Thread: turning eucalypts/gum trees?

I'm not really a turner but Ive turned mainly West Aussie stuff, Jarrah, Karri and Tuart, also some Tingle and WA Blackbutt and WA Redgum.
Also the usual Spotted gum and Blue Gum and Tassie oak - its all good.
TIP: Use sharp blades.

"Eucalypts" covers quite a range of different varieties, each with their own foibles.

I love the results from River Redgum (E. camaldulensis) but it has to be one of the dirtiest woods I've ever turned... many's the day I've finished with my hands stained black. The end product also moves around like a cut snake with changes in weather, which is not ideal for lidded boxes, for example. But imho it's a beautiful wood.

Forest Redgum (E. tereticornis, aka Blue Gum) is cleaner to work but I find it's a bit more difficult to achieve a clean cut; I usually need to sand.

I also find that Woollybutt (E. delegatensis) is generally a better turning timber than the others that are bundled and sold under the generic label of 'Tas. Oak; such as Vic Ash (E. regnans) & Messmate (E. obliqua)

Although usually more applicable to Acacias, some Euc's are more amenable to scraping than cutting. If you're having problems with getting a clean cut, it's always worth breaking out a scraper to see how that goes before resorting to grits.


There is one thing in general that does mark them out over other timbers, especially if you're used to overseas timbers; be prepared for a LOT of trips to the sharpening station!

So... with the amount of variety you're probably best to just treat it like any other wood and deal with any problems as they crop up.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

"Eucalypts" covers quite a range of different varieties, each with their own foibles.

I love the results from River Redgum (E. camaldulensis) but it has to be one of the dirtiest woods I've ever turned... many's the day I've finished with my hands stained black. The end product also moves around like a cut snake with changes in weather, which is not ideal for lidded boxes, for example. But imho it's a beautiful wood.

Forest Redgum (E. tereticornis, aka Blue Gum) is cleaner to work but I find it's a bit more difficult to achieve a clean cut; I usually need to sand.

I also find that Woollybutt (E. delegatensis) is generally a better turning timber than the others that are bundled and sold under the generic label of 'Tas. Oak; such as Vic Ash (E. regnans) & Messmate (E. obliqua)

Although usually more applicable to Acacias, some Euc's are more amenable to scraping than cutting. If you're having problems with getting a clean cut, it's always worth breaking out a scraper to see how that goes before resorting to grits.


There is one thing in general that does mark them out over other timbers, especially if you're used to overseas timbers; be prepared for a LOT of trips to the sharpening station!

So... with the amount of variety you're probably best to just treat it like any other wood and deal with any problems as they crop up.

Many thanks for all of that info - very helpful. We had a bit of windy weather late yesterday afternoon in Melbourne that bought down quite a few trees in the suburbs - mostly eucalypts so I was wondering how they went as the only thing I had heard was that they crack badly.

Originally Posted by RSD

Many thanks for all of that info - very helpful. We had a bit of windy weather late yesterday afternoon in Melbourne that bought down quite a few trees in the suburbs - mostly eucalypts so I was wondering how they went as the only thing I had heard was that they crack badly.

Ah. That's a different story.

There a couple of Euc types that are prone to splintering while turning, but no more so than other species. Small diameter logs and branches are prone to cracking, mainly because of their small size. It's a very good idea to avoid the 1-2" at the heart of the log as that's where most cracks start and that doesn't leave much to work with.

However, drying green logs? That's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. But, again, 'tis best to treat them the same as any other wood, except you can expect a slightly higher loss rate of pieces of a suitable size for turning.

There are already plenty of threads on these forums covering the topic so I won't cover it here... except to say that there are a few simple rules that should be followed when drying any species of log:

Seal the ends as soon as the log is cut.
Split out the heart and throw it away. (As I said above, that's where splits are most likely to start.)
Seal the ends as soon as the log is cut.
Stack the billets in a shaded, well ventilated spot that sees a fairly constant - on a day-today basis - temperature & humidity.
Seal the ends as soon as the log is cut.

