Cherry wood for turning

[RPM]

Hi all,

I have just been given FOC a job lot of this. Is it good for turning?
Also I was given a few more logs....of that I am not too sure of what it is.
I have just taken some pics but they did not come out too well.
The gent who give it to me said he can get more if I want it. (gardener).

Thanks.

 

[PowerTool]

I like cherry - very nice timber,I think.
Generally,all fruitwoods are nice to turn.

Andrew

 

[RPM]

Thanks Andrew.

Do I need to dry it out?

This was cut down today and is very wet.
Sorry I am quite new to turning....very new :roll:

Thanks

 

[PowerTool]

Timber can be turned quite easily when wet,but can often distort or crack when drying - this can be minimised by turning it to a universal thickness of small numbers of millimetres :shock:
If air-drying,then the end grain needs sealing (with wax,paint or similar),again to prevent cracks caused by uneven drying rates across the piece of timber ; air drying is generally about a year per inch of thickness.
There are other ways of speeding up the drying process - do a search for "meths drying" , "meths soak" or "microwave drying" for a couple of the more common ones.

Happy reading

Andrew

 

[treefella83]

i find cherry very easy to work with but ive only turned bowls or goblets when the wood is still green.
while you decide on what to do with it seal the end grain on the logs to stop any checks and cracks as it can still happen even in this cold weather.
when ever someone gives me wood foc i always turn them something out of the wood they gave me just to say thankyou and if the person is a gardener or a tree surgon they might call again with some more.
happy turning

 

[Anonymous]

Cherry can be a beggar to dry as logs... try to get as long a length as possible and as treefella83 says ...seal the ends... (PVA or old paint will do).

 

[RPM]

Thanks for the replies all.

I went into the shop today to try my hand at the new loot.
I must admit, it seems to turn better wet.....lots of "ribbons?"
That said, I have only tried pine and it seems one of the worst woods to try as a newbie.

Still did not manage to get anything worthy of a pic tho.
Out of one of the smaller bits I managed to turn something that looks like the start of a lamp.....it may end up as a tooth pick :lol:

Hey......I could start a new section......"how not to turn!" :wink:


RPM.....dis-hearted but not giving up :evil: :shock:

 

[Taffy Turner]

RPM,

Stick with it mate - it will get easier - honest!

All the best.

Gary

 

[RPM]

Thanks Gary,

I ain't giving up yet :lol:

I do need new/better tools tho. :roll:

 

[Taffy Turner]

I do need new/better tools tho. :roll:

See - you are already getting the hang of it!

 

[joekid]

its all good for practicing,you can always put the finished result in a shed for a while, let it equalize naturally, this may take a while!!