Damson wood

[MickA]

I have been given a quantity of damson logs cut down today. I can find no reference to damson wood in any of my woodturning books. Is this a suitable wood for turning? Your help would be appreciated.
Mick.

 

[Alie Barnes]

Look for Blackthorn, it is good for turning but splits very easily, get the pith out and seal it ASAP.

 

[Paul.J]

Mick.
I had some Damson wood logs and they split very badly,after i had split them and taken the pith out.
I also tried different ways of drying it as i knew it was a bugger to dry,and all failed.
Lovely looking wood though if you can get to use it.

 

[Bodrighy]

Damson and sloe (blackthorn) are all plums so I would assume the wood is the same sort of thing. Fruit woods in general can be really attractive if you can stop them splitting.

Pete

 

[CHJ]

If you can seal the ends and slow the drying down and be very patient it can dry out to be very hard, I have a piece stored away that is destined to be used as a mallet head, it was (still is) so hard that I could not turn it when I was given it at the start of my trip down this slope.

 

[cornucopia]

Damson can be turned- but as others have pointed out it behaves similar to cherry and splits easily. allot of older logs will have issues with rot or shakes- be very carful turning these as they can break apart and fly of the lathe.

heres a hollow form i did in damson in the winter of 06/07

good side

issue's side!!!

 

[The Wood Doctor]

Look for Blackthorn, it is good for turning but splits very easily, get the pith out and seal it ASAP.

Sorry to butt in, being a newby to this site, but having a background in arboriculture I thought I might have something to add.

While you can treat blackthorn and damson as essentially the same from a woodturning point of view they are not the same botanically.

Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus spinosa) produces a small fruit thats very good for making sloe-gin but is not actually a plum and the Damson (Prunus domestica subspecies insititia) produces a larger fruit, twice the size or more at 2-3cm, and is much better for making jam and is actually one of the various plum fruits.

Damson will grow substantially bigger than the blackthorn as well.

Regards,

Ben[/b]

 

[wabbitpoo]

heres a hollow form i did in damson in the winter of 06/07

I prefer the "bad" side!

yesterday I cut down a large plum in my garden. For the OP and me, how best to treat it now?
http://s274.photobucket.com/albums/jj268/wabbitpoo/?action=view&current=plumhaul.jpg

largest diameters about 7"

 

[tekno.mage]

Damson & blackthorn woods are actually quite different (although both have a tendancy to split while drying, so split your logs down the pith and seal the ends well.)

The damson wood I've used in the past was more like apple than cherry in density and was a lovely rich pinky-gold colour with purple streaks in it. Sadly the purple streaks faded rather quickly to a deep purplish-brown.

The blackthorn I've used was a pale colour, and very very dense it also had attractive tiny black pips in it (from where the thorns join on).

Personally I like both of them for turning.

tekno.mage

 

[wizer]

Not turning, but found this on the interweb

Made from Damson Wood

 

[MickA]

Thanks for all the information. I have now cut the logs where the radial cracking had already started and sealed the ends. There is lovely contrast between the heart and sap wood.
Mick

 

[Jenx]

Hey George, I am another who likes the "issues" side too

Its a lovely shape that, and even the name 'issues side' is great ! 8) 8)



& hello and Welcome Wood Doctor... great to see you here ! :lol: 8)

 

[NickWelford]

Damson (Prunus domestica subspecies insititia) produces a larger fruit, twice the size or more at 2-3cm, and is much better for making jam and is actually one of the various plum fruits.

I've just converted 2 kilos of sloes into sloe jelly for the first time - really tasty but still has somewhat of an astringent effect. Bugger to set though......