Timber - learning and costs

[Bigbud78]

Which timbers are good for learning with ?

I've been using pine scraps which are a bit skinny TBH so should I just try and get some bigger pieces ? I found someone near by on ebay selling oak 90x90x2m for £50 and didn't know if this was worth picking up or too expensive.

My local timber merchant is very much a pine structures place and they glazed over when I was asking about hardwoods last time I was in :/ Manchester reallly does need a hardwood specialist :roll:

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

I've had good results with firewood from my local petrol stations. They do a bag for under a fiver. Other than that it's a case of keep your eyes open for anyone felling trees, and cadge. You can sometimes pick up old table legs at landfill/amenity sites, but make sure you have seriously good respiratory protection in case anything has been painted over with old lead paints etc.
Stick a wanted on Freecycle, and search Gumtree. It's amazing what folk want to get rid of.
Someone local to me was offering up a load of leylandii. It's fairly easy to turn, but I'm currently swamped with stuff I get from work.

 

[Dalboy]

Have a search for tree surgeons on Yell.com and give them a ring they may sell or even better give you some.

 

[Rhossydd]

If you're not completely strapped for cash, you might find buying a bag of ready prepared blanks from somewhere like Home of Wood* an easier way to get some decent wood to learn with. There's a lot to be said for starting off with some quality, stable hardwood.

Dealing with fire wood and freshly felled timber might not be the best way to learn.
You might need a band saw to convert it to something that will fit on your lathe, it may have faults that will make turning it harder and discouraging. Freshly felled wood might be nice and smooth to turn, but will have it own problems as it tries to dry out.

* http://www.homeofwood.co.uk/ I've not used them myself, but others here report good quality and value from their offers.

 

[Bigbud78]

If you're not completely strapped for cash, you might find buying a bag of ready prepared blanks from somewhere like Home of Wood* an easier way to get some decent wood to learn with. There's a lot to be said for starting off with some quality, stable hardwood.

Dealing with fire wood and freshly felled timber might not be the best way to learn.
You might need a band saw to convert it to something that will fit on your lathe, it may have faults that will make turning it harder and discouraging. Freshly felled wood might be nice and smooth to turn, but will have it own problems as it tries to dry out.

* http://www.homeofwood.co.uk/ I've not used them myself, but others here report good quality and value from their offers.

Thanks for that, just ordered the beginner bundle for starters. Think I need to decide what I want to make first before I start buying loads, also have put up a few adds and the word out im looking for wood :lol:

 

[Lons]

Old furniture from skips, freecycle or dirt cheap at local salerooms, Whilst tops are usually veneered the legs etc are often solid. Try window and door installers as hardwood cills are usually skipped and are thick enough to be useful, shopfitters as well. Kitchen companies and fitters as sink and hob cutouts from wood worktops are around 40mm thick. Friends, family and neighbours tree prunings.

Loads of free wood around for you to play with without spending money or wasting expensive material while your learning techniques.

cheers
Bob

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I don't think you'll go wrong with H. o. W. - I've had two sacks that have been superb - some of the nicest sycamore anyone at our club had ever seen, amongst others.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

If you want cheaper wood, buying it unseasoned and in log form reduces the cost considerably. Find the firewood suppliers or tree surgeons in your area.

Sycamore, beech or tulipwood (poplar) are easy to turn at at the lower end of the price scale. Oak is generally a little more expensive.

 

[Bodrighy]

The only two woods I have found impossible to turn are young buddleia and the ornamental eucalyptus we get over here in the UK. Pretty much any other wood can be made into something. Some are easier than others obviously but bottom line practice makes perfect not the wood or tools.

Pete

 

[gavinr]

one of the first scraps i tried i got about halfway through and hit a big old buried nail with my new roughing gouge, not happy, fortunately the damage is not that bad and very fortunately it was just a cheap rutlands one not a sorby or anything like that, but lesson learned there.

i play safe now and take a walk in the woods below my house and see what i can find. its a beech wood and i'm finding it nice to work with.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I would also go the exact opposite direction of buying in incredibly expensive and far too dry blanks. Green wood is plentiful, very forgiving to turn which is just what you need when you're learning and has a huge variety which brings interest and surprise to the outcome. Just don't expect to keep a lot of the finished stuff long term as it will move as it dries, especially face grain work (bowls etc).

But you will need an awful lot of practice time at the start and green wood is perfect for it. Branch wood, which is easy to get, easy to cut is great for spindle practice and of course its mostly already in the round. Kiln dried blanks on the other hand cost a small fortune and are a dusty, dry, rasping miserable pig to turn.

The only downside of green wood is you may need to invest in some tools to process it ready for the lathe (a chainsaw being the obvious one).

 

[Dalboy]

I would also go the exact opposite direction of buying in incredibly expensive and far too dry blanks. Green wood is plentiful, very forgiving to turn which is just what you need when you're learning and has a huge variety which brings interest and surprise to the outcome. Just don't expect to keep a lot of the finished stuff long term as it will move as it dries, especially face grain work (bowls etc).

