If your really keen, keep an eye out on the side of the road, some people cut down some nice timber. You'll have to be patient if you take this route though, some timber is green and needs to dry for quite a while (a year or more depending on the thickness).

Feel free to post here often, maybe join a woodturning club near you and if possible, get someone to mentor you.

Good luck, great to see younger turners on this forum.

Gidday Bailey, welcome aboard and may your journey with us be a pleasant one

G'Day & Welcome to a top forum "Bailey"; a young bloke, well done.
There are quite a few members in and around Gold Coast area plus Brisbane.
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork/turning.
Look are your pop's old lathe and enjoy..
Sorry I can't help on the turning as I don't have a lathe so you're one up on me.
Cheers crowie

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome aboard

Welcome to the forum Bailey.

Welcome.

Ironbark is drop dead gorgeous, but when seasoned is so hard that termites wont eat it. Really. I've seen termites nesting in a pile of old ironbark without eating it. They went elsewhere for dinner.

When it's green, ironbark isn't bad to work at all. Sinking a chisel into it is like doing the same to a block of lead, but it cuts cleanly. Problem is that you'll need to season it eventually to get a finished product, but if you can do most of the work when it's green that'll make life easier.

Cypress smells fantastic (in small doses) but the extractives in it would make it unsuitable for some bowls. I wouldn't make salad in it, for instance. Might taste a bit funny. Cypress is also a bit prone to splitting, but is generally quite stable in terms of dimensional changes. Even though it's a conifer it's still quite dense timber and will cut cleanly.