If you wish to turn green, on the other hand, Euc's can be a lot of fun. Again, best to avoid anything with heartwood or knots as the result is likely to crack when drying out. At best, it'll move/warp all over the place, but there are some of us who actually want that effect.

I've heard of 'green' turners who have stored the turned article in humidifiers to control the drying out process before applying a finish, but I've never tried it for myself and don't intend to. Personally I can't see the benefit, I'd rather dry the log in the first place and start off with a 'low risk' blank than put the effort in first and then try to save a near complete item.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Ah. That's a different story.

There a couple of Euc types that are prone to splintering while turning, but no more so than other species. Small diameter logs and branches are prone to cracking, mainly because of their small size. It's a very good idea to avoid the 1-2" at the heart of the log as that's where most cracks start and that doesn't leave much to work with.

However, drying green logs? That's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. But, again, 'tis best to treat them the same as any other wood, except you can expect a slightly higher loss rate of pieces of a suitable size for turning.

There are already plenty of threads on these forums covering the topic so I won't cover it here... except to say that there are a few simple rules that should be followed when drying any species of log:

Seal the ends as soon as the log is cut.
Split out the heart and throw it away. (As I said above, that's where splits are most likely to start.)
Seal the ends as soon as the log is cut.
Stack the billets in a shaded, well ventilated spot that sees a fairly constant - on a day-today basis - temperature & humidity.
Seal the ends as soon as the log is cut.

If you wish to turn green, on the other hand, Euc's can be a lot of fun. Again, best to avoid anything with heartwood or knots as the result is likely to crack when drying out. At best, it'll move/warp all over the place, but there are some of us who actually want that effect.

I've heard of 'green' turners who have stored the turned article in humidifiers to control the drying out process before applying a finish, but I've never tried it for myself and don't intend to. Personally I can't see the benefit, I'd rather dry the log in the first place and start off with a 'low risk' blank than put the effort in first and then try to save a near complete item.

Many thanks once again - tons of good info there to keep me thinking! It sounds like it is going to be a bit of experimenting/research as I go, and don't be afraid to try different things.

The cracking could be interesting for those that like to add small areas of coloured epoxy resin.

I saw a youtube video recently on using a food dehydrator and that is something that I want to experiment with a bit - I might start a new thread for that.

Try find out what gums they are from you local council or often records were kept for original plantings especially if street trees, you might be able to google them. As stated there are so many varieties and I would generally say the wood is worthwhile keeping. I'd grab as much as you can store if any looks decent.

Originally Posted by brainstrust

Try find out what gums they are from you local council or often records were kept for original plantings especially if street trees, you might be able to google them. As stated there are so many varieties and I would generally say the wood is worthwhile keeping. I'd grab as much as you can store if any looks decent.

I'm grabbing as much as I can particularly any crotches, burls and other oddities - am building up quite a collection!

I'm on a farm and have quite a few Gum trees, though have no idea about the species - probably something like E. Adelaide-Hill-Genericii.

I find that generally the gum I have turned is HARD and puts out a lot of hot sawdust (though I have yet to try the Michael Jackson single glove, I just suffer for my art), and as already mentioned, black hands from the sap and a lot of visits to the grinder. And as also mentioned, I do find I use a scraper a lot more than other woods.

The main problem I have come across is the tendency to be a bit prone to splitting as it dries regardless of how much sealer I have slapped on, so I do find myself keeping a bottle of CA close by along with a handful of finer saw dust.

But I really like the end product.

The term Eucalypts is more than a bit vague. This includes very tight grained -say snow gum and many others - through to horribly splintery stuff. It must be taken species by species - FAR to o hard to define by such a vague category - hundreds at least! species involved. I even had a piece that came from CSIRO - unnamed species -Boring - but was classed with another -oops -not that one when the genetics come in -As far as I know it has a number-not name.
Best advice is get it spinning -go gentle and work it out as you go. I've turned as many varieties as I could find. People would send me stuff from states away - I regarded it as education.
As with any unknown wood. Go softly gently -and see what it does.
The really nice bits will be hard to deal with and -NOT what you expected from them.