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Another wood gloat....

L

Lyle Rawlins

Joined
Apr 12, 2011
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Location
Corona, CA
I was driving through my neighborhood earlier this evening and noticed a pile of wood out by the curb of a nearby home.

I stopped a few minutes later to get a better look at it.

Sign said "Free Wood" so I loaded up what I could fit in my car.

Norfolk Island Pine about 12" diameter!!

Going back in the morning with truck to get the rest of it.

To think it was probably destined to be used as firewood or something worse.

If they had any idea what it was worth it would have been on eBay instead of out at the curb.

Bye
 
I note the sign in the photo says "Free wood". Not anymore; it's been captured and I'm sure it will be put to good use.
 
I have only turned white pine before and didn't really like it as it was to soft how does Norfolk pine turn and is it as soft
 
Sean Boyle said:
I have only turned white pine before and didn't really like it as it was to soft how does Norfolk pine turn and is it as soft
Click to expand...

You'll hate it, so if you run across any let us know the details and we'll haul it off so that you won't make the mistake of trying to turn it. 😀

I think that John Lawson is correct -- the sign was a plea for help, as in, "Free Floyd Collins".
 
if it is fresh cut, let it sit for awhile, leave the pith in, wear gloves when turning the bark off, do not try to chop bark off with axe or something, you will mar the figure that the branches make from the center to outside, start between centers then adjust to get as many branch ends on the same plane, the small branches can make xmas ornaments......but, ....look at american woodturner june 2013 vol 28,#3 look at articule A MUSHROOM FOR MELISSA by Franck Johannesen page 35......sort of give you some ideas
 
Mark the tops of the log ends. The branches go down into the log at about a 20 degree angle.
You can easily see the limbs pointing up now. There is usually a little bump on the ground side of the tree too.

Most NIP is turned endgrain started between centers so that the knots can be lined up. Mathematics says you can line three of them up so you almost never get them all lined up but some of the rings of knots a more even than others.

Bowls are often turned with the opening of the endgrain bowl toward that top of the tree. The curve of the bottom is turned through the ring of knots so the knot pattern shows in the bottom of the bowl.

Hollow forms are usually tuned with the opening of the form toward the bottom of the tree so that the curvature of the form cuts through the knots.

I don't turn much NIP it is really messy when green and the knots get really hard so it has to be turned with patience as any cut through a knot is cutting in different directions and an aggressive wood removal will rip out the knot.
Kelly turns a lot of NIP.

If you soak a not too thin thin NIP with oils it becomes translucent.

I don't enjoy turning NIP but I do love seeing the Knots make a star where I want it.

Have fun

Al
 
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hockenbery said:
.... Hollow forms are usually tuned with the opening of the form toward the bottom of the tree so that the curvature of the form cuts through the knots.....
Click to expand...

How about if making a lampshade that is open on both ends, but wider at the bottom -- would it still be done "upside down"?
 
Bill Boehme said:
How about if making a lampshade that is open on both ends, but wider at the bottom -- would it still be done "upside down"?
Click to expand...

If you are turning a lampshade from NIP you won't get a star pattern on a lamp shade. For strength putting the wider part of the tree( bottom) toward the wider opening of the lamp shade would have longer fibers in the shade making it stronger. Probably not significant but doesn't cost anything to turn it that way.

At the 2013 Florida symposium the instant gallery had a tall hollow form with the opening in the face grain so the star pattern was on one side of the form.
The star had long points up and down and short points on the sides. The effect was successful.

Al
 
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