Retrievable, or firewood?

[IanB]

Hi all, I'd be grateful for any advice from more experienced turners whether anything can be done with a piece of wood like this, with deep splits, or is it best thrown on the fire? I'm not too keen on encasing it in resin as this looks quite a costly/complex exercise, but is there anything else I could do? It's mulberry btw, and I've got quite a few pieces like this!

 

[Stigmorgan]

Im very far from experienced but personally I would fill the cracks with fine sawdust and saturate with thin CA glue, leave it a day or so then turn it, just make sure you go easy with the cuts and do not stand in the line of fire in case something does fly off.

 

[Dalboy]

Burn it I know it is not what many would recommend but with some of those splits super glue is no suitable. The other thing is that it will be a end grain bowl and I am sure it will split even more the more you turn it.
As a new turner it would be best to stick to already seasoned wood with no splits as you get more experienced then venture into wood with inclusions.

Do not take chances.

I have been turning for quite a while and stuck with stable wood to start with and worked up from there. I know how far I can push wood to a greater extent but there are still pieces that I would not try. The most adventurous is something like this.

 

[Jacob]

Have a go! Wear goggles and a crash helmet. It'll most likely split in half.
Make shaker pegs with the bits?

 

[Robbo3]

Use it/them for practice.
Home turners find a piece of wood & think what to make with it whilst those that earn money from turning, source their wood to suit the job in hand.
Just be wary of your speeds. It's often quoted that speed is the turners friend & you should turn as fast as you feel comfortable. With those cracks it would be wise to slow down a little in case it flies apart.
You could try the superglue & sawdust trick as advocated earlier. This should help in keeping the wood together & practicing the method for when you need it in earnest.

 

[Tris]

If you are determined to turn it get the outside shaped then wrap it in plenty of cling film when you reverse it to hollow it out

 

[IanB]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. It seems lots of sawdust and glue, and taking it slowly and cautiously, is worth a try. Thanks too @Tris for the clingfilm tip. @Dalboy, that's an amazing piece of turning!
Ian

 

[Orraloon]

Firewood or trip to the hospital?
I know there those great feats perseverance in turning that we all admire but sometines some sow's ears will never become that silk purse.
Regards
John

 

[Blister]

That unfortunately is a recipe for disaster , If you have any concerns for safety avoid using it , others have said yes but it's not them that would be in the firing line .

 

[paulm]

Pointless, frustrating and dangerous !

 

[Linus]

In my case when I've had lumps like these is don't risk them on the lathe -it's not worth it. If you have interesting grain in there, slice it up on a bandsaw into 1 inch or so sections favouring the cracks and set them aside to dry naturally somewhere spaced for ventilation. In a few months you have bits of nice interesting timber you can turn, make into boxes or laminate into interesting pieces. Even nicer if it's spalted. The waste makes kindling.

 

[Steve_Scott]

I have a similar log of hawthorn burl that I was hoping to turn and was contemplating stabilising the thing with casting epoxy to fill the cracks. Is this a bad idea?

 

[Owd Jockey]

Personally, I would give it a whirl . You seem to have already got a tenon on it, so mount it and bring the tailstock up. To effectively go down the resin infill approach would require a vacuum chamber and would be expensive. The key here is lathe speed and good PPE. For potentially 'dodgy' material I use a Police Riot helmet, which I bought on Ebay a few years back, the perspex visor is 10mm thick. So sharp tools and slow lathe seed until you can see the state of the wood as you gouge out the bowl, then use an appropriate filler like sawdust with CA.

 

[Stigmorgan]

ne alternative if that large crack worries you too much would be to cut the blank through the crack and have 2 smaller side grain bowl blanks

 

[IanB]

Ok thanks everyone - lots to think about....

 

[Blister]

I have a similar log of hawthorn burl that I was hoping to turn and was contemplating stabilising the thing with casting epoxy to fill the cracks. Is this a bad idea?

Maybe yes IF you have a pressure pot and a compressor to achieve the required pressure
Resin and activator is not cheap either

 

[Rich_D]

Maybe yes IF you have a pressure pot and a compressor to achieve the required pressure
Resin and activator is not cheap either

IanB
If and when you turn this wood, spend a tenner and buy a Perspex face shield.
Good luck and post pictures of the results.

 

[IanB]

IanB
If and when you turn this wood, spend a tenner and buy a Perspex face shield.
Good luck and post pictures of the results.

Thanks - yes, I have got a face shield though only a cheap one from Axminster, maybe I should upgrade to riot gear standard as Owd Jockey suggests above!

 

[Stigmorgan]

Thanks - yes, I have got a face shield though only a cheap one from Axminster, maybe I should upgrade to riot gear standard as Owd Jockey suggests above!

If you worry too much you could get hold of a motorcycle helmet, that will protect your whole head, ive been tempted to use mine a few times.

 

[Inspector]

I would toss it but you can do as you think best. It is a little lesson in what not to do with logs. What you should do in the future is cut/split the wood in two along the pith with an eye to turning the bowl 90º to the way you are doing this one. Also cut it long enough so there is at least a couple inches or more at each end so the cracks don't extend into the bowl. Paint the ends to reduce the cracking as it dries. When closer to being ready saw out the round out of the middle and rough turn it to dry some more. You'll have a better chance of getting a crack free turning that way.

Pete