Thread: Wood I.D. Please

Thee last one looks like it could be Inland Rosewood, have a look here for desert timbers ttit - Trees & Turnings. Vern TTIT is a member here but rarely posts these days

Originally Posted by hughie

Thee last one looks like it could be Inland Rosewood, have a look here for desert timbers ttit - Trees & Turnings. Vern TTIT is a member here but rarely posts these days

Thanks Hughie. It certainly looks like Inland Rosewood. I thought at first it was gidgee but now I've seen the photos on the website the Gidgee bark is all wrong. Now to try and turn it.
It was given to me from a deceased estate, the guy that had it used to go from Victoria to Darwin each year so he probably picked it up in his travels

Originally Posted by hughie

Thee last one looks like it could be Inland Rosewood, have a look here for desert timbers ttit - Trees & Turnings. Vern TTIT is a member here but rarely posts these days

What he said The fluting on the last pic is the clincher

Now that its established that the wood is inland Rosewood the hardest wood in OZ I tried to set up a small piece in the lathe to turn a lidded box about 50mm in diameter.
My problem is it's so hard I can't bash my 4 pronged spur drive into it to rough turn. Any suggestions please.

Hi

could you drill and chisel out the 4 prong pattern for the spur to nestle into?

Regards
CRaatz

Originally Posted by jaybird

My problem is it's so hard I can't bash my 4 pronged spur drive into it to rough turn. Any suggestions please.

Hold the drive end in a four jaw chuck.

I keep my meagre supply of Inland Rosewood for fine finials. It turns to a beautiful satin finish straight off the skew.

Originally Posted by jaybird

Now that its established that the wood is inland Rosewood the hardest wood in OZ I tried to set up a small piece in the lathe to turn a lidded box about 50mm in diameter.
My problem is it's so hard I can't bash my 4 pronged spur drive into it to rough turn. Any suggestions please.

Have you tried cutting 2 grooves at right angles on the end? I cut them on the bandsaw but even a handsaw will do the job! The point of the dog will go in deeper where the grooves cross and the spurs hook in perfectly

Originally Posted by jaybird

Now that its established that the wood is inland Rosewood the hardest wood in OZ I tried to set up a small piece in the lathe to turn a lidded box about 50mm in diameter.
My problem is it's so hard I can't bash my 4 pronged spur drive into it to rough turn. Any suggestions please.

It'll split if you do that. If you have a bandsaw, or even a handsaw, you can cut a cross in the end. If you have a chuck with a set of spigot jaws you can grab it with those, or a metal chuck...

As others have said saw a cross in the end. It's something I almost always do with just about any wood except very soft woods like pine. I use a tenon saw.
Regards
John