But you will need an awful lot of practice time at the start and green wood is perfect for it. Branch wood, which is easy to get, easy to cut is great for spindle practice and of course its mostly already in the round. Kiln dried blanks on the other hand cost a small fortune and are a dusty, dry, rasping miserable pig to turn.

The only downside of green wood is you may need to invest in some tools to process it ready for the lathe (a chainsaw being the obvious one).

And to add to that if you start collecting green wood now and continue then you should always have a supply. I wish I had started to collect from the beginning

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Assuming of course you have space . Some of us haven't.

 

[Dalboy]

Assuming of course you have space . Some of us haven't.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: That's true

 

[Rhossydd]

I would also go the exact opposite direction

Shall we have a little reality check on your reply ? I think quite a few of the older experienced posters here sometimes loose sight of the difficulties of starting out in woodturning.
The poster is someone who's only just bought their first lathe and hasn't the benefit of a fully equipped workshop to back up their new hobby. He also lives in an urban area where good timber yards and green timber supplies aren't exactly plentiful.

incredibly expensive and far too dry blanks

"incredibly expensive" I'm not talking about buying tropical exotics where costs can be high, but the English hardwoods from Home of Wood work out pretty economical, each blank can cost less than a pint of beer. Even a full sack of good quality hardwood blanks will cost less than seeing a match at Old Trafford.
What you get is timber that is easy to turn and without any major defects to catch the novice out.
If you went on a professionally run course you'd be given a pre-prepared blank that's ready to turn and easy to mount on the lathe. Make life easy to start with and copy the professional tutors approach, then you learn faster.

huge variety which brings interest and surprise to the outcome. Just don't expect to keep a lot of the finished stuff long term as it will move as it dries, especially face grain work

Bringing 'surprise' to work isn't always a good thing when you're trying to learn. Also consider how many unpleasant surprises you've had when you've turned 'found' timber, it's not always a good experience, sometimes downright dangerous, especially for the novice.
Ready cut blanks, being close to dry, also means that finishing will be straight forward and, with care, could end up with a properly useful item, not a warped old bit of scrap only fit for the fire.
Actually managing to make a fully finished item is hugely encouraging when starting out.

The only downside of green wood is you may need to invest in some tools to process it ready for the lathe (a chainsaw being the obvious one).

So having described ready to go blanks that might only cost £2 each as "costing a small fortune" you're suggesting a novice buying a chainsaw ?
Is that really a wise strategy? really ??
Going from a lump of tree to a turnable bit of timber for a small lathe with just a chainsaw ? that takes quite a lot of skill in itself. Plus you'll need work holding kit, safety kit; how much does that all cost ?

Lets be realistic and pragmatic with our advice here.
Once people have learnt the basics and know they wish to progress with turning, then is the time to suggest more advanced and adventurous approaches that may involve more expenditure and risk. Until then, let's keep the advice sound and viable.

 

[Lons]

I think quite a few of the older experienced posters here sometimes loose sight of the difficulties of starting out in woodturning.
The poster is someone who's only just bought their first lathe and hasn't the benefit of a fully equipped workshop to back up their new hobby.

I think the replies so far, including mine have in general answered the OP question pretty comprehensively tbh. i.e.

Which timbers are good for learning with ?

Doesn't matter if he lives in an urban area where in fact it's much easier than where I live to pick up free or very cheap dry hardwood in the form of old furniture via salerooms, skips, or freecycle as well as kitchen worktop offcuts from any nearby industrial estates. Urban areas also have parks and trees so the local authority is another source of prunings. The word "learning" is key here remember!

Later when he is experienced and perhaps better equipped he will know what he wants to spend his hard earned on.
cheers
Bob

 

[Rhossydd]

kitchen worktop offcuts

You seriously recommend that as "Good for learning" ?

That pretty much reinforces my point.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Assuming he doesn't mean chipboard, why not?

 

[Rhossydd]

Assuming he doesn't mean chipboard, why not?

How many 'kitchen worktop offcuts' aren't faced chipboard now ? It's worth bearing in mind that these forums are read by a lot of people (that don't contribute or read very widely) that might not understand why a chipboard kitchen worktop wouldn't be a good thing to learn to turn with if someone recommends it here.
Yes, some worktops are solid wood, but precious few. Those that are tend to be not very thick, so less useful. Most kitchen companies selling off these sorts of offcuts seem to sell them as suitable for cutting boards and price them accordingly, so no great bargain worth chasing.
As the OP was looking to move on from "pine scraps which are a bit skinny" it's not a hugely useful suggestion.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Dealing with fire wood and freshly felled timber might not be the best way to learn.

Totally get where you are coming from there.
I still class myself as a beginner, because I get so little time at the lathe. Every cut for me is a practice cut.
When I first started I was so strapped for cash that sometimes a buying a tube of superglue was out of reach, which is why I started with green timber and firewood. This was made from a piece of oak out of a bag of firewood.

My point was it is cheap and easy to source. Maybe I should have been more clear at the time.
The green timber I cut with a bow saw until I had something near the length I needed. I learned a lot from using green timber, especially stance and technique. I'm fortunate that I can source logs at work, and have a reasonable amount of space to store them until they are dry enough to work.
The OP seems pleased enough with the bundle from HoW, so all's well.