Plane Tree
- Thread starter Peter45@
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Inspector
Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck!
I’ve turned what they called London Plane for a pen and it was spalted too. It wasn’t difficult as I recall. Search the forum and you should be able to find it if you like. I’m not at home and it’s a pain to do on a phone.
Pete
Pete
John Brown
Freeloading Social media influenza
Oh, that sort of plane. I got excited there, for a moment.
Argus
Established Member
The type of plane that we tend to get in the UK is, as was said, called London Plane, due to the fact that a lot of it was planted in the 19th C in London streets recognising the fact that it tends to shed its bark and would tolerate the foul smoke-polluted air in the city at the time...... that's the story, anyway.
London Plane wood that actually comes from London (and is of a certain vintage) is often refused by sawmills due to the risk of bits of embedded shrapnel from the war. It's common to find bits of shredded metal in it that will wreck saw blades, often tiny splinters too small to register reliably on metal detectors
Does it turn? In my experience, yes. It makes very good bowls.
Have a look at the grain direction on the ends of the boards. If you can obtain Plane wood that is quarter-sawn, i.e. that is cut radially to the centre of the trunk, when you cut it or turn on a lathe it will have some attractive interlocked medullary rays when you turn it on a lathe and is amongst the woods that are called 'Lacewood' because of this pattern. Other exotic trees have a similar appearance, too.
London Plane wood that actually comes from London (and is of a certain vintage) is often refused by sawmills due to the risk of bits of embedded shrapnel from the war. It's common to find bits of shredded metal in it that will wreck saw blades, often tiny splinters too small to register reliably on metal detectors
Does it turn? In my experience, yes. It makes very good bowls.
Have a look at the grain direction on the ends of the boards. If you can obtain Plane wood that is quarter-sawn, i.e. that is cut radially to the centre of the trunk, when you cut it or turn on a lathe it will have some attractive interlocked medullary rays when you turn it on a lathe and is amongst the woods that are called 'Lacewood' because of this pattern. Other exotic trees have a similar appearance, too.
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Adam W.
A Major Clanger
It's pretty similar from what I recall of my miss spent youth hanging around in Le Luberon.
Cooper
Established Member
I've turned London Plane, green from a log, I found it very similar to Sycamore. I'd do it again if I had the chance.
Clatters
Member
I am currently splitting up some bits and pieces of a London plane for firewood. It is a very unusual colour, almost salmon pink.
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Hi Peter, I used to live in France, down near the Canal du Midi and Carcassonne and as you probably know there are/were quite a lot of platan (French plane) down there along the canal. Not now though thanks, apparently, to the tree surgeons who bought the canker down from the North?
This was from along the canal, but it was before the problems so not infected. Pale wood and not really hard, it takes a good finish from sharp tools.
It pyrographs quite well too
So, in my experience it is fine for turning.
What area are you in?
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Dalboy
Established Member
London plain here in the UK is very nice to turn and can depending on how it is cut be a very pleasant looking wood. This piece I turned was easy to work and left a great grain showing
Yorkieguy
Established Member
London plane is often known as 'lacewood' for fairly obvious reasons. It's close grained and turns nicely, rather like sycamore, (which is rather bland if not textured, pierced or decorated in some way). I've attached some pics of a square rimmed bowl I turned in London plane. Also - when the moods takes me, I occasionally use 55mm cubes to turn a 'cube within a cube within a cube' but I have to be in the mood for that as it's more akin to precision engineering than woodturning!
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Cooper
Established Member
I think that another set of pictures, which show how you go about turning the cubes are in order.
I'm most impressed by your square rim with the droop. If I tried that I'm sure a snag would chip the corners.
Hi, nice bowls. We are in the Lot et Garonne, halfway between Bergerac and Agen. Lovely bit of the world.
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Peter45, I would have thought Peter47 would have been more fitting 
Definitely a nice bit of France
Definitely a nice bit of France
SVB
Established Member
Iirc needs to be quarter sawn for the lace figure to be clear (and then is sometimes referred to as lacewood)
Yorkieguy
Established Member
As to the square rim of the bowl, I find that if I turn outwards from the rim of the bowl to the edge of the square taking gentle cuts, I don't chip the corners off. However, as the 'wings' become thinner and thinner, all you see is a 'ghost' so you need to be very careful of keeping fingers out of the way of the revolving corners.
As to turning the cubes, I've attached a few pics and a sketch that might help understand how they are turned..
When one side of the blank cube has been hollowed out as shown in the diagram, a stepped plug has to be turned and fitted (five of which are needed), to support the two inner cubes so that as the turning progresses, the inner cubes don't break free. A high degree of accuracy is required or the two inner cubes will be turned and drilled off-centre. If care is taken, when the turning is completed and all of the plugs are removed, each corner of the two inner cubes will be 'hanging on by a thread' and can be gently pulled free. That leaves the inner eight corners of the large cube with little internal 'pyramids' for want of a better word, which can be cleaned up with a Dremel drill and burr.
No fancy tools or equipment is called for. Two small 'tables' which fit in the toolpost of the lathe need to be made - one to support the cube while accurately sanding it square on all six sides to the correct dimensions - the other to support the turning tools held horizontally on the table while hollowing. A wooden chuck needs to be made, and two old chisels ground to shape for the two turning tools. One chisel is a 'hook tool' to undercut the cubes internally - the other a 'square end' tool to turn the larger hole and to clean the surface of the inner two cubes. The sanding disc is attached to the wooden plywood disc with Velcro and the wooden disc held on a chuck with internal dovetail jaws. The wooden chuck for the cube blank is held on external dovetail jaws.
The technique featured in Woodturning Magazine (issue 127) many years ago by Dave Springett, who is quite an expert on such things, and has written a book entitled 'Woodturning Wizardry' which can often be found quite cheaply second-hand. All rather too advanced for my somewhat limited skills!
Woodturning Wizardry by David Springett - AbeBooks
I hope the pics and sketch give some idea of what's involved. Like so many things in life, the only time I've ever felt like doing it twice is just before I've done it once! I guess I've made a dozen or so over the years as conversation pieces for friends. It takes me about a day to make one.
David.
