# Driftwood



## alexf (20 Aug 2007)

This evening I decided to take the dogs to the beach instead of their usual countryside walk and found this. It's too late to get my chainsaw out tonight (my neighbours have young children) but it will be interesting to see what it is like once cut. If it turns well that could be a regular walk for us especially in the Winter

Has anyone got any experience of using driftwood.  
http://www.francisgreenock.co.uk/woodtu ... CF0060.JPG

p.s. How do I get the image to show in the post


----------



## DomValente (20 Aug 2007)

Try https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hp?t=14776


----------



## shedhead (20 Aug 2007)

I get a lot of my wood from beach combing. As I stay in a coastal town, I am walking my dogs on the beach every day, and I always keep one eye on the high tide mark. With most of my finds identification is imposable as the bark has been removed with the sea water. This makes turning fun as you never know what type of wood are turning. As it always turns out the best and biggest find is always when I reach the half way stage, so I have to carry find a long distance.
As the wood is mostly smaller branches I have mostly made fruit, mushrooms, flowers or small bud vases. You can get a lot of spalted type wood which shows like a kind of black marble effect from the outside. Sometimes this looks and feels good, but when I start to turn it can be soft in the middle. It’s just down to trial and error.
Finishing can be sometimes not very successful I have put this down to the salt water? It is quite surprising but the wood found on the beach dries quicker than green wood just cut down. Even though it has been picked up with the tide twice a day for goodness knows how long, the drying process has begun.


----------



## Paul.J (20 Aug 2007)

*AlexF wrote.*
Has anyone got any experience of using driftwood. 
Bodrighy is the man.Look at some of his posts.
Pete where are you :?: 
Paul.J.


----------



## alexf (20 Aug 2007)

Here it is


----------



## Bodrighy (21 Aug 2007)

Driftwood is often soft when you find it it due to the salt but if you leave it for a week it will harden up and be OK for turning. It is unlikely that you will get anything big worth turning unless you walk around with a chainsaw but the wood tends not to split ot warp like green wood. Most driftwood appears white when picking it up but after turning and finishing it can surprise with the variations in colour and figuring that is there. 

Make sure that you wear a mask as you never know what you are turning.

Pete


----------



## NickWelford (23 Aug 2007)

The salt and sand in driftwood can play havoc with your (of course) beautifully sharpened turning tools.


----------



## Bodrighy (23 Aug 2007)

NickWelford":36oajpvb said:


> The salt and sand in driftwood can play havoc with your (of course) beautifully sharpened turning tools.



If the driftwood is from a sandy beach I agree, a lot of the stuf that I use is from pebble or shingle beaches and isn't too much problem. As far as salt is concerned, either leave it in the rain for a week or two or, if it is small enough soak in fresh water over night. 

Pete

As with all reclaimed wood keep an eye out for nails etc. These really do play havoc with tools  

Pete


----------

