banksia pods

[cwearing]

How does one go about turning banksia pods?
😕

 

[john lucas]

There are a lot of options. Depends on what you want to make. I have cut them down on the bandsaw the turned them like a christmas ornament. Sliced them up to use them for Wine stoppers. Make small bowls, fan pulls. My favorite is slicing it up and using it as a thick veneer. I filled in all the voids with black epoxy. Banksia also bleaches really well. I bleached a box and then colored it with analine dye. They make great goblet stems.
When turning boxes I like to add solid wood inserts for the box lips because you always have a void somewhere due to the seed openings.

 

[john lucas]

I forgot to answer your question on how do you turn them. The turn pretty much like wood except for 2 things. 1- they throw the seeds out. Wear a shield or at least safety glasses. 2- they have a red fuzz under the "bark". It does not have any strength so you must either turn through it or leave the outer bark on for strength. I also suggest having a dust collector nearby to attract this red fuzz.
For boxes I cut a little bit off the ends so I can mount it between centers. Then I rotate it by hand and move the centers until I have it centered the way I want. Then I turn a tenon on one end for the chuck and proceed to turn it like I would any other box (except for the solid wood inserts).
To cut them on the bandsaw I use a V block to keep them from rotating on you, or sand a flat area and then glue them to a block of wood so you can slide them safely lengthwise.

 

[Richard Baker]

John, Is there any type of woodturning that you have not done? Maybe intend to do in the fullness of time?

 

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Here's an unusual use of Banksia pod material.

 

[Richard Baker]

Very cool! Piercing without piercing.

 

[GA Darling]

That is pretty neat Malcolm. I still want to try one of thoes with any material. Just havent got to it yet.

Greg

 

[Rick Taylor]

Malcolm
Looks great! What kind of glue do you use to join the pods?
Rick Taylor

 

[john lucas]

Texian I have tried a lot of stuff. If it fits on the lathe I try to see if it will turn.
I haven't tried alabaster yet. Someone asked Rude Osolnik what lathe you should use to turn alabaster and he told them "someone else's".
I do plan to take up metal spinning. I've been watching from the sidelines and gathering material for the last 5 years so any day now I'll jump in.
I did turn a salt block one time. I will never do that again. The piece came out pretty cool but It took 2 days to clean out the bandsaw I used to cut it to size.

 

[Richard Baker]

Thanks for your reply John. Pls. motor gently with the metal spinning. Looks like fun, and maybe some new ways to injure oneself.

 

[john lucas]

Yea there's nothing like throwing a high speed razor sharp frisbee off the lathe. Actually once you have it trued up and start the form it won't come off. The edges however are still pretty darn sharp.