Favourite turning timber

[Hitch]

Been messing about trying various timbers recently.
I normally stick to fairly low priced bits, like ash, oak, odd bit of purple heart....

Picked up a bit of olive at yandles the other day, made a simple Sierra pen, turned out quite nice....went and got some more, did a bottle stopper today, think olive is my new favourite wood for turning. 8)

And as an aside, I gather it was you lot that bought up the entire stock they had of that roughed out round ash and sycamore i was going to get some more of. :lol: (hammer)

So what is your favourite and bestest turning timbers?

 

[deserter]

I like cherry for turning, it takes and holds all the details really well and crisp, and if you get the right piece it has a nice colour when finished. It sands up nice as well.

 

[gregmcateer]

I like all free stuff!

 

[Melinda_dd]

My favourate is Yew.... purely because I'm never disapointed with the figuring in the wood.

But I do love to turn wood that is "ratty" on the outside, all be it with bark, paint, dirt, rough sawn ... so I have no idea what's inside, the joy of the grain being revealed I never get bored of.

 

[NikNak]

Hi all

Ditto Melinda..... as Forest say's ".... is like a box of chocolates.."

Other than that i think my favorite is Crack Willow.... lovely toffee colour that's nice to turn and takes a good finish too.



Nick

 

[adidat]

boxwood, it turns like soap with an excellent tooling fininsh. but its quite hard to find.


freshly cut on the lathe

this chunk is pretty rare

adidat

 

[Paul Hannaby]

Hi Hitch,
I hope you sealed the olive wood well? If you didn't your pen will be without plating in a few months time because the acid in the olive wood will dissolve it!

One of my favourites is masur birch because it has such nice figuring.

 

[Hitch]

Ohh, didn't realise that Paul. Coat of sanding sealer and a bit of carnauba wax.

Probably a good idea to dismantle and treat the exposed ends of the barrel then?

 

[jumps]

box provides the best turning experience imo

but then again it's the challenge, and finished item, that makes using the others so much fun... ropala lacewood being an extreme example of a pain to turn, constant sharpening of tools etc - but great pattern and finish!

I also love olive for bowls etc, but you never really know what you are going to find when you turn it!

 

[nev]

I'd have to go with yew too, very rarely boring to look at, and the worst? roughing oak - purely from a 'scratchy bits down the back of the neck' viewpoint, no matter where I position myself I always seem to end up with a shirt-full :evil:

 

[Finial]

Yew is great and I love to turn oak, scratchy or not. Anyone else vote for holly?

 

[dickm]

Nobody else love laburnum???

 

[NikNak]

Not had the chance to play with Laburnum..... yet

Holly is nice, so's yew, oh and apple.... maybe a 'top 5' is called for :lol:





Nick

 

[colin macdiarmid]

Laburnum and bubinga

 

[boysie39]

I love turning holly and Apple ,but just to turn anything is great. :lol:

 

[drillbit]

Favourite to turn - Cherry..smells lovely and cuts smoothly.
Worst to turn - Padauk..bloody red dust, but its very forgiving on tool marks once you polish it up

 

[deserter]

Absolutely detest padauk to turn, it makes my face and hands itch and my nose burn.

 

[adidat]

and the worst? roughing oak - purely from a 'scratchy bits down the back of the neck' viewpoint, no matter where I position myself I always seem to end up with a shirt-full :evil:

+1

i was rouging out an old fence post quite annoyed when i found half the timber to be unuseable because of voids right through the middle

adidat

 

[dennisk]

Acer Negundo-Box elder burl-Manitoba Maple burl. Especially when it is wet and then watch it move.Or dry and hopefully get some of the great rusty streaking as in my vase of a few months ago. And there is a lot of it out here free. And free is good. As my buddy Al said when the beer salesman moved in next door to him; Dennis he sells my 2 favourite beers, free and free light!

 

[mike s]

my favourite is yew; it cuts very easily, sands well and always looks great