Thread: Purchasing Wood for Turning

Thanks for the discussion people. The post was mainly tongue in cheek, but elicited some serious answers that added to my knowledge and probably made me think about pulling my head in. (Not that anybody did suggest that, but I did not think of the professional turners when I made the post.)

At this stage, for me, turning is about using a lot of time to make something that may be useful and/or good to look at. For others turning is about making a living. They need to get the best wood for that purpose for the best outlay, so that they can add enough value to keep the roof over their head and bread and dripping on the table.

Brendan can start with a block of wood and make something beautiful that he can (hopefully) sell for a lot of money. I could start with the same block of wood and end up with a pile of shavings, chips and dust and have a piece of wood with a hollow in it that may or may not look like a bowl. That is why I like cheap wood.

Horses for courses.

As for “If it ain’t free, it ain’t good enough to turn.” I recently obtained a good sized chunk of Phellorpha. It was buttressed and had a good sized crotch, so showed some promise. It had dried out a bit on the ends but showed no cracks, so I trimmed a bit off and end to see what it was like. Big cracks inside. I cut a piece of about 600x300x150 up until I had no faults and ended up with enough to make a little bowl of about 140 wide by 75 deep. Not much pattern, but when I microwaved it I got some nice pink stain. Warped pretty well when drying and weighs just a bit more than balsa, I think.

After all, this I think this chunk of wood is worth what I paid for it – nothing. I got some chain sawing practice and got to turn some nice soft wood, and to turn thin. (I have been turning dry ironbark, which is another story that I might post sometime.) Oh, and the little bowl in the photo.

The wood could have been African Tulip. Jacaranda and Poinciana are also light coloured but are better woods aren’t they?

I know of at least one pro who doesn't buy in his blanks. He is Irish and a really nice bloke to boot. I spent some time talking to him on the phone a while back and he was very helpful. Glenn Lucas

Glenn Lucas wood turner Ireland - bowl production. - YouTube

He has a load of youtube videos on there and lots of them can teach a lot about turning and well worth watching.

I was once told that there is a pro English, I think, turner that spouts that if you start off with firewood then that is what you finish up with. That's what my tractor/trailers are. Beech off of the firewood pile and they will burn well, but I think it would be a great shame to do so.

As for buying wood. I just wish that I could find a place here that would sell me less than a bloody tree! I get the odd donation and when I do I always make something for the person who gave it to me, but most of my wood comes off the fire wood pile..

It is a great shame, but the Canal du Midi had 40,000 platan, plane, trees lining most of the banks. They were infected a few years back when a couple of tree 'surgeons' came down from North France and worked on them. They had been working on fungal infected trees up ther and didn't clean and disinfect their kit properly. result, 40,000 platan trees have to be felled! The wood has to be burned on site to stop any more spread, so there isn't any chance of getting any.

brava

Originally Posted by Jonzjob

I know of at least one pro who doesn't buy in his blanks. He is Irish and a really nice bloke to boot. I spent some time talking to him on the phone a while back and he was very helpful. Glenn Lucas

Glenn Lucas wood turner Ireland - bowl production. - YouTube

He has a load of youtube videos on there and lots of them can teach a lot about turning and well worth watching.

Had the fantastic opportunity to see Glen demonstrate in Auckland NZ this year & to chat with him plus see a short presentation on his development as a turner. If you are into production bowls there is not many better than Glen, well at least he has equals like Mike Mahoney USA. He is a brilliant production bowl turner, and can produce a finished bowl in the time it takes most of us to mount the blank.

Originally Posted by Big A

I was perusing the American site "Woodworkingtalk.com" today and in the "Best Timber for Turning" thread, the OP stated about cocobolo that, "That will be one of my next purchases". Purchase?? What you talkin' about, Willis?

"Purchase" as in buying, I guess. What a novel idea. Is this an American wood turning thing, or do Australian wood turners do it too?

I am only a novice in this game, but I reckon if it ain't free, it ain't good enough to turn!

Cheers,
"A".

Turning free wood is always worth some bonus points. But cocobolo doesn't grow that far north. You might find some in southern Mexico, but not as far north to where a US turner is going to happen upon any just fallen over for the taking ;-)

We buy a lot of tropical woods here and we feel fortunate to get them. We do get plenty of oak, cherry, maple, elm, ash, etc., but stuff like cocobolo, jatoba, ipe, and such, we buy from hardwood dealers who import and mill raw logs for sale.

Originally Posted by Trent The Thief

We buy a lot of tropical woods here and we feel fortunate to get them. We do get plenty of oak, cherry, maple, elm, ash, etc., but stuff like cocobolo, jatoba, ipe, and such, we buy from hardwood dealers who import and mill raw logs for sale.

And only want an arm, a leg, and your first born child for a piece.

I am not quite ready for $120 4 X 12 inch (100 X 300mm) bowl blanks.

Originally Posted by Paul39

And only want an arm, a leg, and your first born child for a piece.

I am not quite ready for $120 4 X 12 inch (100 X 300mm) bowl blanks.

Really good furniture grade quality blanks of old growth Red Cedar & the like will set you back that sort of money here as well.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Really good furniture grade quality blanks of old growth Red Cedar & the like will set you back that sort of money here as well.

Ahh, Supply and demand I'm afraid.

Regards
Paul

Crikey Paul, I never thought about the first child bit ? What would you expect to get for it? I'll gladly swop my first for some decent wood

The main problem for picking up stuff here is that someone seems to own everything where ever it is? Finding out who is another problem..

Originally Posted by Jonzjob

I'll gladly swop my first for some decent wood

That may have been the crux of the problem .

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Jonzjob

The main problem for picking up stuff here is that someone seems to own everything where ever it is? Finding out who is another problem..

Looking up Carcassonne says a lot of grapes are grown in the area. Photos do not show much wooded areas. I bet a 100 year old grape vine root would have some interesting grain.

Going around to vineyards and leaving a turned piece might produce some wood. I am sure some of the old trees die and have to be taken down in the cities or along the roads. Find the people who deal with that.

I have also found some interesting wood in shipping pallets, good for smaller things and segmented stuff.

The vines aren't left to grow old Paul. As soon as the crop drops they are grubbed up and young planted. The grubbed up ones are just left to rot in a big pile, usually in the center of the field. I have seen a couple of promising ones but the wood is VERY convolouted, twisted and not really solid. Really thick 'trunks' are about the size of your upper arm and, as I said, not really solid.

I made this into a table lamp for a neighbour



We are lucky enough to live in the biggest vinyard in the world. The only problem is that I'm tyring to taste them ALL! If you have ever herd of Minervios wines, that's the bit we live in

I like that twisted vine for the table lamp. I have a couple of friends who grow grapes and one makes wine and the other sells table grapes and grapes to the Biltmore Winery.

I had not heard either of them mention pulling out old and replanting.

I'll ask about some old roots.