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Douglas fir

Sure. I wouldn't want it fresh green (sticky mess all over) but most any wood can be turned to useful things - or at least useful to practice (bead & cove sticks, etc - no matter how long you been turning, practice is always useful!) ONly thing I'd worry on is knowing WHAT wood it is that I'm working with (Some woods can cause allergies, be posionous, etc)
 
I have some wonderful Doug fir, vertical grain boards with ~30 growth rings per inch that I'm building organ pipes from. It machines very nicely and holds crisp details, I'm sure it would turn well, though I haven't tried it. I'd be much more doubtful of the four growth ring per inch stuff that gets cut into 2x4s.
 
it turns well but you need razor sharp tools to get a good finish. This is brushed with a brass wire brush and oiled
 

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I second the idea of searching out the work of Bill Luce - he worked extensively in Doug Fir. Among his last series of large turnings and hollowed shapes were large Doug Fir turnings initially hollowed with a chainsaw. Perhaps the Facetta series?
 
A thing about Douglas fir is how expensive it has gotten, especially the old growth material where an inch or so thick might show 20+ years of growth rings. Salvaging beams from 100 year old buildings has been a good source of the old growth. When Bill Gates was building his house his contractors bought up all the beams they could find to assure they'd have enough. My house is a hundred years old, our current remodeling exposes 2 x 4's and larger with beautiful vertical grain. I have to watch the contractors so those don't go into the dumpster.
 
You have to be careful not to over sand DF with super fine grits. You will remove more of the soft early grain than the hard late grain and maybe get a texture you didn't want. It won't like to be cut with carbide scraper inserts if it's pretty dry. The soft grain will likely tear out. Curious term you use to ask if it's "useful".
 
When Doug Fir ages, it gets brittle. Something to keep in mind if you're going to turn salvaged wood, as Doug describes.
 
I don't care for it, but not a big issue. I wouldn't want to turn anything but old growth fir. Just too much difference in the fast grown stuff with growth rings 3/8 inch or more apart.

robo hippy
 
I turned a fair number of insert formers, case formers, and ball formers out of Douglas Fir over the years for the Pyrotechnic guild, The wall hangers were usually made out of hard woods, but the tools that get used every day, Pine or Douglas Fir works fine. You can also do some amazing, segmented work with some of these common woods with creative use of the wood grains in the design.
 
I like turning fir, I have turned a bunch of plates that we've been using at the house for a while and they're holding up great.
 

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robo hippy said:
I don't care for it, but not a big issue. I wouldn't want to turn anything but old growth fir. Just too much difference in the fast grown stuff with growth rings 3/8 inch or more apart.

robo hippy
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I bet the fir you have out there in mold country is different, turning wise, from what we have here in the arid inland. The grow rings are <1/4" for one thing, probably more like 3/16 on average, and 1/8" rings wouldn't be uncommon.. The full sized old ones are maybe 20-24" in diameter at chest height, for another.
 
Well, I can remember when I first got to Oregon in 69, you would some times see a log truck with one log on it. The old growth stuff can have rings maybe 1/16 apart. After building my house and shop, there was a piece of 6 by 8 beam left over, and I did turn some bowls from it, but didn't care for it. Nothing beats madrone....

robo hippy
 
I turned a few bowls from beam end cutoffs just to see how fir turns. Not old growth, big wide rings. I didnt think much of them but they are often the first bowls people pick up and admire.
 
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